Red guards (mao zedong)

Essay by Anonymous UserHigh School, 12th gradeA, January 1997

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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...