Editing Red Guards (section)

==Origins==
[[File:Political slogan by Red Guards on the campus of Fudan University 1976.jpg|right|thumb|Political slogan by Red Guards on the campus of [[Fudan University]], Shanghai, China says "Defend [[Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|Central Committee]] with (our) blood and life! Defend Chairman Mao with (our) blood and life!"]]
[[File: Red Guards in Tian'anmen Square.jpg|thumb|Red Guards in 1966]]

The first students to call themselves "Red Guards" in China were from the [[Tsinghua University High School]], who were given the name to sign two [[big-character poster]]s issued on 25 May – 2 June 1966.<ref name="Chesneaux">Chesneaux, p. 141</ref> The students believed that the criticism of the play ''[[Hai Rui Dismissed from Office]]'' was a political issue and needed greater attention. The group of students – led by [[Zhang Chengzhi]] at Tsinghua Middle School and [[Nie Yuanzi]] at [[Peking University]] – originally wrote the posters as a [[constructive criticism]] of [[Tsinghua University]] and Peking University's administrations, who were accused of harbouring [[intellectual elitism]] and [[Bourgeoisie|bourgeois]] tendencies.<ref name="yanjiaqi">{{cite book | last = Jiaqi | first = Yan | author-link = Yan Jiaqi | author2 = Gao Gao | title = Turbulent Decade: A History of the Cultural Revolution | year = 1996 | publisher = [[University of Hawaii Press]] | pages = 56–64 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7bNooFMV12sC&q=red+guards+zhang&pg=PA78 | isbn = 0-8248-1695-1 | access-date = 3 December 2020 | archive-date = 13 October 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221013235609/https://books.google.com/books?id=7bNooFMV12sC&q=red+guards+zhang&pg=PA78 | url-status = live }}</ref> Most of the early Red Guards came from the so-called "[[Five Red Categories]]".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Tanigawa|first=Shinichi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FZdEAQAAIAAJ&q=five+red+categories|title=Dynamics of the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the Countryside: Shaanxi, 1966–1971|date=2007|publisher=Stanford University|isbn=978-0-549-06376-6|language=en|access-date=17 May 2021|archive-date=13 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013235609/https://books.google.com/books?id=FZdEAQAAIAAJ&q=five+red+categories|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Singer|first=Martin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mFP7DwAAQBAJ&q=five+red+categories&pg=PA21|title=Educated Youth and the Cultural Revolution in China|date=2020|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0-472-03814-5|language=en|access-date=17 May 2021|archive-date=13 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013235609/https://books.google.com/books?id=mFP7DwAAQBAJ&q=five+red+categories&pg=PA21|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Red Guards were denounced as [[Counter-revolutionary|counter-revolutionaries]] and [[Radicalism (historical)|radicals]] by the school administration and by fellow students and were forced to secretly meet amongst the ruins of the [[Old Summer Palace]]. Nevertheless, Chairman [[Mao Zedong]] ordered that the [[manifesto]] of the Red Guards be broadcast on national radio and published in the ''[[People's Daily]]'' newspaper. This action gave the Red Guards [[Legitimacy (political)|political legitimacy]], and student groups quickly began to appear across China.<ref name="Meisner 334">Meisner, p. 334</ref> By the end of August 1966, almost every Chinese city and a majority of counties had Red Guard activity.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Walder |first=Andrew G. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1120781893 |title=Agents of disorder : inside China's Cultural Revolution |date=2019 |isbn=978-0-674-24363-7 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |pages=32 |oclc=1120781893}}</ref> Eighty-five percent of counties had local Red Guard activity by October 1966.<ref name=":3" /> According to sociologist [[Andrew G. Walder]], "These figures represent a remarkable level of popular political mobilization. At no point in the previous history of the regime were ordinary citizens permitted, much less encouraged, to form independent political organizations."<ref name=":3" />

Due to the [[Political faction|factionalism]] already emerging in the Red Guard movement, [[President of the People's Republic of China|President]] [[Liu Shaoqi]] made the decision in early June 1966 to send in [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP) work teams.<ref name=" Chesneaux"/> These workgroups were led by [[Zhang Chunqiao]], head of China's [[Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party|Propaganda Department]], in an attempt by the Party to keep the movement under control. Rival Red Guard groups led by the sons and daughters of [[Cadre (military)|cadres]] were formed by these work teams to deflect attacks from those in positions of power towards bourgeois elements in society, mainly [[intellectual]]s.<ref name="Meisner 334"/> In addition, these Party-backed rebel groups also attacked students with 'bad' class backgrounds, including children of former [[landlord]]s and [[Capitalism|capitalists]].<ref name="Meisner 334"/> These actions were all attempts by the CCP to preserve the existing [[state government]] and [[State apparatus|apparatus]].<ref name="Chesneaux"/>

Mao, concerned that these work teams were hindering the course of the [[Cultural Revolution]], dispatched [[Chen Boda]], [[Jiang Qing]], [[Kang Sheng]], and others to join the Red Guards and combat the work teams.<ref name=yanjiaqi/> In July 1966, Mao ordered the removal of the remaining work teams (against the wishes of Liu Shaoqi) and condemned their 'Fifty Days of White Terror', a label referencing the period of time the work teams were active.<ref>Meisner, p. 335</ref> The Red Guards were then free to organize without the restrictions of the Party and, within a few weeks, on the encouragement of Mao's supporters, Red Guard groups had appeared in almost every school in China.<ref>Meisner, p. 366</ref>

Mao had multiple reasons for supporting the Red Guards' activities, with the primary one being his wish to undermine Liu Shaoqi, with whom he grew increasingly distrustful.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Lieberthal |first=Kenneth |title=Governing China: from revolution through reform |date=2004 |publisher=W. W. Norton |isbn=978-0-393-92492-3 |edition=2nd |location=New York |pages=112–116}}</ref> Furthermore, Mao intended to make the revolutionary ideals more ingrained in the Chinese youth, as a way to harden their spirit and combat traditional scholarly education.

[[Chiang Kai-Shek]] believed Mao lost trust in CCP officials and members, [[Communist Youth League of China]] (CYLC) members, and even workers, peasants and soldiers, so he had put faith in the students, and made use of the Red Guards to preserve his authority,<ref>{{cite web|author=Chiang, Kai-Shek|title=中華民國五十五年國慶日前夕告中共黨人書|trans-title=Manifesto to the CPC Members on the Eve of the National Day of the 55th Years of the Republic of China|url=http://www.ccfd.org.tw/ccef001/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=795:0003-94&catid=246&Itemid=256|date=9 October 1966|accessdate=11 March 2021|language=zh-hant|quote=今天很明白的事實，就是毛澤東對於你們這一代，從黨政軍領導幹部到黨員團員及其所謂工農兵群眾，根本上都不敢相信，認為都已不可靠了，所以它不得不寄望下一代無知的孩子們，組訓「紅衛兵」來保衛它個人生命，來保衛它獨夫暴政、生殺予奪的淫威特權。|trans-quote=Today, it is a very clear fact that Mao Zedong does not trust your generation, from the party, government and military leaders and cadres to the party members and their so-called workers, peasants and soldiers, and considers all of them unreliable. Therefore, it has to look to the next generation of ignorant children to organize and train the "Red Guard Soldiers" to protect its personal life, and its tyrannical, murderous, and despotic authority.|work=總統蔣公思想言論總集|publisher=中正文教基金會 (Chungcheng Cultural and Educational Foundation)|archive-date=20 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720070929/http://www.ccfd.org.tw/ccef001/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=795%3A0003-94&catid=246&Itemid=256|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Unbalanced opinion|date=July 2023}} Chiang also believed Mao started the massive purge among knowledgeable and contributive CCP officials and members and CYLC members in the name of Maoism, let Red Guards replace them to inherit the party.<ref>{{cite web|author=Chiang, Kai-Shek|title=中華民國五十五年國慶日前夕告中共黨人書|trans-title=Manifesto to the CPC Members on the Eve of the National Day of the 55th Years of the Republic of China|url=http://www.ccfd.org.tw/ccef001/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=795:0003-94&catid=246&Itemid=256|date=9 October 1966|accessdate=6 October 2023|language=zh-hant|work=總統蔣公思想言論總集|publisher=中正文教基金會 (Chungcheng Cultural and Educational Foundation)|quote=這次毛澤東「文化大革命」的真相，照著它「文化革命小組」所說的，就是要「拿毛澤東思想做方向盤」，要「活學活用毛澤東思想」，要「讀毛的書，聽毛的話，照毛的指示辦事」，來做它救亡掙扎中的萬應靈方。其實就是要用其所謂「毛澤東思想」做招魂牌，對其黨政軍人員來整風——整黨，整政，和整軍。拆穿來說，就是要將你們凡是有知識、有思想、過去有功績、有貢獻的共黨幹部和一般黨員團員，藉此來整肅清除，等待「紅衛兵」來替代你們做它毛澤東的共產黨「接班人」。|trans-quote=The truth of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution at this time, as what its "Cultural Revolution Group" said, will be "Using Mao Zedong Thought as steering wheel", will "Flexibly learn and use Maoism", will "Read Mao's book, listen Mao's speech, do anything follow Mao's instruction", to do its almighty prescription for salvation. In fact is using its "Mao Zedong Thought" as spirit evocation sign, to rectificate its party, politician and military personnels — rectificating party, rectificating politics, rectificating military. In directly speech, it's intended to purge you the CCP officials and ordinary CCP and CYLC members altogether who have knowledges, ideologies, have merits and contributions in the past in this name, waiting for "Red Guards" to replace you to be successors in Mao Zedong's Communist Party.}}</ref>