Red Guards

The Red Guards were a mass paramilitary social movement in China during the Cultural Revolution, which lasted from 1966 to 1976. Initiated by Mao Zedong, they consisted mainly of young students who sought to uphold communist ideology, targeting intellectuals, traditional culture, and perceived enemies of the state. They played a significant role in promoting radical changes, often resorting to violence and public humiliation of those they considered counter-revolutionaries. The movement aimed to eliminate capitalist and bourgeois elements in society but ultimately led to chaos and significant societal turmoil during its peak.