Title: Red Guard chant used during the Cultural Revolution:
1Red Guard chant used during the Cultural
Revolution Fish cannot live without water and
without Mao Zedongs thought how can people make
a revolution?
Thesis The Cultural Revolution of Mao and Madame
Mao destroyed aspects of the rich culture and
history of China because it led to the closing of
schools, destruction of historical sites and
works, and the complete brain-washing of the
younger generations.
A 16 year old girl's view on the Cultural
Revolution In the cultural revolution they
Communists locked her a teahcer up for a year
and a half because her father was a well-known
scholar whom they said was a capitalist. Some
red guards in her school made her kneel on broken
glass in front of all the students.
2Thesis Rationale
- Thesis The Cultural Revolution of Mao and
Madame Mao destroyed aspects of the rich culture
and history of China because it led to the
closing of schools, destruction of historical
sites and works, and the complete brain-washing
of the younger generations. - During the Cultural Revolution, millions of
uneducated youths were sent to rural areas to
work in the countryside and learn from the
peasants. The Red Guards were shocked at how poor
the peasants were and how hard their lives were.
Even though the Communist thought they were doing
a lot for the peasants, they weren't and Mao knew
their was a lot left to do. - Starting in 1966, the Red Guard destroyed
historical buildings, temples and churches
because they were feudal, capitalist, and
radical. They ransacked museums and destroyed old
books, works of arts, many famous temples, and
shrines and heritages (4,922 out of 6,843).
Streets signs and buildings were named and
renamed to pro-communist titles. Also, people in
realms of education, academic, media, literature
and punishment were abused and their houses were
robbed because they were "capitalist roaders" or
"anti-revolutionaries."
3Thesis Rational
- Mao and Madam Mao brain-washed people to purge
the Chinese Communist party of anyone who did not
fully support him. Red guards were also
brain-washed into acting enthusiastically toward
the Cultural Revolution. Madam Mao brain-washed
the communist community by only allowing them to
watch movies that she starred in and they had to
wear clothes that were made in China and not
western countries. Madam Mao created the Gang of
Four, a radical political alliance. - Mao told young people to rebel because he wanted
to be reinstated as president. The young Chinese
listened and proceeded to burn down schools and
schools had to be closed because articles were
being written attacking teachers and principals.
This all did great damage to the party, nation
and people themselves. The young people killed
thousands of people who did not agree with Mao's
teachings. - In August of 1966, at a meeting of the Plenum of
the Central Committee Mao shut down the nations
schools calling for a massive youth mobilization.
The Red Guard units were authorized to set out to
destroy the Four Olds. These Four Olds are known
as the old ideas, old customs, old culture, and
old habits.
4Key
- The quote by a 16 year old Chinese girl addresses
the threats against teachers that lead to the
closing of schools and the destruction of an
entire generations education. - The quote by the 16 year old represents how
brutal the Red Guards were. The Red Guards were
made up of Chinese students and they traveled
throughout China such as going through schools,
Universities and institutions spreading teachings
of Mao and torturing or killing those who were
against communism. Mao thought this could be a
way he could be reinstated, so young students
went on a rampage against those against communism
and targeted teachers and principals in schools. - The following picture of a Chinese college
student standing in front of a closed college
shows how the Red Guard is a huge threat. - The college student isn't happy that the college
is closed but is being brainwashed into thinking
communist thoughts and that is right to join Mao
and the Red Army. In 1957-1958 students at the
university of Beijing produced half a million
wall posters attacking west and intolerance in
Chinese society and ran out of wall space to put
more posters to use as propaganda. After the
Cultural Revolution ended it was known as China's
lost generation of youth because they could not
teach the cultural revolution to students because
the country didn't make good choices and killed
millions of their own citizens.
5Key
- The propaganda poster of a red guard member
holding a hammer represents the destruction of
aspects in the Chinese culture. - This propaganda poster shows how the Red Guard
destroyed many things that had to do with the old
Chinese views like the music and ideas, he did
this with his giant sledgehammer metaphorically
meaning his support of millions. This is known as
the destruction of the Four Olds. The Four Olds
include old customs, old culture, old habits, and
old ideas. The Red Guard would be the ones
destroying many things that had anything to do
with the Four Olds because those ideas did not go
with what Mao wanted for China. The Red Guard
also attempted to wipe out Confucian thought
because it was part of the old culture of China. - The picture in the right corner and the picture
on the bottom of the slide both represent the
destruction of historical sites and art that was
done by the Red Guard during the Cultural
Revolution. - The pictures on the right hand side of the slide
show how the destruction of historical statues
took place and the Red Guard did not care if it
was public or private property. Since these
historical works of art did not portray what the
Red Guard and Mao wanted them to portray, the art
pieces would be destroyed so no one could see
them. Mao took over the minds of young people and
told them that many aspects of the old Chinese
culture would weaken society. The Red Guard was
in charge of all of the destruction that was
needed by Mao.
6Key
- The following Red Guard chant addresses the
Brainwashing that destroyed Chinas rich culture
and history. - This chant, yelled over and over again by the
Chinese people brainwashed them into thinking
that without Mao Zedong, the revolution, along
with themselves would die. The chant equates the
Chinese people and their revolution to fish and
Mao Zedong to water. The fish need water or else
they will die. Mao brainwashed the Chinese
citizens by enforcing himself as a lifeblood in
which they could not survive without. This
thought imposed on the Chinese people forced them
to feel as though they needed Mao. - The following Time magazine cover shows the
brainwashing that occurred during the Cultural
Revolution and hurt China's culture and long
history. - The Time magazine cover shows a sea of Red Guard
members. Mao used the propaganda technique of
bandwagoning to influence the youths to join the
Red Guard. The bandwagon technique worked in the
Cultural Revolution because it made those who
didnt feel strongly about communism think that
they were wrong because it appeared as everyone
else did. This fear that they would be ganged up
on brainwashed the youth to join the sea of red.
Mao targeted youths to revolt and destroy the
adults who revolted and destroyed him. Mao
brainwashed the youth into join the Red Guard,
take his little red book and help him destroy the
rich culture and deep history of China.