Mao's little red book which contained brief slogans was part of t|he Cultural Revolution in the 1960's and 70's. Along with the Red Guards it was used to regain control of the party and China's political, social and economic direction which Mao felt was being threatened by reformers within the party.
The Little Red Book - or, to give its full title, Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong - contains 267 aphorisms from the Communist Chinese leader, covering subjects such as class struggle, "correcting mistaken ideas" and the "mass line", a key tenet of Mao Zedong Thought. Included is Mao's famous remark that "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun".