Chinese Cultural Revolution
Mao Zedong launches the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in May 1966, ostensibly to purge 'capitalist' and 'traditional' elements from Chinese society but primarily to reassert his control over the Communist Party after the disastrous Great Leap Forward. Red Guards (student militias) destroy temples, books, and artworks; attack teachers, professors, and party officials; and force millions to 'struggle sessions' and labor camps. The campaign kills between 500,000 and 2 million directly and causes tens of millions more to suffer persecution, displacement, and loss of educational opportunities. The Cultural Revolution ends only with Mao's death in 1976 and the arrest of the Gang of Four.
- Year: 1966 CE
- Category: Political Violence
