Mao’s Cultural War: The Origins of the Cultural Revolution Revisited

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was a sweeping mass assault that shook the political foundations of China’s Leninist party-state. But why was it called a “cultural revolution”? What, precisely, was “cultural” about Mao’s last revolutionary endeavor? Focusing on the ideological and cultural struggles that preceded and shaped its early phase, this article challenges the prevailing narrative that assumes Mao conceived of the Cultural Revolution as an insurgent political movement from the outset. Instead, it contends that the movement initially took form as a radical “cultural revolution” in the literal sense—rooted in Mao’s longstanding vision of ideological and cultural transformation. What began as a targeted intervention within the cultural domain, however, escalated into a far-reaching political upheaval and systemic crisis, ultimately exceeding Mao’s original expectations. By reconstructing Mao’s intent in historical context and treating “cultural revolution” as a distinct historiographical category, this article offers a more historically grounded account of the Cultural Revolution’s origins and early dynamics.