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Why was the People’s Liberation Army called in during the Cultural Revolution?
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Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong.
During the Cultural Revolution, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was called in primarily to restore order and stabilize the country after the Red Guards caused widespread anarchy, terror, and the paralysis of urban life and industrial production.123
The military's intervention occurred in stages:
- Initial Involvement: In 1967, Mao Zedong initially called on the PLA to support the radical Red Guard factions. However, this move created divisions within the military, as seen when a commander in Wuhan arrested radical leaders.13
- Restoring Order: By 1968, disillusioned by the Red Guards' inability to overcome factionalism, Mao directed the military to take control of schools, factories, and government agencies to rebuild the Communist Party.13
- Relocation: The army forced millions of urban Red Guards to move to the rural hinterlands, which effectively scattered their forces and helped bring order back to the cities.13
These actions were further motivated by a heightened sense of national insecurity following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.13