Why did Mao Zedong begin to limit the Red Guards in 1968?

By 1968, Mao Zedong moved to limit the Red Guards because the movement had devolved into uncontrollable anarchy, terror, and factionalism that paralyzed the urban economy and disrupted industrial production.123

Mao’s decision to curb the Red Guards was driven by several key factors:

• Factionalism and Anarchy: The Red Guards splintered into rival factions, each claiming to be the true representative of Maoist thought. Their inability to overcome these differences led to widespread armed clashes and social chaos.124
• Need for Order: The resulting instability and the disruption of government and economic functions led Mao to decide to rebuild the Communist Party to regain centralized control.12
• Military Intervention: Mao utilized the military to restore order by taking over schools, factories, and government agencies. To remove the most disruptive forces from urban centers, the army forced millions of Red Guards to relocate to the rural hinterlands.234
• National Security: The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 heightened China’s sense of insecurity, adding urgency to Mao’s efforts to stabilize the country and restore the party apparatus.12