Historical point on "The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution": The Cultural Revolution was summed up as a “civil war” in the 1981 Historical Resolution

[Context & Analysis] In June 1981, the ``Resolution on Some Historical Issues of the Party since the Founding of the People'' adopted at the 6th Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly rejected the Cultural Revolution as ``a civil war that was erroneously initiated by the leadership, was exploited by counterrevolutionary groups, and brought serious disasters to the Party, the nation, and the people.'' This resolution remains the basis for official assessments by the Chinese government to this day. [Verdict] Official records available (Source: Resolutions on some historical issues of the Party since its founding (1981) [People's Daily (People's Daily)])

Historical point on "The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution": The number of victims of the Cultural Revolution is estimated to range from hundreds of thousands to millions.

[Context & Analysis] There are no accurate statistics regarding the number of abnormal deaths during the Cultural Revolution, and estimates vary widely among researchers. Official Chinese documents do not release specific numbers of victims. In overseas research, there are various estimates, including R. J. Rummel's estimate of approximately 7.73 million people and Andrew Walder and Yan Hsu's estimate of 1 million to 1.6 million people. It is generally believed that tens of millions of people suffered some form of persecution. [Verdict] There is a wide range of estimates. (Source: Agents of Disorder: Inside China's Cultural Revolution [Harvard University Press], China's Bloody Century [University of Hawaii])

Historical point on "The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution": The Cultural Revolution was a political struggle to regain power from Mao Zedong

[Context & Analysis] An estimated 15 to 55 million people died of starvation due to the failure of the Great Leap Forward starting in 1958. Mao Zedong, who was held responsible for this, handed over the position of president to Liu Shaoqi, and his influence within the party decreased. Although the Cultural Revolution was ostensibly an ideological movement to ``prevent the return of capitalism,'' many historians analyze it as a political struggle in which Mao Zedong overthrew the pragmatics of Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping and regained control. China's official position is that the move was ``invoked due to a misjudgment'' and does not highlight the aspect of the move as a power struggle. [Verdict] Widely supported academically (Source: The Cultural Revolution: A People's History, 1962-1976 [Bloomsbury Publishing])

Historical point on "The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution": A generation lost educational opportunities when educational institutions closed.

[Context & Analysis] During the Cultural Revolution, university entrance exams (gaokao) were canceled for approximately 10 years from 1966 to 1977. Junior and senior high schools were also closed or ceased to function for long periods of time, and many young people were forced to go to rural areas. An estimated 16 million urban youth were sent to rural areas. When university entrance exams were restarted under Deng Xiaoping in 1977, about 5.7 million people took them. [Verdict] Official records available (Source: China Education Yearbook [Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China])

Historical point on "The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution": A large amount of cultural properties were destroyed due to the “Break the Four Olds” movement.

[Context & Analysis] In the "Breaking the Four Olds" movement (breaking down old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old customs), Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, Confucius temples, historical buildings, classical books, and works of art were destroyed on a large scale. It is reported that 6,843 cultural properties have been destroyed in Beijing alone. Most of Tibet's more than 6,000 temples were destroyed or damaged. This movement caused irreparable damage to China's thousands of years of cultural heritage. [Verdict] There are multiple lines of evidence. (Source: Mao's Last Revolution [Harvard University Press])

How is "The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" described in China's history textbooks?

In 1966, Mao Zedong misjudged the situation in the process of socialist construction and launched the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" under the pretext of "preventing the revival of capitalism." This was a civil war that was mistakenly initiated by the leaders and exploited by counter-revolutionary groups (Lin Biao and Jiang Qing counter-revolutionary groups), which brought serious disaster to the Party, the state, and the people as a whole. (Source: Chinese history textbook (general description))

How is "The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" described in Japan's history textbooks?

In 1966, Mao Zedong launched the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" in the People's Republic of China. The movement was largely a political struggle for Mao Zedong, whose influence within the party had declined due to the failure of the Great Leap Forward, to overthrow Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping's pragmatic factions (actual power factions) and regain power. (Source: Japanese world history textbook (general description))

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution | HistoryDiff

All Perspectives(3)

Neutrality Commitment|

This project does not aim to criticize or defend any specific historical narrative or nation. We objectively present differences in textbook and official descriptions to encourage multi-faceted understanding.

ArchiveCold War/Communist System1966-1976China

Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and the lessons of totalitarianism

Perspectives Summary

Related Photos1

Red Guards gathering in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, in 1966. The movement led by youth pledging loyalty to Mao Zedong caused widespread disruption in Chinese society.

Source: Wikimedia CommonsPublic Domain

United StatesCold War/Communist System1966-1976China

Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and the lessons of totalitarianism

Source:American high school history textbook (general description)

Source Nature:

Commercial / Standard TextbookOriginal Language

In 1966, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Mao Zedong, launched the Cultural Revolution. With a cult of personality and dictatorial power behind him, Mao Zedong sought to eliminate his political rivals and fundamentally reshape Chinese society. This movement is considered a classic example of how totalitarianism under communist regimes can destroy society.

Young people called the Red Guards held up the ``Little Red Book'' and carried out violent persecution against intellectuals, teachers, landowners, and religious leaders, labeling them as ``class enemies.'' At public criticism meetings (tōkai), victims were insulted and assaulted in front of the crowd. Traditional temples, books, and artifacts were systematically destroyed, and thousands of years of Chinese cultural heritage were lost.

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands to millions of people lost their lives during the Cultural Revolution. The education system collapsed, depriving a generation of young people from formal education. After Mao Zedong's death in 1976, China began adopting capitalist economic reforms under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, but political liberalization did not materialize. The Cultural Revolution is taught as an important historical example for learning the dangers of propaganda and social control.

Perspectives Summary

Item	China	Japan	United States
Title	The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution	China's Cultural Revolution and social turmoil	Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and the lessons of totalitarianism
Category	Political movements/civil wars	Political movements/social changes	Cold War/Communist System
Era	1966-1976	1966-1976	1966-1976
Source	Chinese history textbook (general description) Commercial / Standard TextbookVia Translation	Japanese world history textbook (general description) Commercial / Standard TextbookVia Translation	American high school history textbook (general description) Commercial / Standard TextbookOriginal Language
Excerpt	In 1966, Mao Zedong misjudged the situation in the process of socialist construction and launched the "Great Proletarian…	In 1966, Mao Zedong launched the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" in the People's Republic of China. The movement…	In 1966, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Mao Zedong, launched the Cultural Revolution. With a cult of persona…

Interactive Verification & Exploration

Notes on this comparison

This comparison is based on general descriptions from official or widely used history textbooks in each country. While minor nuances may change in translation, the goal is to highlight differences in how major events are perceived, the order of description, and what is emphasized. In particular, notable differences in the naming of events and the background of their occurrence can be seen between "United States" and "China".

Item

China

Japan

United States

Title

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

China's Cultural Revolution and social turmoil

Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and the lessons of totalitarianism

HistoryDiff

Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and the lessons of totalitarianism

Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and the lessons of totalitarianism

Perspectives Summary

Interactive Verification & Exploration

Historical Perception & Bias Diagnostic

Guess the Country's Textbook!

Community Notes & Verification

Public Voices

Notes on this comparison

Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and the lessons of totalitarianism

Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and the lessons of totalitarianism

Perspectives Summary

Interactive Verification & Exploration

Historical Perception & Bias Diagnostic

Guess the Country's Textbook!

Community Notes & Verification

Public Voices

Notes on this comparison