In 1967, Wang Hongwen overthrew and took control of the Shanghai government through the “January Storm,” after which Shanghai became the Gang of Four’s stronghold and base. Since the Gang of Four never managed to gain control over the PLA and was deeply distrusted by many PLA marshals, they organized the Shanghai Militia as their own military force. At its peak, the Shanghai Militia had three million members, along with thousands of machine guns, Artillery,tanks, RPGs, missiles, and even a gunboat.

By 1976, the Gang of Four increasingly sensed political danger and accelerated the militarization of Shanghai in preparation for a possible rebellion. After the death of Mao Zedong, on October 6, 1976, Mao’s designated successor, Premier Hua Guofeng, together with Defense Minister Marshal Ye Jianying, carried out a coup in Beijing, arresting the Gang of Four and taking full control of the capital.

The Gang of Four’s remaining supporters — the Shanghai government and the Shanghai Militia — discovered that the Gang had been cut off. They prepared for armed rebellion against Beijing, intending to turn Shanghai into a fortress of guerrilla warfare and urban combat. Through a series of complex political and military maneuvers, Beijing suppressed and dismantled the Gang of Four-controlled Shanghai government without open fighting, thereby reestablishing control over the city.

Just a follow-up note about a later discovery, since I like to be super accurate: Harvey Frand was not Beth Howland's husband. In fact, he was a gay man who began a 32-year relationship with a man in 1977 (the relationship lasted until Frand's death in 2009).

Ignore the annoying modern NBC logo superimposed much later on this footage.