People / group

Red Guards (China)

1966–1968 · 20th century

The Red Guards were militant student and youth groups mobilised by Mao Zedong at the start of the Cultural Revolution in 1966. They attacked teachers, party officials and 'old' culture, destroying temples, books and artefacts, and soon fought among themselves. From 1968 the army restored order and millions of young people were sent to the countryside.

Red Guards (China)
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

People's Republic of ChinaGovernancePeople's Republic of ChinaGovernance

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Red Guards (China). In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-guards-china
MLA
“Red Guards (China).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-guards-china. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Red Guards (China).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-guards-china.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Red Guards (China)’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-guards-china (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻