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The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
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The Beginning
The beginning of the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" was officially announced by the CCP, or the Chinese Communist Party. Mao galvanized students and young workers as his Red Guards to attack revisionists in the party. -
The "Red Guard" initiative
During "The Cultural Revolution", the "Red Guard" "condemns every form of religion and bans all open expression of faith—churches and temples are shut down and destroyed; believers are imprisoned" -
Red Guard Engagements
"Red Guards and workers seize power in Shanghai; the revolution reaches the army provoking clashes". -
Lin Shaoqi's denouncement
"Liu Shaoqi", the president of China from 1959 to 1967, "and his wife, Wang Guangmei, are publicly denounced;" Liu loses his political power weeks later to "Lin Biao and Mao's wife, Jiang Qing". -
New Protests
"Insurrections erupt in big cities". It "was known as the 'All Around Civil War' in China". -
The Officiated Decision
"The eighth Central Committee of the CCP approves the Cultural Revolution" -
Anti-Rightist Propaganda
"Liu, Deng and dozens of others were denounced as ‘rightists’ and accused of betraying Chinese socialism. Mao’s Red Guards launched a propaganda campaign against Liu, such as the 1968 poster which declared that 'The traitor and scab Liu Shaoqi must be forever expelled from the party!'". Liu personally was purged for supporting the rich and not the poor. -
Re-educating the Educators
"Down to the Countryside Movement" begins with numerous teachers being sent to rural areas for reteaching. -
Liu is rejected
"The party" sentences Liu as a "renegade, traitor, and scab" -
Liu Shaoqi's death
"Liu dies in Kaifang, Henan" at the hands of cruel punishment, "but the news of his death is not immediately announced". -
The Fallen Successor
"Mao's designated successor, Lin, 'dies' in a plane crash in Mongolia". Lin was an unbeatable Red Army Commander during "the the Communist Party's 22-year struggle for the control of China". When he disappeared, China said he was killed in a plane crash fleeing to the soviet Union after plotting to have Mao assassinated since he felt that Mao betrayed him. -
Deng Xiapong's reinstatement
"Deng Xiaoping is rehabilitated and named vice-premier", reigning as "the most powerful figure in the People’s Republic of China from the late 1970s until his death in 1997." -
Zhou Enlai's Lasting Impression
"Zhou Enlai died in Beijing...". "Zhou Enlai at first gave his support to the campaign but became concerned when fighting broke out between the Red Guards and the revisionists." He was also the head architect for "the Détente policy with the United States and met Richard Nixon in China in February 1972." -
Chairman Hua's Position
"Hua Guofeng" takes the place of premier after Zhou's death. He was personally summoned by Mao to speak to the terminally ill Chairman. Due to Mao having difficulty speaking, he wrote, "With you in charge of business, I can relax (“有了你，我可以负责业务放松”)". -
Rejection of the Revolution
"About 2 million people gather in Tiananmen Square to protest against the Gang of Four" -
The end of Chairman of Mao
Chairman Mao passes on due to motor nueron disease. Hao Guofeng took his place after his death. -
The End of the movement
The "Gang of Four", under the order of Hua, are apprehended, officially marking the conclusion of "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution". The four were led by the late Chairman Mao's widow, Jiang Qing, and the members were Yao Wenyuan, Zhang Chunqiao, and Wang Hongwen. -
Four Modernizations
"Deng Xiaoping calls for major reforms": "agriculture, industry, science and technology, and the military." "These reforms are called the Four Modernizations." -
An Educational Speech
"Deng’s ...speech at Qinghua University changed the landscape for exchange between Chinese and foreign educational institutions. The choice of Qinghua University for the speech probably was symbolic of China’s first international educational exchanges with the U.S. in the post 1949 PRC period. "(Oden) -
International Relations
"The two countries", China and U.S.A., "announced that they would establish diplomatic relations" -
Back to Business
"China sent its first group of 52 students mostly physicists and mathematicians," to the U.S, "marking the end of
an approximate 30-year hiatus."
