The purpose of the Cultural Revolution was to speed up change and eliminate Western, capitalist influence.
What actually happened:
Mao Zedong began the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (its official name) in 1966. Â A big part of the program was the closing of China's schools, because Mao saw the majority of educators as bourgeois types who were failing to support the communist revolution. Â The Cultural Revolution was an insistence on loyalty to communist party ideology. Â
The Red Guard was formed, which was made up of high school and college students (no longer attending school, since schools were shut down). Â These radicalized students became militants for Mao over against those whom he considered not revolutionary enough. Â The Red Guard destroyed historical artifacts and writings of the of China's former culture. Â They also attacked persons who were seen to be resisting Chairman Mao's permanent revolution.
Mao Zedong began the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (its official name) in 1966. Â A big part of the program was the closing of China's schools, because Mao saw the majority of educators as bourgeois types who were failing to support the communist revolution. Â The Cultural Revolution was an insistence on loyalty to communist party ideology. Â
The Red Guard was formed, which was made up of high school and college students (no longer attending school, since schools were shut down). Â These radicalized students became militants for Mao over against those whom he considered not revolutionary enough. Â The Red Guard destroyed historical artifacts and writings of the of China's former culture. Â They also attacked persons who were seen to be resisting Chairman Mao's permanent revolution.