His policy of the "Great Leap Forward" having failed miserably, Mao Zedong lost his power. As a result, he ordered his Minister of Defense, Lin Biao, to encourage a class struggle against domestic reactionary forces. Answering his call, riotous mobs of youths calling themselves "the Red Guard" persecuted many alleged "anti-revolutionaries" across China and rejected large amounts of tradition and religion.
The official figures from the Communist Party of China lists the death toll from the Cultural Revolution at 400 thousand people, and more than 100 million people were affected. However, others say that the death toll is closer to millions or even more than 10 million.
The illustration shows Miss Mao Zedong meeting 1 million Red Guard in Tian'anmen Square on August 18th, 1966.
