RED GUARDS
In the summer of 1966 there was a new effort on the part of the head
leaders in China to further control the actions and thoughts of the people in
China. The Red Guards were the force to do it all.
A group of kids who mostly in their teens and some in college were put
into this gang. This so-called military force was called the Red Guards.
Groups of these Red Guards traveled from the large cities all the way to
empty country sides. They held huge demonstrations at every stop. Their
main goal was to eliminate as many as possible of the customs and
traditional thoughts of the old China. They participated in Long Marches
and other activities.
The man they looked up to most was a person by the name of Mao.
They carried huge portraits of him and also carried banners and flags. Many
people in the group beat on gongs and drums.
Some observers said it
looked more like a circus then a political demonstration.
They did a lot of things that many thought were outrageous. At one point
they raced widely through Peking denouncing anyone who was in a
business. They even made a demand to change the meaning of the colors in
a stop light. According to the Red Guards, that because the color of
communism is red, that you should go on red and stop on green. When the
Red Guards added students from another school or workers from another
factory they decorated the entrance with purple paper, lanterns and a red
cloth covered with flowers.
People who did not agree with Mao Tse-tung and his teachings were
often dragged through the streets and forced to wear dunce caps. The main
reason of course was to humiliate. This group in...
Red Guards
Worth a read, simple, but detailed essay, nicely researched.
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