The Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China started in
1966 and lasted about a decade. This revolutionary upsurge of Chinese
students and workers, led by Mao Zedong, wreaked havoc in the world's
most populous country, often turning things upside down and undermining
the party, government, and army while simultaneously weakening the
economy, society, and culture. Tens of millions of people were killed,
injured, or imprisoned during this period and relatively few benefited,
aside from Mao Zedong and the Gang of Four, the group that would
eventually receive the blame for the events of the Cultural Revolution.