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Between the years of 1966 and 1976, Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong helped to lead what is now known as the Cultural Revolution. This was a time when his Communist Party was worried that capitalistic beliefs were going to take over Chinese society. Because of this threat, Mao Zedong and his group of young followers known as the Red Guards created a rebellion that turned violent very quickly. Within this video, victims of the Cultural Revolution, as well as former members of the Red Guards, talk about witnessing this violent time in Chinese history. Images of temples and villages being ransacked are seen as some victims such as Yu Luowen talk about their family homes being raided as they watched their parents get beaten for being capitalists. Others who were members of the Red Guards, like Xiao Ming, explain why they thought they were doing the right thing during this time period. Ming says he felt that his victims were responsible for the cultural imperialism that had hurt people like him in the past and deserved to get punished. Zhu Danian, another witness, explains that Zedong legitimized the widespread brutality because his political strategy has always been to start a revolution.
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