Four Goals For The Cultural Revolution example essay topic

Mao Ze Dong started the Great Cultural Revolution in 1966, in what appeared to be a massive cleansing policy to ensure the final victory of Mao and his supporters over the rest of the Chinese Communist party. Mao Zedong officially launched the Cultural Revolution at Eleventh Plenum of the Eighth Central Committee. Over the next decade, literally millions of people were destroyed, imprisoned and blamed for previously hidden 'bourgeois tendencies' while tens of thousands were executed. Mao Zedong also attempted to change the beliefs and old ways of the Chinese people by changing the education in schools. Mao Zedong made the amount of time a child needed to spend at each level or grade shorter so that the youth would explore more of their own beliefs instead of the older ones. Mao Zedong also fired all elderly teachers because he believed that they would continue to teach the Chinese children the 'old way'.

He also changed the curriculum of the schools to fit his beliefs and to encourage more pride amount the Chinese youths for their country. Mao adopted four goals for the Cultural Revolution: to replace his designated successors with leaders more faithful to his current thinking; to rectify the Chinese Communist Party; to provide China's youths with a revolutionary experience; and to achieve some specific policy changes so as to make the educational, health care, and cultural systems less elitist. He initially pursued these goals through a massive mobilization of the country's urban youths. Mao encouraged students to rebel against authority, inform on their politically incorrect seniors, and join the Red Guard, the ideological militia that pushed the Cultural Revolution forward. Using Maoist thought as their guide and free from Party interference, the Red Guard numbering in the millions sought to do away with the 'four olds' and bourgeoisie elements. China collapsed into a state of near chaos.

Schools shut down, offices closed, and transportation was disrupted. At one point, Red Guards were fighting battles with Government troops outside of the Foreign Ministry building. Later on, Red Guard units ended up fighting each other for supremacy. Under Mao's orders and Lin Biao's direction, the People's Liberation Army tried to bring order to the chaos, using any means necessary to slow the radical nature of the movement. After many violent clashes, political order was reestablished in 1968. In July Mao told the student leaders of the Red Guard to dissolve the organization.

Student rebels were sent to the countryside for reeducation along with hundreds of thousands of Party cadre. For all the turmoil, the Cultural Revolution seemed to accomplish little in terms of lasting economic or political achievement. A key element in Mao's campaign was the support of the People's Liberation Army, led by General Lin Bao. While the Cultural Revolution 'officially' ended in 1969, and the worst abuses stopped then, the politically charged atmosphere was maintained until Mao's death in 1976..