key term - Red Guards

Definition

The Red Guards were a mass paramilitary social movement of young people in China, who were mobilized by Mao Zedong in 1966 to advance the goals of the Cultural Revolution. They aimed to eradicate what were seen as bourgeois elements and traditional cultural practices, enforcing communism and promoting Mao's ideology.

Related terms

Cultural Revolution:

A socio-political movement in China from 1966 until 1976 that aimed to preserve Chinese communism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society.

Maoism:

The political theory derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong, focusing on peasant-led revolution and the establishment of a proletarian culture.

Propaganda:

Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view; extensively employed during the Cultural Revolution to influence public perception and behavior