What four goals did Mao Zedong set for the Cultural Revolution?

Mao Zedong adopted four primary goals for the Cultural Revolution to consolidate his power and reshape Chinese society:1

• Replace designated successors: Mao sought to remove leaders he deemed unfaithful to his current political thinking and replace them with those more aligned with his vision.1
• Rectify the CCP: He aimed to purge and reform the Chinese Communist Party to ensure ideological purity.1
• Provide revolutionary experience: He intended to give China’s youth a direct, transformative experience in revolutionary struggle, primarily through the mobilization of the Red Guards.1
• Achieve policy changes: He sought to make the nation's educational, health care, and cultural systems less elitist.1

Mao pursued these objectives by inciting mass mobilization, which ultimately led to widespread social turmoil, the persecution of intellectuals and officials, and significant loss of life.12