what actually happened during the cultural revolution?
Cultural Revolution - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11) The period of the Cultural Revolution, which lasted from 1966 until 1977, was one of the most difficult in Chinese history. Chinaâs leader, Mao Zedong, had led a revolution that brought a form of government called Communism to the country in 1949. He launched the Cultural Revolution in order to maintain that system.