The Cultural Revolution in China formally ended in 1976 with the death of Mao Zedong, who was the leader and instigator of the movement. Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People's Republic of China, had initiated the Cultural Revolution in 1966 as a way to maintain his grip on power and eliminate perceived threats to his leadership. The Cultural Revolution involved widespread purges, political persecutions, and efforts to remove "counter-revolutionary" elements from Chinese society.
Mao's death in 1976 marked a turning point. After his passing, the political landscape shifted, and his chosen successor, Hua Guofeng, took control of the Communist Party. Hua Guofeng and other leaders who succeeded Mao recognized the damaging effects of the Cultural Revolution on Chinese society, economy, and stability. The new leadership sought to move away from the extreme policies of the Cultural Revolution and introduced a period of reform and modernization.
While Mao's death played a significant role in ending the Cultural Revolution, the official declaration of the end came in 1978 when the Communist Party's Third Plenum of the 11th Central Committee outlined a program of economic reforms and openness under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. These reforms marked the beginning of China's transition from a closed and ideologically driven society to one that embraced economic development and engagement with the global community.