Cultural Revolution
Red Guard era
The Cultural Revolution was a political movement in China from 1966 to 1976, launched by Mao Zedong to reassert communist ideology and purge perceived capitalist and traditional elements from society.
It resulted in widespread persecution, destruction of cultural artifacts, and social upheaval.
The term now describes any radical ideological purge of institutions: Critics warn that cancel culture is becoming a cultural revolution of its own.
Maoist youth paramilitary movement
- Little Red BookChinese communist thought compilation
- Gang of FourInfamous Chinese political clique
- re-education campsFacilities for forced ideological conversion
- denunciationFormal public accusation
Mao Zedong · self-criticism · Beijing · Shanghai · Deng Xiaoping · Zhou Enlai · communes · rustication
Peasant-centered communist doctrine
- Marxism-LeninismState-led revolutionary socialism
- class struggleConflict between economic groups
- proletariatLaborers lacking capital ownership
- bourgeoisieCapitalist ownership class
collectivism · ideological purity · dogmatism · anti-capitalism · egalitarianism · thought reform · revisionism · political consciousness
Violent disturbance or confusion
- chaosComplete disorder and confusion
- purgeEliminate unwanted elements
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
- destructionAct of completely ruining
factionalism · violence · terror · mass mobilization · uprising · anarchy · conflict · disruption
Lasting psychological wound
- rehabilitationRecovery from injury/addiction
- historical reckoningReassessing past wrongs
- survivorsThose still alive after
- collective memoryCommunity's shared historical recall
apology · reconciliation · documentation · testimony · memorial · reassessment · vindication
Red Guards
Maoist youth paramilitary movement
- Little Red BookChinese communist thought compilation
- Gang of FourInfamous Chinese political clique
- re-education campsFacilities for forced ideological conversion
Mao Zedong · denunciation · self-criticism · Beijing · Shanghai · Deng Xiaoping · Zhou Enlai · communes · rustication · rehabilitation
Maoism
Peasant-centered communist doctrine
- Marxism-LeninismState-led revolutionary socialism
- class struggleConflict between economic groups
- proletariatLaborers lacking capital ownership
bourgeoisie · collectivism · ideological purity · dogmatism · anti-capitalism · egalitarianism · thought reform · revisionism · political consciousness · indoctrination
turmoil
Violent disturbance or confusion
- chaosComplete disorder and confusion
- purgeEliminate unwanted elements
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
destruction · factionalism · violence · terror · mass mobilization · uprising · anarchy · conflict · disruption · unrest
trauma
Lasting psychological wound
- rehabilitationRecovery from injury/addiction
- historical reckoningReassessing past wrongs
- survivorsThose still alive after
collective memory · apology · reconciliation · documentation · testimony · memorial · reassessment · vindication
- Revolutionrevolt, uprising, insurrection, overthrow, rebellion
- 1960sBeatles, Star Trek, Vietnam War, hippie movement, space race
- historical erasStone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Middle Ages, Renaissance
- Asian historyancient China, China, empresses, shoguns, Chinese civilization
- Cold WarBerlin Wall, Iron Curtain, arms race, Warsaw Pact, Cuban Missile Crisis
- communismMarx, Marxism, Leninism, Lenin, proletariat
Cultural Revolutionincrementalism
Change through small steps
evolutionary change · reformism · gradualism · constitutional reform · perestroika
Cultural Revolutioncultural preservation
Protecting community traditions and artifacts
traditionalism · heritage conservation · restoration · cultural renaissance · antiquarianism
Cultural Revolutionsocial stability
Absence of societal turmoil
normalcy · social harmony · rule of law · social cohesion · status quo
culture, cultured, revolution, cultural, agriculture, revolutionary, cultures, uncultured, multicultural