ABSTRACT
The Cultural Revolution is the most extraordinary event in China’s post-revolutionary history. Conceived by Mao as a radical campaign to reverse the tide of revisionism in Chinese politics and society, the Cultural Revolution quickly spiralled out of control until in 1967 China came to the brink of civil war. The main aggressors were the Red Guards, millions of youths drawn primarily from China’s schools and universities. The main victims came from a much wider sector of society including intellectuals and government and party officials from the most junior level right up to the very top. Even parents were persecuted on the grounds that they were symbols of authority and oppression. Methods of punishment were diverse. Some of the victims were verbally abused and paraded in public wearing dunces caps or placards bearing insults. Many were beaten, tortured or incarcerated. Some were executed and some simply gave up hope and committed suicide.
