Political mobilization disrupts schools and institutions
Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966. Political struggles expanded through mobilization in schools, government and workplaces. Red Guards attacked teachers, officials and inherited culture; searches, humiliation and violence inflicted severe harm. Schools closed and cultural property was destroyed. Family background shaped treatment, while mass organizations formed competing factions. Central signals and local rivalries disrupted institutional routines, placing political loyalty at the centre of work, study and household life.
Factional conflict brings military intervention
Power seizures and factional struggles intensified around 1967, with armed fighting and mass killings in some regions. Military intervention and revolutionary committees reorganized authority. Officials, intellectuals and residents underwent investigations, imprisonment and compulsory labour. The sent-down youth programme moved large numbers of urban young people into rural areas, changing their education and livelihoods. Production and services continued unevenly amid disruption, while accusations and shifting political alignments threatened personal security.
Recovery and reassessment follow 1976
Mao’s death and the arrest of the Gang of Four in 1976 ended the movement. Schools, professional institutions and personnel systems required reconstruction, while wrongful cases were gradually rehabilitated. The 1981 historical resolution condemned the Cultural Revolution. Families continued confronting deaths, interrupted schooling and damaged relationships. Returning youths sought education and work, and cultural production resumed. Memories and local research preserve varied experiences of institutional disruption and losses that affected several generations.