The Cultural Revolution

• Tasks
• Background
• Teachers' notes
• External links
• Connections to curriculum

The Cultural Revolution took place in China from 1966 to 1976. It was not a revolution to overthrow the government or people in power. Instead, it was a political movement initiated by Mao Zedong, who was Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and leader of China. It aimed to purge capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society and to reassert Mao’s authority. It caused an estimated 500,000 to 2 million deaths and deeply impacted China and its people.

To achieve the objectives of the Cultural Revolution, Mao mobilised young people to form Red Guard groups, following his ideas as written down in his famous Little Red Book. The cult of Mao soared to new heights and his image was seen throughout China. The Red Guard targeted people that represented the ‘Four Olds’: old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits. This included intellectuals, scientists, and senior officials.

The violence exhibited by the Red Guard soon spiralled out of control, and Mao had to send in the People’s Liberation Army to restore order. The Cultural Revolution, however, did not end until his death in 1976.

Use the original sources in this lesson to explore the Cultural Revolution. How and why did it come about, and what were some of its impacts?

Note: People’s Liberation Army = the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People’s Republic of China.

---

Tasks

---

Background

The Cultural Revolution in China was a social and political movement from 1966 to 1976. Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), initiated it with the aim of reasserting his authority and strengthening the revolutionary spirit in the country.

Origins (Hundred Flowers Campaign and Great Leap Forward)

The Cultural Revolution had its roots in China’s earlier political history after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. In 1956, Mao Tse-tung proposed a new Party policy on science and culture with the slogan ‘Let all flowers bloom together and diverse schools contend’. The policy became known as the ‘Double-Hundred Policy’¹ (also known as the Hundred Flowers Campaign). This came from the earlier slogans ‘let a hundred flowers bloom’ and ‘let a hundred schools of thought contend’. The former was aimed at artists and writers, urging them to express themselves freely (within the boundaries of social realism). The latter was aimed at scientists and intellectuals, encouraging scientific developments.

At first, intellectuals did not criticise the policy due to their earlier experience of persecution. However, Mao and others persistently encouraged them to voice their political opinions. By the summer of 1956, newspapers started publishing criticisms of the government. This included criticisms of bureaucracy, social realism, and neglect of Marxist humanitarian principles. The intelligentsia gained greater confidence as they witnessed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, led by anti-Stalinists, which showed the potential for transformation within the Soviet system and prompted similar aspirations in China.

Mao Zedong’s leadership had faced challenges during the Great Leap Forward, his five-year plan of forced agricultural collectivisation and rural industrialisation initiated in 1958. It resulted in economic setbacks and widespread famine. In an effort to regain power and his revolutionary capability, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution.

Aims of the Cultural Revolution

The primary goal of the Cultural Revolution was to remove what Mao identified as bourgeois influences and counter-revolutionary tendencies within the Chinese Communist Party and society as a whole. Mao aimed to ensure his supremacy within the party and revive revolutionary fervour to confront established power structures and dismantle the ‘Four Olds’²: ‘old ideas’, ‘old culture’, ‘old customs’, and ‘old habits’.

Mao mobilised young people, primarily students, to form Red Guard groups. These groups targeted intellectuals, party officials, and individuals associated with the pre-Communist era. They engaged in widespread purges, public humiliation, and destruction of cultural artefacts and symbols. The movement soon descended into chaos, with different factions emerging and vying for power. Conflicts between Red Guard factions, the army, and other political groups became increasingly violent. As the situation spiralled out of control, Mao called upon the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to restore order. This intervention led to the suppression of the Red Guards and the reestablishment of centralised control.

End of the Cultural Revolution

Lin Biao, a key military figure and Mao’s designated successor, rose to prominence during this period. However, his ambitions clashed with Mao’s, leading to his downfall in 1971. Mao’s death in 1976 marked the end of the Cultural Revolution.

The Cultural Revolution had a deep impact on Chinese society and politics. Many high-ranking officials, intellectuals, and individuals associated with the pre-Communist era were purged. There was disruption of governance and significant loss of life. The Cultural Revolution also resulted in economic turmoil and stagnation as the focus shifted from economic development to political struggle. Social structures were disrupted, families were torn apart, and traditional values were suppressed. Numerous historical and cultural artefacts, including ancient temples, books, and artworks, were destroyed.

The Cultural Revolution remains a sensitive and controversial topic in China. Its legacy continues to shape Chinese politics and society, and its memory is subject to state control and historical reinterpretation.

¹ The “Double-Hundred” Policy – The State Council Information Office the People’s Republic of China

² Deshpande, G. P. “China’s Great Cultural Revolution.” Economic and Political Weekly 1, no. 11 (1966): 453–55. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4357141.

---

Teachers' notes

This lesson deals with the early years of the Cultural Revolution in China (1966-67). 

This is part three of a series of three lessons on 20th century Chinese history: 

1. May Fourth Movement 1919 
2. Chinese Civil War
3. The Cultural Revolution 

This lesson is divided into different themes/tasks. These could be used together, split into multiple lessons, or you could pick just one or two that you’d like students to focus on.  Students could work individually on the source questions or in small groups and report back to the class. The tasks cover propaganda, the Down to Countryside movement, purges of party officials, evaluation of aims/success, as well as an interactive map that highlights the chaos and violence of this period. It is important that teachers look at the map before introducing it to students as it contains details of documents that describe violent scenes.

A database of the documents featured on the map is available. Teachers could use this to develop their own tasks linked to their descriptions. For example, which events reflect aims of the Cultural Revolution in terms of the attack on ‘old ideas’, ‘old culture’, ‘old customs’ and ‘old habits’? 

It is worth highlighting the issue of perspective during this lesson. The majority of sources come from a British government perspective in the Foreign Office. Other sources include Chinese propaganda. What other sources of information could be used to explore the Cultural Revolution?

Sometimes, British government officials are reporting on or quoting sources from the Chinese Communist Party, allowing students to hear from those perspectives as well. It is also worth discussing why these sources have been quoted by the Foreign Office. Again, ask students to consider: Why does The National Archives have these sources? How does the perspective of the source affect how we interpret it?

Discussion questions:

• Did the Cultural Revolution achieve its aims? 

• What caused the Cultural Revolution to spiral into chaos and violence? 

• What were the impacts of the Cultural Revolution on China and its people? 

Sources:

Banner image: ‘Proletarian revolutionaries unite under the great red banner of the thoughts of Mao Tse-tung’: propaganda poster from 1967. Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo 

Starter source a: Interactive map hosted on external website. 

Starter source b: Photos of the aftermath of the burning of the British Legation in Beijing by Red Guards, 23 August 1967. Catalogue ref: FCO 78/13 (10) 

Source 1a: Photograph taken of posters along the Nanking Road during the Cultural Revolution in 1967, Shanghai, China. robertharding / Alamy Stock Photo 

Source 1b: Cultural Revolution poster from the People’s Republic of China. Alamy Stock Photo 

Source 1c: Extract from report titled ‘Eulogies of Mao Tse-Tung’, published 19 December 1967. This is a selection of quotations compiled over the previous six months by British officials, taken from various sources. Catalogue ref: FO 1110/2319 

Source 1d: Introduction from report titled ‘Eulogies of Mao Tse-Tung’, published 19 December 1967. This is a selection of quotations compiled over the previous six months by British officials, taken from various sources. Catalogue ref: FO 1110/2319 

Source 2a: Map showing movement of youths between provinces and from town to country. Published as part of an information report to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1967. Catalogue ref:  FO 1110/2318 

Source 2b: Catalogue ref: FO 1110/2319 

Source 2c: “An Appeal to all Revolutionary Commune Members and Poor, Middle and Lower Peasants” poster, 14 January 1967. Catalogue ref: FO 1110/2319 

Source 3: This is a report of the confession of President Liu Shaoqi, the former second-in-command of the Chinese Communist Party who has been targeted by the Cultural Revolution. Catalogue ref: FO 1110/2319 

Source 4a: Extract from a speech given by Jiang Qing, wife of Mao and  deputy director of the Central Cultural Revolution Group, to two revolutionary groups in Anhui. 5 September, 1967. Catalogue ref: FO 1110-2319 

Source 4b: Catalogue ref: FO 1110/2317 

Source 4c: Extracts from a British information report titled ‘World Reactions to China’s Cultural Revolution and the Red Guards – Part II’, 14 February 1967. Catalogue ref: FO 1110/2317 

---

External links

The Burning of the British Office in Beijing
An eyewitness account of the burning of the British legation in 1967, published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

History KS3 / GCSE: The Rise of Mao ZeDong
Educational resource from the BBC.

Seeing red: The propaganda art of China’s Cultural Revolution
BBC article featuring examples of propaganda posters from the Cultural Revolution.

China 1950-2000
A collection of resources from the Asia for Educators portal managed by Columbia University.

Connections to curriculum

Key stage 4

Edexcel GCSE History:

• Mao’s China, 1945–76

OCR GCSE History:

• International Relations: the changing international order 1918–1975
• China 1950–1981: The People and the State

Key stage 5

AQA A-level History:

• The Transformation of China, 1936–1997

Edexcel A-level History:

• The making of modern China, 1860–1997
• Mao’s China, 1949–76

OCR A-level History:

• China and its Rulers 1839–1989
• Japan 1853–1937

Back to top