Mao Zedong's Great Proletariat Revolution, more commonly known as the Cultural Revolution, was one of the most bloody power struggles in history. After the Great Leap Forward, an attempt by Mao to rapidly modernize China, failed, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders tried to push Mao into a figurehead role. To prevent this from happening, Mao and his allies, most notably his wife Jiang Qing and army commander Lin Biao, declared bourgeois bureaucrats had infiltrated the government. From 1966 to 1976, Mao instructed the youth of China to attack the revisionists and drive out old ideas in favor of revolutionary communist spirit. Years of propaganda had made Mao a revolutionary hero in the minds of Chinese citizens. Qing gave the youth the title
…show more content…
Mao knew that by giving the youth permission to challenge his opponents, he would weaken their positions and therefore solidify his power. This encouragement did not disappear after the Revolution ended, but rather inspired the youth to continue challenging authority and following politics. Lui Binyan, a Chinese journalist, argued that the Cultural Revolution sparked the post-Mao reforms and that the youth became the first generation to think for themselves (Doc. 10). By encouraging debate, even when at odds with the party, the Revolution caused the youth to challenge ideas they disagreed with and instead come up with their own. In fact, the Red Guards were first created out of college students protesting against their administration and their experiences taught them to think for themselves. Former Red Guard Song Xu explained that many Red Guards joined voluntarily and their service gave them a greater interest in political issues (Doc. 12). Mao taught the youth that paying attention to political events and analyzing how they affect them is important. Although the youth did have blind faith in Mao, the influence he had on them inspired them to challenge authority and follow politics well after his
Mao knew that by giving the youth permission to challenge his opponents, he would weaken their positions and therefore solidify his power. This encouragement did not disappear after the Revolution ended, but rather inspired the youth to continue challenging authority and following politics. Lui Binyan, a Chinese journalist, argued that the Cultural Revolution sparked the post-Mao reforms and that the youth became the first generation to think for themselves (Doc. 10). By encouraging debate, even when at odds with the party, the Revolution caused the youth to challenge ideas they disagreed with and instead come up with their own. In fact, the Red Guards were first created out of college students protesting against their administration and their experiences taught them to think for themselves. Former Red Guard Song Xu explained that many Red Guards joined voluntarily and their service gave them a greater interest in political issues (Doc. 12). Mao taught the youth that paying attention to political events and analyzing how they affect them is important. Although the youth did have blind faith in Mao, the influence he had on them inspired them to challenge authority and follow politics well after his