The Cultural Revolution had many effects on China.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2022). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] (a) The Red Guards led the campaign against the Four Olds.
2. [1] (a) The Red Guards were protecting the ideas of the revolution.
3. [1] (a) They used violence to defend the revolution against western ideas.
4. [1] (a) Thousands of people were tortured and imprisoned by the Red Guards.
5. [1] (a) They confiscated antiques.
6. [1] (a) They placed posters with the names and crimes of people on the streets.
7. [1] (a) They tried to remove ancient art forms.
8. [1] (b) Mao wanted to regain his influence after the failure of the Great Leap Forward.
9. [1] (b) Mao had lost his position as Party Chairman.
10. [1] (b) Mao considered his place in history was under threat.
11. [1] (b) Mao was concerned the revolution was heading towards a Soviet model with privileged groups.
12. [1] (b) Liu Shaoqi did not favour collective farms and factories which Mao had introduced.
13. [1] (b) Young people seemed less connected to the communist model and needed enthusing.
14. [1] (b) The less well off and poorly educated seemed to be turning against the spirit of the revolution.
15. [1] (b) Elements of capitalism, such as private trade, had made certain people richer than others.
16. [5] (b) Since the failure of the Great Leap Forward, Mao had lost his position as Chairman of the Party. Mao wanted to return to a powerful position. As the Great Leap Forward had been widely discredited, Mao was worried his position in history was under threat. A new movement would help re-establish his influence.
17. [1] (c) Schools and colleges were closed.
18. [1] (c) Millions of students formed the Red Guards.
19. [1] (c) Historic sites, artefacts and museum pieces were destroyed.
20. [1] (c) People were encouraged to question their parents and teachers.
21. [1] (c) Traditional Chinese traditions and classical Chinese literature were discouraged.
22. [5] (c) The Cultural Revolution had a huge impact on education. The closure of schools and colleges led to a lowering of academic standards. Some areas of China had illiteracy rates as high as 40% twenty years after the revolution. The elimination of qualified teachers meant many areas were forced to rely upon chosen students to re-educate the next generation.
23. [5] (c) The Cultural Revolution also had an impact on the lives of young people. Millions of young people joined the Red Guards. The young were expected to question their parents, although this had been forbidden in traditional Chinese culture. Slogans such as 'Parents may love me, but not as much as Chairman Mao' were common. Many young people became more loyal to the regime.
24. [10] (c) Explanation of both sides (Level 4, 7-9 marks) with evaluation of 'how far' (Level 5, 10 marks).