Cultural Revolution

The Cultural Revolution, formally the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical in  from 1966 until 1976. Launched by, then , its stated goal was to preserve by purging remnants of  and  elements from , and to re-impose  (known outside China simply as ) as the  within the. The Revolution marked Mao's return to a position of power after the failures of his. The movement paralyzed China politically and negatively affected both the and society of the country to a significant degree. An estimated 500,000 to 2,000,000 people were killed.

The movement was launched in May 1966, after Mao alleged that elements had infiltrated the government and society at large, aiming to restore capitalism. To eliminate his rivals within the (CPC), Mao insisted that  be removed through violent. China's youth responded to Mao's appeal by forming groups around the country. The movement spread into the, urban , and the itself. It resulted in widespread armed clashes between conservative and radical factions in all walks of life, as a result of Mao's open call for "all-round civil war" against the conservatives in the communist party establishment. In the top leadership, it led to a mass of senior officials, most notably  and. During the same period, Mao's grew to immense proportions.

In the violent struggles that ensued across the country, millions of people were persecuted and suffered a wide range of abuses including, , , , sustained , and sometimes. A large segment of the population was, most notably the transfer of during the. Historical relics and artifacts were destroyed and cultural and religious sites were ransacked.

Mao officially declared the Cultural Revolution to have ended in 1969, but its active phase lasted until the death of military leader and proposed Mao successor in 1971. After Mao's death and the arrest of the in 1976, reformers led by  gradually began to dismantle the Maoist policies associated with the Cultural Revolution. In 1981, the Party declared that the Cultural Revolution was "responsible for the most severe setback and the heaviest losses suffered by the Party, the country, and the people since the founding of the People's Republic".