Why did Mao Zedong call on the People’s Liberation Army to intervene in 1967?

In 1967, Mao Zedong called on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to intervene in the Cultural Revolution primarily to support the radical Red Guards and restore order amidst widespread anarchy.12

By the summer of 1967, the movement had spiraled into chaos, characterized by the paralysis of the urban economy, the total disruption of Chinese urban life, and large-scale armed clashes between rival Red Guard factions, each claiming to be the true representative of Maoist thought. Mao initially sought to use the military to bolster the radical youths, but this action instead caused further divisions within the military itself, as evidenced by the arrest of radical leaders by a military commander in Wuhan.132

Ultimately, Mao’s decision to involve the military reflected his disillusionment with the Red Guards' inability to overcome their factional differences. By 1968, the army was tasked with taking over schools, factories, and government agencies, and forcing millions of urban Red Guards to relocate to the countryside to bring stability to the cities.12