By 1793, The War of (or in) the Vendee region (in France) exploded into a major counter revolution/insurrection against the French Revolution.  With the European war also going bad, the Committee of Public Safety took drastic measures to stop the insurrections.  In the fall of 1793, the former Queen Marie Antoinette  met the same fate as her husband had nine months earlier.  Public opinion of the Jacobins began to turn against them and by the summer of 1794, one of its chief architects and voices, Maximilien Robespierre, was executed by the guillotine.  These same few years are also noted for the infamous Reign of Terror. 

President Richard Nixon visited China in February 1972.  The first American President to visit the Peoples Republic of China.  His meetings with Mao Zedong led to the Shanghai Communique.  That document, among many things, created the One China Policy concept.  Nixon also tried unsuccessfully to gain concessions or agreements with Chairman Mao on the Vietnam War. By 1973, the culture revolution had permeated every level of the nation.  Apathy and indifference set in causing, at least partially, shortages and rationing of critical items.