---
title: "China's Cultural Revolution Begins"
year: 1966
country: "China"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1966/cultural-revolution-china"
slug: "cultural-revolution-china"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1966-05-16"
---

# China's Cultural Revolution Begins

> Mao's upheaval of Chinese society unleashed a decade of chaos that fundamentally reshaped the nation's political and cultural landscape.

Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966 as a campaign to eliminate what he saw as capitalist and traditional elements corrupting Chinese communism. Over the next decade, the upheaval shuttered schools, persecuted intellectuals, and killed an estimated 500,000 to 2 million people before ending with Mao's death in 1976.

## Summary

The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by CCP chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his death in 1976. Its stated goal was to preserve Chinese communism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society.

## Sources

- [China's cultural revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution) - Wikipedia

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Canonical: https://recap.at/1966/cultural-revolution-china