The Chinese Cultural Revolution has had a profound and lasting impact on Chinese social and domestic society, economy, education, and, above all, politics. It aimed to transform all aspects of China to eliminate tensions between sections of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its chairman, Mao Zedong. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Cultural Revolution of 1966 was ultimately an attempt by Mao Zedong to maintain the power he lost after his “Great Leap Forward.” Mao believed that the current communist leaders were leading China astray and implemented the Cultural Revolution as a way to reassert his power as a leading political figure over the Chinese government. In the pre-1966 period, Mao (the chairman of the CCP), believed that China was heading in a more revisionist direction, focused on competence rather than ideological purity. Mao's ruling position had been damaged after the failure of his initiative, “The Great Leap Forward” (1958-1960), which caused an economic crisis. Mao then implemented the Cultural Revolution to reassert his authority in the Chinese government and free China from capitalist influences. The Cultural Revolution caused a great upheaval in Chinese society. A major impact has been that traditional business models have been almost completely reversed. The insistence on “self-sufficiency” influenced entire provinces to break old trade ties that led to an extremely limited supply of ordinary items. It was only after Mao's death that these trade relationships began to mend. Another devastating impact has been seen in many families and homes across China. The nuclear family came under attack during the revolution as people were encouraged to spy on and report their family members to prove their loyalty. Divorce was also encouraged if disloyalty was identified. However, family tradition was so important in Chinese society that, despite the threats of revolution, it remained intact. Another impact of the Cultural Revolution on society was the bourgeois view of love and romantic relationships. This was frowned upon as chaste heroes were idolized in films and the removal of sex education from Chinese schools. Despite these attempts to limit basic social conduct, the impositions of the Revolution were neither practical nor long-lasting. China's education system was almost completely destroyed following the Cultural Revolution. Some impacts included intensifying ideological education, abandoning sex education, and sending children to serve for the cultural revolution. However, the main impact on education has been the limitation of academic development. As Mao stated; “All the work at school serves to change the student's thinking.” After the Red Guards rampaged through schools, they often turned into bureaucratic offices. In some provinces, up to 700,000 square meters of school land had been lost by 1972. Over 27,000 students in higher education had dropped to 5,000 by 1970. Teachers and students were sent to agricultural areas as a means of "re-education" by the farmers. Most schools of higher education had closed completely. The result of this was the collapse of the education system. The Chinese Cultural Revolution completely disrupted the economy causing starvation and millions of deaths. All representations of traditional practices or the “four olds” – old customs, old culture, old habits and old ideas – wereoutlawed and suppressed during the revolution. This has added to the disruption of traditional business models, as noted above. The key impact on the economy as a result of this suppression was traditional crafts. Artisans were sent to factories, which resulted in a decline in quality and production with half or more of products in some provinces failing to reach production standards. With production consistently below target, huge financial losses have occurred with the threat of complete collapse of the Chinese economy. During this period a secret “black market” economy had developed. Farmers secretly produced pork instead of wheat and used part of the profits to purchase grain to meet the state's required quota. This hidden “free market” thrived and eventually caused a silent revolt at the local level in rural areas. The economic instructions given to the Chinese were constantly modified and evolving. Mao's Revolution had destroyed any coherence in Chinese economic policies. The overall goal of the Cultural Revolution was political, particularly the consolidation of Mao's leadership. Politics were significantly disrupted by power struggles and changing factions within the Communist Party. In the ten years of the Cultural Revolution, Mao organized deliberate attacks, or purges, against 90 percent of his own party. The denunciation of influential figures such as Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping as "roadster capitalists", despite being the most important leaders of the conservative faction and the greatest threat to Mao's leadership. Mao publicly denounced political criticism of his leadership, and as a result, many key political members of the CCP and PRC became victims of the Cultural Revolution, including Liu Shaoqi, who was removed from government positions and died in prison in 1969. and Deng Xiaoping who was sent to a re-education program until 1973. Lin Biao, considered Mao's successor, gained influence. However, his criticism of domestic and foreign policy, as well as his association with the plot to assassinate Mao, led to his disappearance from public life in 1971 and suspicious death shortly thereafter. Furthermore, the Gang of Four played a distinctive role during the Cultural Revolution. Their far-left political presence within the Maoist faction “cleansed” the ranks of the class and sought to maintain the theory of “Permanent Revolution”. They played a key role in the party purges after the decline of the Red Guard and had an influential political role throughout the Cultural Revolution until they were denounced and punished accordingly in 1981. Despite Mao's goals, his control on the broader Cultural Revolution has been lost. . As a result, power passed to the Red Guards and the military. As a further consequence, there was a lack of central control which caused social anarchy. Ultimately, a military dictatorship developed between 1968 and 1971 with Mao's power challenged by the PLA between 1968 and 1971 and members of the leftist faction rose to prominence as Mao's leadership was reduced. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Mao Zedong's attempt to reconsolidate his power in government through his Cultural Revolution had both short and long-lasting impacts and had an enormous influence on all aspects of Chinese culture. The Revolution ensured Mao's leadership until his death, to the detriment of China's economy, education, society and, above all, politics. Works..