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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of Cultural Revolution

Translation of Chinese wénhuà gémìng

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Cultural Revolution

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

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

His relationship with Xi dates back to when both were sent down as teenage youth to a remote rural area during the Cultural Revolution.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026

Born in 1969 during the Cultural Revolution in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang, he was a believer in the Chinese state while growing up.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025

With the start of the Cultural Revolution all the stamp shops were closed down, because stamp collecting was considered bourgeois.

From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang