Cultural Revolution

American  

noun

1. a radical sociopolitical movement in China c1966–71, led by Mao Zedong and characterized by military rule, terrorism, purges, restructuring of the educational system, etc.

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Cultural Revolution British  

noun

1. Also called: Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. (in China) a mass movement (1965–68), in which the youthful Red Guard played a prominent part. It was initiated by Mao Tse-tung to destroy the power of the bureaucrats and to revolutionize the attitudes and behaviour of the people

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Etymology

Origin of Cultural Revolution

Translation of Chinese wénhuà gémìng

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Cultural Revolution

He was a teenage “revolutionary rebel” when the Cultural Revolution erupted in the 1960s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

After leaving school in 1976 -- the end of the decade-long Cultural Revolution -- he struggled to find work.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Mr. Dillon recounts how the Cultural Revolution unfolded in Shanghai, both in its local factions and the ideological struggle between Shanghai and the capital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

And the year marked the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in China.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026

I learned about Margaret Thatcher and the Thirty-Eighth Parallel and the Cultural Revolution; I learned about parliamentary politics and electoral systems around the world.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover