Industrial production crashed during the cultural revolution because

people sabotaged the government’s reform effort.
the red guards imprisoned important leaders.
people revolted against poor working conditions.
the red guards were assigned leadership posts.

The correct answer is D) the Red Guards were assigned leadership posts.

Industrial production crashed during the Cultural Revolution because the Red Guards were assigned leadership posts.

Communist leader Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution of China in 1966. He considered that older Communist officials were nor doing a good job and asked the younger communist to substitute them. So in August of 1966, he shut down the schools in China and the students formed paramilitary groups called Red Guards that intimidated older Communists. However, industrial production crashed during the Cultural Revolution because members of the Red Guards were assigned leadership posts.

the Red Guards were assigned leadership posts.

Explanation:

On August 18, 1966, Mao formally gathered a million Red Guards at a rally in Tian'anmen Square, where he presented them with a special bracelet to show their support for the movement and its objectives. This meeting marked the beginning of the participation of the Red Guards in the implementation of the objectives of the Cultural Revolution.

The XI Plenum of the Party, meeting in August 1966, had ratified the "Sixteen Articles", a document that determined the objectives of the Cultural Revolution and highlighted the role that students in the movement would demand. After the August meeting, the Cultural Revolution Group channeled the Red Guards to attack the "Ancient Four" of Chinese society (ancient customs, ancient culture, ancient habits and ancient ideas). During the rest of the year, the Red Guards marched throughout China in a campaign to eradicate the "Ancient Four."

a.   it resulted in widespread unemployment.