How did the political upheaval in China influence Lin Biao as a student?

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Lin Biao, Zhou Enlai, and other Chinese officials stand in uniform, holding up Little Red Books during a 1967 Red Guard rally in China. — Lin Biao At a 1967 Red Guard rally, Lin Biao (left) and Zhou Enlai publicly display copies of *The Little Red Book*.

While Lin Biao was a student in middle school in Wuchang starting in 1921, he was deeply affected by the social and cultural upheaval occurring throughout China at that time.1

This environment of national instability, characterized by internal disunity and foreign encroachment, sparked his interest in socialism and communism. Consequently, his exposure to these political shifts during his formative years led him to join the Socialist Youth League in 1923.1