Gang of Four Arrested: Cultural Revolution Ends
Mao Zedong died on September 9, 1976. Within four weeks, his chosen successor Hua Guofeng ordered the arrest of the Gang of Four: Mao's widow Jiang Qing and her allies Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen. The four had controlled much of China's cultural and political apparatus during the Cultural Revolution, presiding over purges that destroyed millions of lives. Hua used troops loyal to him to arrest them on October 6 in a bloodless operation. The Gang expected to seize power after Mao's death; they were instead imprisoned and put on show trial in 1980-81. Jiang Qing received a death sentence commuted to life imprisonment. She hanged herself in 1991. The arrests ended the Cultural Revolution immediately, and Deng Xiaoping outmaneuvered Hua within two years to launch China's economic reforms.
October 6, 1976
50 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 6
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