Cultural Revolution Key Events

By joshuatang907

  • Setting the Stage for Cultural Revolution

    Mao, his wife, and Jiang Qing told Yao Wenyuan to file a harsh critique on a play by the Beijing Mayor. The report received much popularity, and also at this time Mao began to replace his office with people he knew and trusted.

  • Unofficial Beginning of the Cultural Revolution

    The unofficial beginning of the Cultural Revolution was with the "May 16 Circular". Mao then tells students who were becoming Red Guards to rebel against school authorities and school were becoming canceled while students attended political meetings.

  • the first dazibao

    A young teacher produced the first big character poster which targeted his/her fellow professors. Students then began to make and display dazibao until it was covered everywhere

  • Red Guards form at Beijing University

    Red guards began to form at Bejing University and began to be a nationwide student movement. Students become Red guards for a number of reason, from avoiding marriage to the excitement in joining the movement, it was solely for destroying and eliminating Mao's enemies

  • Mao writes a dazibao

    Mao creates dazibao about an attack on Liu shaoqi who was a leader of the CCP. It also encouraged students to continue to criticize and attack CCP leaders Short term: Denounce and humiliate people from the CCP Long Term: gave students a reason and the authority to continue to make dazibao and it was then everywhere

  • Sixteen Points Directive

    This document says that the government has full support on Mao's policies. It also says that the key target of the rebellion are intellectuals and capitalist-roaders.

  • First Red Guard rally in Beijing

    Mao gives his blessing to rebel towards the Red Guards. He allows the Red Guards to destroy the "Four Olds". It was an estimated 13 million students attending rallies at Tiananmen Square. Short Term: The start of rallies held in Beijing from August to November of 1966 Long Term: Became a symbol of the Cultural revolution with students holding their red books and chanting Mao's name

  • Chaos escalates

    The Red guards became Mao's greatest weapon and they began to destroy anything that had to do with the "Four Olds". Red Guards also began to escalate the violence which caused more than 1700 people to be beaten and also the invasion of 38,000 homes.

  • Campaign to promote Mao's cult of personality

    Lin Biao and Jiang Qing began to promote Mao's cult of personality by making him like a god-like person. Mao's little red book was also in every home and everyone had to have one, Mao also began to worry that the rebellion would destroy the CCP entirely and he had no control over it.

  • Red Guards dismantled

    The cultural revolution had major effects on China's industrial production and many of the CCP members had been driven out from the party. Mao then commands the army to dismantle the Red Guards and restore peace and order.

  • Down to the Countryside Movement

    this movement sends Red Guards to do labor, others are sent to the military. Many die of malnutrition and disease but it ultimately achieved the CCP's objective to have them not rebel against them.

  • Ninth Congress of the CCP

    party leaders that have managed to live were brought together and Lin Biao was to be the vice chairman of the CCP. It was a step to rebuilding the CCP and stabilizing everything from the economy to its foreign relations and agriculture.

  • The Lin Biao Affair

    Lin Biao had attempted to kill Mao in 1971 but it didn't work out. His reputation was gone and on the same year he was on a plane which mysteriously crashed and his death was leaked after a year.

  • Criticise Lin Biao, Criticise Confucius Campaign

    Wang Hongwen replaces Lin Biao after his death and Jiang Qing starts the Criticise Lin Biao Campaign which is to blame the revolution on Lin Biao. Chinese people begin to not be affected by it so it failed.

  • Events leading to the end of Cultural revolution

    Deng Xiaoping becomes first vice-premier and in September of 1975 Mao Zedong hospitalized and dies a year later. Hua Guofeng becomes the chairman of the CCP and arrest Jiang Qing which marked the end of the cultural revolution

  • Tiananmen Incident

    Zhou Enlai goes to the hospital after falling ill to cancer and dies on January 8, 1976. Many people mourn for his death and a memorial was set up. Short Term: A feeling of loss after one of the most respected leaders died. Also, criticize Jiang Qing for being against Zhou Enlai Long Term: Another similar incident happens in 1989 because of a death in the CCP.