In 1966, China's communist leader Mao Zedong launched a decade-long political and ideological campaign known as the Cultural Revolution. Forced to take responsibility for the failed economic policies that caused the Great Chinese Famine, Mao had been demoted within the party. The Cultural Revolution was Mao's effort to consolidate his power. The movement would continue in various phases until his death in 1976, and its violent legacy would resonate in Chinese politics and society for decades to come.