The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (; often abbreviated to 文化大革命 wénhuà dà gémìng, literally "Great Cultural Revolution", or even simpler, to 文革 wéngé, "Cultural Revolution") in the People's Republic of China was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China, which grew to include large sections of Chinese society and eventually brought the People's Republic of China to the brink of civil war. It was launched by Communist Party of China Chairman Mao Zedong on May 16, 1966 to regain control of the party after the disasters of the Great Leap Forward had led to a significant loss of his power to rivals such as Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. Though Mao himself officially declared the Cultural Revolution to have ended in 1969, the term is today widely used to also include the period between 1969 and the arrest of the Gang of Four in 1976.

Between 1966 and 1968, Mao's principal lieutenants, Vice-Chairman Lin Biao and Mao's wife Jiang Qing, acting on his instructions, organised a mass youth militia called the Red Guards to overthrow Mao's enemies and seize control of the state apparatus. In the chaos and violence that ensued, millions died and millions more were injured or imprisoned. Although the period after 1969 was less chaotic, the leaders of the Cultural Revolution proper remained in power and R.J. Rummel has estimated that under the Communist Party of China's rule, between the founding of the PRC and the current day, there were 77 million democide deaths^*, though the figure is disputed. However it is recognised that, whatever the correct figure, millions of deaths occurred during the Cultural Revolution.

The Communist Party of China officially repudiated the Cultural Revolution in 1981, placing responsibility for it on Mao Zedong. According to a Central Committee resolution adopted on June 27, 1981, the Cultural Revolution was carried out "under the mistaken leadership of Mao Zedong who was used by the counterrevolutionaries Lin Biao and Jiang Qing and brought serious disaster and turmoil to the Party and the Chinese people." This official view, which has since become the dominant framework for the Chinese historiography of the Cultural Revolution, enormously simplifies such a complex historical reality - in the opinion of most western historians the official position significantly falsifies it. Attempts in recent years to reopen discussion of the Cultural Revolution inside China have been suppressed.

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To further the forts cultural revolution we will be holding the following seminars: "riffing and you" "fire starting in the 20th centuary"
fwatterdam (the fwat) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:40:11 -0000
To further the forts cultural revolution we will be holding the following seminars: "riffing and you" "fire starting in the 20th centuary"
RT @manic77: Strikes that result in closure of univ and classes is exactly what they want 2 create a cultural revolution. #iran #tehran
TNTIran (M.A. Scurlock) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:58:28 -0000
RT @manic77: Strikes that result in closure of univ and classes is exactly what they want 2 create a cultural revolution. #iran #tehran
RT @manic77 Strikes that result in closure of univ and classes is exactly what they want to create a cultural revolution. #iranelection
persianyouth (FREE IRAN) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:56:28 -0000
RT @manic77 Strikes that result in closure of univ and classes is exactly what they want to create a cultural revolution. #iranelection
RT @nchevre RT @manic77 Strikes that result in closure of univ and classes is exactly what they want to create a cultural revolution. #iran
oculusnonvidit (oculusnonvidit) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:56:06 -0000
RT @nchevre RT @manic77 Strikes that result in closure of univ and classes is exactly what they want to create a cultural revolution. #iran
In times of modern communication technologies,USB-Sticks,Bluetooth, etc. there's no chance 4 a cultural revolution #iranelection
AsdollahMirza (Ramin) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:54:00 -0000
In times of modern communication technologies,USB-Sticks,Bluetooth, etc. there's no chance 4 a cultural revolution #iranelection
RT @nchevre: RT @manic77: Strikes that result in closure of univ and classes is exactly what they want 2 create a cultural revolution. #iran
DominiqueRdr (Dominique Rodier) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:50:36 -0000
RT @nchevre: RT @manic77: Strikes that result in closure of univ and classes is exactly what they want 2 create a cultural revolution. #iran

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