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One man transfOrmed China from a backward peasant society into
one of the most powerful nations in the world. that man was mao Zedong.
mao was born to a peasant family, and as a young man he traveled widely,
observing the conditions of the poor. he became interested in communism
as a way to improve people’s lives and, in 1921, helped set up the Chinese
Communist Party. there followed a long period of struggle between the
Communists, led by mao, and the nationalist Party (who
believed in strong national government), led by Chiang
Kai-shek. the struggle ended in a civil war. in October
1949, the Communist Party was victorious and
took power in China. mao proclaimed
China a people’s republic. Under
his leadership, the Communists
put everything under state control.
mao’s face became a familiar
sight. since his death in 1976,
many people have criticized
mao for causing the deaths
of millions during his rule.YenanLOng marCh
in October 1934, mao led his Communist
supporters from their stronghold, Juichin,
in Jianxi province to Yenan, in shensi
province, in northwest China. Jianxi
was under attack from Chiang Kai-shek.
more than 100,000 people marched for
more than a year, covering 6,000 miles
(9,700 km). Only 8,000 marchers
survived the ordeal.Juichin
Route of
the MarchKunming1893 Born in shaoshan,
hunan province.
1921 founding member of
Chinese Communist Party.
1928 establishes Chinese
soviet (Communist)
republic in Jianxi province.
1934-35 Leads the Long
march.
1945-49 Leads Communists
in fight to overthrow
nationalist government.
1958 great Leap forward.
1966-69 Cultural revolution.
1976 dies.The Long MarchMao Zedong
PersOnaLitY CULt
mao Zedong encouraged a cult of his personality to
unite the country. his round face, with the familiar
mole on the chin, adorned every public building in
China. he was praised as the father and leader of
his nation, and huge rallies were held at which he
addressed his followers.great LeaP fOrward
in 1958, mao launched a plan to improve the
Chinese economy. the great Leap forward, as it
was called, set up huge agricultural communes and
encouraged the growth of small, labor-intensive
industries. however, the policy failed, leading to
millions of deaths through famine.CULtUraL
revOLUtiOn
after the failure
of the great Leap forward, mao lost
influence inside the Communist Party.
in 1966, he launched the Cultural
revolution, a campaign to regain
power and get rid of foreign influences.
for three years, China was in turmoil
as every aspect of society was criticized
by the red guards, followers of mao.
they armed themselves with the
Little Red Book, which contained
mao’s thoughts.Find out more
China
CommunismUS_333_Mao_Zedong.indd 333 09/02/16 3:57 pm