China's Cultural Revolution was a challenge to the established power and status quo of the Cold War because it aimed to overthrow the existing political and social order in China. The revolution was launched by Mao Zedong, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, who sought to purge perceived capitalist and traditionalist elements from Chinese society and create a new socialist order. This included targeting intellectuals, party officials, and anyone suspected of opposing Mao's ideas.
The Cultural Revolution was a response to Mao's belief that the Chinese Communist Party was becoming too bureaucratic and had lost its revolutionary spirit. Mao felt that the party needed to be reinvigorated and that the revolution needed to be taken directly to the people. By mobilizing young people in the form of the Red Guards, Mao was able to launch a massive campaign of political indoctrination and cultural reform.
The revolution was a challenge to the status quo of the Cold War because it represented an alternative model of socialism to the Soviet model. Mao believed that the Soviet model was too bureaucratic and authoritarian and that the Chinese Communist Party needed to forge its own path. By launching the Cultural Revolution, Mao was able to demonstrate the power of the masses and the importance of ideological purity in the revolutionary struggle.
In terms of how and why Mao and the Chinese Communist Party came to power, it was the result of a long and tumultuous period of Chinese history. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, China experienced a period of political fragmentation and foreign domination. The Chinese Communist Party was founded in 1921, and after a long struggle against the Nationalist Party, led by Chiang Kai-shek, the Communists were able to come to power in 1949.
Mao's leadership was crucial in this process, as he was able to rally the masses behind the Communist cause and provide a vision of a new China. Mao's ideas about socialism with Chinese characteristics and the importance of constant revolution were central to the success of the Chinese Communist Party in coming to power. However, Mao's later policies, such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, proved to be disastrous for China and ultimately led to his downfall.