And what better way to do that than to empower the kids? Frustrated students who were unable to find decent, fulfilling jobs jumped at the chance to denounce their teachers, employers, and sometimes even their parents, and to tear down tradition, which often meant demolishing buildings and art. The ranks of these Red Guards swelled, and anyone representing the so-called Four Olds – old culture, old habits, old ideas, and old customs – was subject to humiliation and violence. Intellectuals were again sent to the countryside, as they were in 1942. Millions were persecuted, and countless historical and religious artifacts were destroyed. But the real aim of the Cultural Revolution was to consolidate Mao's revolution. And while his image still looms large, it's hard to say that China these days is a socialist state.