Effects of the Cultural Revolution on China
There were both short term and long term effects of the cultural revolution on China, both of which are discussed in detail below:
Short term effects
1. Destruction and Chaos throughout the country
Approximately 1.5 million people were killed during the Cultural Revolution by the youth mobs, and millions were imprisoned, displaced, had their properties seized, tortured and persecuted. The bloodshed and trauma faced by the population of China was immense. As a result of all this destruction, the economy of China was left completely disrupted too. These were the immediate aka short term effects of the cultural revolution on China.
2. Disruption in education for China’s youth
As schools and universities were shut down during the cultural revolution, we find that a whole generation of China’s youth had missed out on schooling and education and became more prone to violence. The young population is the foundation of any country and its future and the youth of China being denied proper education could have long term effects for the country.
3. General distrust in the Government
The general public began to trust the Chinese government less and less after the cultural revolution because of all the trauma and persecution many communities had to experience at the hands of radical groups, that were being backed by the government.
Long term effects
4. China’s embrace of capitalism
In the long run, the opposite of what Mao Zedong had hoped for happened aka China’s embrace of capitalism. Mao had hoped for the revolution to revive and strengthen communism throughout China, however the opposite happened because many people had lost their faith in the government and their ideology post the cultural revolution chaos and stopped following them blindly. Capitalism and its benefits came to be seen in a different light by the Chinese people.
5. Obsession with stability and political control
The cultural revolution was a period of utter disarray and chaos in China. Many cities has been plunged into anarchy and the instability in the ruling party at that time increased and added to this chaos; Therefore we find that the future Chinese governments, took lot of precautions to avoid this situation in the future. Best example to be seen in this case is the current president of China, Xi Jinping having been the president of the People’s Republic of China since 2013.
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Cultural Revolution in China
The Cultural Revolution in China, also known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was an almost decade-long period of socio-political chaos launched by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman, Mao Zedong to renew the spirit of communism, to “purify” the party “bourgeois” infiltrators and to reassert his position in the Chinese government with this revolution.
This article is about the cultural revolution and its effects on China. Please go through the article for further details and important keywords.
Table of Content
- Overview of the Cultural Revolution
- The Beginning of the Cultural Revolution in China
- Lin Biao’s Role in the Cultural Revolution
- End of the Cultural Revolution and Gang of Four
- Effects of the Cultural Revolution on China
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