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1965 - Setting the stage for the Cultural Revolution
Mao directs Yao Wenyuan to violently critique Beijing's mayor's play, this article attracts a lot of attention due to its controversial topic about attacking Mao. Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, then criticizes art and literature in general due to the condemning of the bourgeois, anti-party, and anti-social. -
1966 - Unofficial beginning of the Cultural Revolution
The "May 16 Circular" was issued by the Politburo, that stated the CCP would start eradicating lingering bourgeoise in the CCP, government, and army. -
1966 - First dazibao
A young teacher writes the first Marxist dazibao against university professors and administrators. -
1966 - Red Guards form at Beijing University
The first group of Red Guards was created to eliminate Mao's enemies who are on the intellectual side. -
1966 - Mao writes a dazibao
Mao writes a dazibao that attacked Liu Shaoqi. This encouraged students to criticize and purge CCP leaders. -
1966 - Sixteen Points Directive
The Eight Central Committee of the CCP passes a document that officially states the Chinese government's support of Mao's economic policies. This document was called the "Sixteen Points -
1966 - First Red Guard rally in Beijing
Mao gives Red Guards blessings to rebel at the Tiananmen Square, allowing them to smash the "Four Olds". -
1967 - Chaos escalates
Red guards have ransacked homes and destroyed anything with a remanence of the "Four Olds." They were basically Mao's "greatest weapon" at that point. -
1968 - Campaign to promote Mao's cult of personality
Lin Biao and Jiang Wing aggressively promote Mao's cult of personality, which boosted the number of items, pictures, images, etc. of Mao all around China. Short Term Effect: Many people in China were basically forced with Mao's revolutionary ideas since "Little Red Books" were all over China Long Term Effect: The amount of promotion Mao got during this time made him well known throughout China, and makes his name stand out in history. -
1968 - Red Guards dismantled
By this point, the country suffered from deaths, economic loss, and cultural loss. To stop the chaos from progressing, Mao dismantles the Red Guards and restores order into cities in China. Short Term Effect: Red Guards no longer terrorized Chinese citizens, and order in China has made more peace. Long Term Effect: China is able to still preserve what's left of this chaotic experience, as many Chinese people, money, and culture can no longer be retrieved back forever. -
1968 - "Down to the Countryside" Movement
Urban youth, especially Red Guards, are sent to do manual labor by peasants in the countryside. Many die of malnutrition, disease, or exhaustion. Short Term Effect: Many young people die from joining these rural works due to the harsh conditions Long Term Effect: Around 16 million young people miss out on schooling, impacting their lives forever. -
1969 - Ninth Congress of the CCP
Party leaders who survived resume their roles in the government, while Lin Biao is promoted to vice chairman of the CCP. Mao declares this as the end of the Cultural Revolution, but there is more to come. -
1971 - "The Lin Biao Affair"
Tensions in the PLA, Party leaders, and CCP leaders begin to fuel, especially between Mao and Lin Biao. Lin Biao flees after trying to kill Mao, but dies in Mongolia due to a plane crash. -
1974 - "Criticize Lin Biao, Criticize Confucius" Campaign
Wang Hongwen replaces Lin as vice-chair, and Jiang Qing blames all mistakes of the revolution on Lin Biao. -
1976 - Events leading to the end of the Cultural Revolution
Deng Xiaoping becomes vice premier but gets demoted after facing criticism from Jiang Qing. Hua Guofeng replaces him and when Mao dies a year later, he becomes the chairman of the CCP, ordering the arrest of Jiang Qing and her supporters, also known as the "Gang of Four." -
1976 - Tiananmen Incident
Zhou dies of cancer and a memorial is held for his death in Tiananmen Square. However, a riot starts against Jiang Qing and her supporters as they try to remove the memorials.