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Mao Zedong and his wife Jiang Qing instruct critic Yao Wenyuan to publish a critique of a play written by Beijing's mayor, which they thought was an attack on Mao. Jiang Qing also wrote a criticism of contemporary literature and art, condemning anti-communist tendencies in the popular ard. Mao also began placing his own friends and allies in powerful government positions.
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Mao Zedong and his wife Jiang Qing direct Literary critic Yao Wenyuan to publish a critique of a play by Beijing's mayor, which they perceived to be an attack on Mao. Jiang Qing also writes a criticism of literature and art, which she condemned as anti-socialist and anti-party. Mao also replaced powerful government officials with his friends and allies.
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The "May 16 Circular", which stated the CCP's intention to oust bourgeoisie representatives from the government, marked the unofficial beginning of the Cultural Revolution. From then on, Red Guards, or students, hunted revisionists and schools reorganized to fit the agenda of the CCP, forming a popular student movement across China.
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The publication of the "May 16 Circular", an issue to oust representatives of the Bourgeoise in the CCP, marks the unofficial beginning of the Cultural Revolution. Mao calls on students and Red Guards to hunt down revisionists, and the movement quickly spreads nationwide.
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A young teacher at Beijing University writes the first "dazibao", or big-character poster. These posters criticized reactionary academics and would become an important part of the student Cultural revolution. Hundreds of dazibao would be written all across China.
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A young teacher at Beijing University writes the first Marxist dazibao, or big-character poster, against anti-party university professors and administrators.Soon, many students began producing and displaying dazibao, and it quickly became a mainstay of the Cultural Revolution
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The first group of Red Guards, students who wanted to eliminate Mao's enemies, formed at Beijing University. The Red Guards quickly became a popular nationwide student movement. Many joined the Red Guards for freedom and power, to experience excitement, or out of loyalty to Mao.
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The first group of Red Guards, students who wanted to eliminate intellectuals and Mao's enemies, gathered at Beijing University. The revolution quickly became a national student movement and many students joined the Red Guards to experience excitement, gain power, or out of loyalty to Mao.
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Mao writes a dazibao saying to "bombard the headquarters", an attack aimed at CCP vice chairman Liu Shaoqi. This event encouraged students and others to criticize and purge CCP leaders.
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CCP passes the Sixteen Points, an official statement from the government supporting Mao's economic policies and the official formation of the Red Guards. The Sixteen Points also states that both capitalists and intellectuals within the party would become targets of the revolution. This marks how the Cultural Revolution gained legitimacy and is the official beginning of the Cultural Revolution
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Mao greets the Red Guards at Tiananmen Square, giving them his blessing. He allows the police and army to allow the smashing of the "Four Olds". This was the first of many rallies, where students would hold the "Little Red Books" in the air and chant "Long Live Chairman Mao". The PLA played an instrumental role in helping to organize Red Guards through housing, feeding, transporting, and outfitting them.
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Red Guards officially embraced being Mao's "greatest weapon". They ransacked homes and destroyed anything perceived as the "Four Olds" and "Seven Kinds of Black". Victims were paraded through the streets, and violence escalated. Because there was no clear idea of the Cultural Revolution, there erupted conflicts between different student factions.
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In response to the damaging effects of the CR on China's economy, culture, and society, Mao commanded the PLA to dismantle the red guards and reopen schools. By disarming the Red Guards, Mao and the CCP were finally able to return order to China and regain control. However, Mao still declared the revolution a success and called for continuing the cleansing of class ranks.
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Mao sends urban youth to do manual labor with rural peasants. This was done in an effort to "reeducate" students. Many young people died of malnutrition, disease, and exhaustion, and those who survived missed out on valuable years of formal education, with around 16 million students dropping out of school. The lack of education for the youth eliminated any possibility of revolt against the CCP.
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Lin Biao and Jiang Qing use propaganda tools such as songs, chants, and newspaper articles to promote Mao as a godlike personality. Mao's "Little Red Book" is found everywhere, and people are expected to carry it around and study Mao's teachings. Over 350,000 copies of this book are produced. At this stage, the CR chaos has reached its peak and even Mao could not control the chaos.
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The CCP convenes and Lin Biao is promoted to vice chairman and Mao's successor. Mao also declares the end of the cultural revolution. The party enters a new phase that emphasizes rebuilding, stabilizing the economy through grain production, and establishing foreign relations. In short, there is a focus on repairing the damage done in the cultural revolution. The CCP is still very divided against itself.
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There is growing tension between Mao and Lin Biao. Mao becomes suspicious of Lin, who allegedly tried to start a coup when his power began to dwindle. The coup was a failure, and Lin Biao's reputation was destroyed. When Lin Biao and his family tried to flee to the Soviet Union by plane, the plane crashed, and his death was kept quiet for a year. When people finally found out, people felt both betrayed by Lin Biao's actions and began to doubt the legitimacy of the CR.
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Wang Hongwen replaces Lin Biao as vice chairman, Jiang Qing, and Zhou Enlai begin vying for power within the CCP, and Deng Xiaoping becomes vice-premier. Jiang Qing initiates the Criticize Ling Biao, Criticize Confucius campaign but the campaign fails because the Chinese people have seen too many similar campaigns.
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After Zhou Enlai's death, Deng Xiaoping becomes the vice premier but faced criticism from Jiang Qing. Deng is demoted by Mao and replaces Zhou Enlai with Hua Guofeng, a moderate, instead of Jiang Qing or his own allies.
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Zhou Enlai dies of cancer on January 8th, a highly respected and loved leader. On April 5th, people gathered in Tiananmen square for Zhou Enlai's memorial, where they paid respects and criticized Jiang Qing. When Jiang Qing and her supporters tried to remove the memorials, a riot ensued, which became known as the Tiananmen Incident, labeled as counterrevolutionary by the government.
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Mao dies hospitalized on September 9, 1976 and Hua Guofeng becomes chairman of the CCP. Jiang Qing and the gang of four are arrested, ending the Cultural Revolution. However, the CR is blamed on the gang of four and Lin Biao, leaving Mao blameless. 1966 to 1976 would be known as the "ten lost years"
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