2024 China Falls If the “50-year crisis” thesis is true, it could be argued that the purpose behind the Cultural Revolution was to address the impending crisis and to prevent it from occurring. According to this perspective, the leaders who launched the Cultural Revolution, such as Mao Zedong, may have believed that the campaign was necessary to maintain and strengthen the communist ideology, and to prevent capitalist and traditional elements from undermining the revolution. Additionally, they may have believed that this campaign would prevent the impending crisis and bring stability to the country.