3.

What was the impact of the Cultural Revolution upon the people of
China?
The Cultural Revolution by Mao Zedong, between the years 1966-69, was one of the
biggest events in recent Chinese history. The Cultural Revolution attacked all forms
of traditional Chinese culture as Mao tried to enforce his ideals. All foreign
influences were ridiculed. New operas, poems, music, paintings were produced that
glorified the revolution and the people of China. Temples, shrines, works of art and
gardens were destroyed. Western music and other forms of culture were banned.
(Although it can be safely stated that the Cultural Revolution had a largely negative
impact on the people by affecting the social, economic as well as industrial growth
of China, it also had a minor positive effect on certain social groups such as
peasants, who became much more active).
The main effect of the Cultural Revolution was to undermine and destroy all forms of
authority. Any attempt to challenge the Red Guards, a group of young student
volunteers given the authority to spread socialism across China and enforce Maos
ideas, or the Thoughts of Chairman Mao was met with accusations of being counterrevolutionary. The authority of the central government was seriously weakened and
industrial production came to a standstill. Teachers were a prime target for attack
and as a result, all schools, colleges and universities were closed for two years.
Even the CCP was unable to operate successfully and many local organizations were
destroyed. In the People's Liberation Army (PLA) all ranks were abolished.500, 00
lives were lost.
Education in China came to a near-standstill. Schools and universities were closed.
Primary and middle schools later gradually reopened, but all colleges and
universities were closed until 1970, and most universities did not reopen until
1972.The university entrance exams were cancelled after 1966, to be replaced later
by a system whereby students were recommended by factories, villages and
military units, and entrance exams were not restored until 1977. All this happened
because Mao believed that more books would lead to more ignorance. Hence, the
overhaul of the education system in the Cultural Revolution also deeply affected the
Chinese public.
The Cultural Revolution caused Chinas economy to collapse. The amount of rice
grains produced a year decreased greatly and cotton production also dropped
dramatically. Due to the decreased production, the price for rice increased, and the
price for cotton fabric and cloth also greatly increased. Hence, the Cultural
Revolution made the Chinese people suffer by affecting the economy. Hence, the
economic crisis during the Cultural Revolution also affected the Chinese during the
Cultural Revolution.
However, there were also very few, if any, positives to have been derived from the
Cultural Revolution for the locals. Firstly, the Cultural Revolution, despite all the

destruction it caused, did allow China to be purged of its outdated style and
transition into a more modernized country, according to the Chinese themselves.
Moreover, this era gave a chance to the lower classes, especially peasants, to step
up and become much more active in the day-to-day affairs of the nation. The
aforementioned reasons, therefore, form the flip side of the picture regarding the
Cultural Revolution.
In conclusion, although the Cultural Revolution for the most part did have a huge
negative effect on the Chinese people economically, industrially and socially, it did
have a few positives such as more power for the peasants as well as an eventual
modernization of the country.