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Period: to
1965 Setting the stage for the Cultural Revolution
Beijing’s mayor creates a play, in which Jiang Qing and Yao Wenyuan perceive the play as an attack on Mao Zedong. This initiates the open criticism of bourgeois, and people in government positions are slowly replaced by Mao’s friends and allies. -
May 16, 1966 Unofficial beginning of the Cultural Revolution
Mao calls students to carry out witch hunts for “revisionists”. The movement quickly spread from Beijing University to students all over the country forming “Red Guard” groups. -
May 25, 1966 First dazibao
People begin to write out dazibao in public areas, criticizing party officials, “bad elements”, and intellectuals. -
May 29, 1966 Red Guards form at Beijing University
The first group of Red Guards form, and the movement quickly spreads to all over the country. -
August 5, 1966 Mao writes a dazibao
Mao writes a dazibao criticizing Liu Shaoqi, which further motivates others to criticize and purge CCP leaders. -
August 8, 1966 Sixteen Points Directive
An official statement is released, it details the Chinese government supporting Mao’s policies and the formation of the Red Guards to carry out the will of the revolution. The statement marks the official beginning of the Cultural Revolution. -
August 18, 1966 First Red Guard rally in Beijing
Mao meets the Red Guards at the Tiananmen Square and gives them the authority to rebel. He allows the police and military to allow the Red Guards to carry out Mao’s will of abolishing the “Four Olds”. -
January 1967 Chaos escalates
Red Guards continue to abolish the “Four Olds” along with anything that identified with it. Homes were ransacked and people were beat, whilst Red Guard factions sometimes disputed with each other. -
July 1968 Red Guards dismantled
As members of the CCP are ousted from the party, the Chinese population continues to live under fear as many are imprisoned, tortured, and killed by the Red Guards. Additionally, the revolution took a toll on the industrial output of China, weakening the economy; Mao finally commands the Red Guards to be dismantled and for order to be restored in cities, while the revolution is deemed a success. -
December 1968 “Down to the Countryside” Movement
Urban youth, including Red Guards, are sent to the countryside to do manual labor. As 16 million Chinese youth starved in the countryside, the campaign eliminated the threat of Chinese youth organizing against the CCP. -
Spring 1968 Campaign to promote Mao’s cult of personality
Lin Biao and Jiang Qing begin to promote Mao’s cult of personality, presenting him as a god through means of propaganda. Additionally, Mao’s “Little Red Book” is mass produced and distributed throughout the country, giving power to the expression of Mao’s thoughts and ideas. -
April 1969 Ninth Congress of the CCP
Lin Biao is promoted to vice chairman of the CCP, and names him the successor of Mao. The congress establishes plans to rebuild the party, stabilize the economy, increase agricultural output, establishing foreign relations, and forming revolutionary committees to reestablish leadership. -
September 1971 “The Lin Biao Affair”
Lin Biao has ambitions to take Mao Zedong’s position of power, allegedly initiating a coup to assassinate Mao. The “coup” is a failure, decimating Lin’s popularity and causing him to “die in a plane crash” (which later leads to suspicions about the legitimacy of the CCP). -
1974 “Criticize Lin Biao, Criticize Confucius” Campaign
The campaign sought to blame Lin for all the mistakes of the revolution thus far, including the economic problems. The campaign indirectly criticizes Zhou Enlai, but the campaign fails. -
April 5, 1976 Tiananmen Incident
Zhou Enlai dies and when the memorial is held, people criticize Jiang Qing and her allies. Jiang Qing and her allies attempted to remove memorials to Zhou which led to a riot known as the Tiananmen Incident of 1976. -
1976 Events leading to the end of the Cultural Revolution -
As Deng Xiaoping becomes the vice premier, Mao demotes him and replaces him with Hua Guofeng (after Jiang Qing complained). Mao dies, leaving Hua Guofeng as the chairman and Jiang Qing and her supporters (“Gang of Four”) are arrested. The “Gang of Four” and Lin Biao is blamed for the mistakes of the government.