S8 Ep256: THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION: THE CULT OF YOUTH AND ANARCHY Colleague Professor Sean McMeekin. This segment covers the chaos of the mid-1960s Cultural Revolution. Mao mobilized a "cult of youth" to destroy the "old"—teachers, books, and cultural heritage—in a

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

News, Arts, Books, Society & Culture

4.5 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 29 December 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION: THE CULT OF YOUTH AND ANARCHY Colleague Professor Sean McMeekin. This segment covers the chaos of the mid-1960s Cultural Revolution. Mao mobilized a "cult of youth" to destroy the "old"—teachers, books, and cultural heritage—in a bid to purge rivals and reinvigorate the revolution. McMeekin describes this as the "nihilistic side" of communism carried to its logical conclusion: the destruction of civilization itself to build a blank slate. The Red Guards unleashed anarchy that the party could barely control, attacking foreign embassies and even targeting the Soviet Union, which Mao utilized as a convenient enemy alongside the United States. This period allowed Mao to "punch above his weight" geopolitically, despite the domestic ruin. The violence and indoctrination of the young set a grim precedent, specifically inspiring the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia to arm children against their elders. NUMBER 6

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	In the casino, something as small as the roll of the dice or the spin of the slots holds the thrill of the unknown.
0:09.1	Sign up with Bet Victor, and when you wager 10 euro, you'll get 50 euro in bonuses on selected games, plus 100 free spins on Big Bass Splash.
0:18.3	Place your best bet at Bed Victor.
0:22.9	18 plus new customers only offer expires within seven days of sign-up 40 times wagering requirement. Visit bedvictor.com,
0:26.9	pretiesensiesgamblingcare.com. Please gamble responsibly. I'm John Batsworth, Professor
0:31.8	Sean McMeekin, to overthrow the world is the book. In 1965, 1966, there's a rally in Tiananmen called by Mao to inspire students to destroy their teachers,
0:45.8	their books, they're learning, anyone with special knowledge, any professor.
0:50.7	And I point out to this, Sean, I've done some lengthy reporting about the Red Guards.
0:57.6	They're still alive.
0:58.8	They remember themselves.
1:00.4	They remember what they did, and they're ashamed of it.
1:02.9	They talk about other people stealing from homes they broke into.
1:06.8	They stole.
1:08.1	And it went on for years.
1:10.2	It was chiefly over in 66, but it went on for years brutality towards professors.
1:16.6	And again, I'm looking for ideas.
1:19.6	Mao meant this to happen, ostensibly because he was competing with younger members of the Politburo.
1:26.6	I don't know.
1:28.2	He tortured and beat up his own people, the Chinese communists, as well as people he didn't know.
1:34.3	He turned them loose on the high school where he sent his children.
1:37.8	Where are the ideas here?
1:38.8	This looks like it's beyond intellectualism.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John Batchelor, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of John Batchelor and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.