Red Guards (China), self-proclaimed militant groups of high school and university students who were extremely loyal to Chinese leader Mao Zedong during the early stages of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). The Red Guards carried out Mao’s directives to attack elitist elements of society. In the chaos that ensued, violence and destruction occurred throughout China, thousands died, and millions were imprisoned or exiled.

In 1966 Mao launched the Cultural Revolution, intending to purge his opponents from office and revolutionize Chinese society. Mao’s faction, principally the Gang of Four led by Mao’s wife Jiang Qing, appealed directly to China’s youth through posters, newspaper editorials, and speeches. They urged students to attack “reactionary” authority figures, including teachers and Communist Party administrators. In June 1966 high school students in Beijing began forming groups called the Red Guards. When Mao voiced his approval of these groups, high school and university students around the country quickly formed other bands of Red Guards. In August Mao addressed millions of Red Guards in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Urged to destroy any aspects of old, elitist, or foreign culture, students broke into homes, vandalized cultural relics, and physically attacked teachers, artists, and Communist Party leaders.

Lack of direction and overzealous revolutionary fervor led to violence between various Red Guard groups. Factions formed, with each group proclaiming itself more loyal to Mao than the other. In 1967 the Chinese military was called in to restore order, and violent clashes took place between Red Guards and soldiers, resulting in thousands of deaths. By the summer of 1968 the Red Guards were being disbanded. The government ordered many people from age 16 to age 19 to leave major cities and go to the countryside, effectively dampening the Red Guard movement. Many youths remained in the countryside until the late 1970s.