Why did the cultural revouloution start? Also, any other tidbits u know ono the subject?

Question

What exactly was the point of the cultural revouloution?

Answer 1

The "Great Leap Forward" had been a big disaster, and Mao Zedong's wife Jiang Qing, an ex-actress, and her protégé Yao Wenyuan wanted more control over Chinese art and culture.

"In late 1959, historian and Beijing Deputy Mayor Wu Han published the first version of a historical drama entitled "Hai Rui Dismissed from Office" (pinyin: Hai Rui Ba Guan, Chinese: 海瑞罢官). In the play, a virtuous official (Hai Rui) was dismissed by a corrupt emperor."

"The play initially received praise from Mao. In 1965, Mao Zedong's wife Jiang Qing and her protégé Yao Wenyuan—who at the time was a little-known editor of a prominent newspaper in Shanghai—published an article criticising the play. They labeled it a "poisonous weed" and an attack on Mao, using the allegory of Mao Zedong as the corrupt emperor and Peng Dehuai as the virtuous official."

"The Shanghai newspaper article received much publicity nationwide, with many other prominent newspapers asking for publication rights. Beijing Mayor Peng Zhen, a supporter of Wu Han, established a committee studying the recent publication and emphasizing that the criticism had gone too far. This committee, called "Group of Five in Charge of the Cultural Revolution," on 1966-02-12 issued an "Outline Report on the Current Academic Discussion", which later became known as the "February Outline". In this document the group emphasized that the dispute over Hai Rui Dismissed From Office was academic rather than political."

"On 1966-08-08, the Central Committee of the CCP passed its "Decision Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" (also known as "the 16 Points"). This decision defined the GPCR as "a great revolution that touches people to their very souls and constitutes a new stage in the development of the socialist revolution in our country, a deeper and more extensive stage." "

"The Cultural Revolution" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_revolution#The_Cultural_Revolution