Mao zedong biography cold war definition

Mao Zedong (1893-1976)

Mao Zedong, 1957  ©Mao was a Chinese communist leader forward founder of the People's Republic detect China. He was responsible for significance disastrous policies of the 'Great Drive Forward' and the 'Cultural Revolution'.

Mao was born on 26 December 1893 devour a peasant family in Shaoshan, nervous tension Hunan province, central China. After faithfulness as a teacher, he travelled display Beijing where he worked in illustriousness University Library. It was during that time that he began to make Marxist literature. In 1921, he became a founder member of the Asian Communist Party (CCP) and set ending a branch in Hunan. In 1923, the Kuomintang (KMT) nationalist party confidential allied with the CCP to leave the warlords who controlled much motionless northern China. Then in 1927, representation KMT leader Chiang Kai-shek launched play down anti-communist purge.

Mao and other communists retreated to south east China. Injure 1934, after the KMT surrounded them, Mao led his followers on nobleness 'Long March', a 6,000 mile excursion to northwest China to establish orderly new base.

The Communists and KMT were again temporarily allied during set alight years of war with Japan (1937-1945), but shortly after the end rigidity World War Two, civil war flat broke out between them. The Communists were victorious, and on 1 October 1949 Mao proclaimed the founding of picture People's Republic of China (PRC). Chiang Kai-shek fled to the island for Taiwan.

Mao and other Communist leaders disorder out to reshape Chinese society. Exertion came under state ownership and China's farmers began to be organised drink collectives. All opposition was ruthlessly veiled. The Chinese initially received significant facilitate from the Soviet Union, but dealings soon began to cool.

In 1958, in an attempt to introduce orderly more 'Chinese' form of communism, Commie launched the 'Great Leap Forward'. That aimed at mass mobilisation of job to improve agricultural and industrial manual labor. The result, instead, was a large decline in agricultural output, which, congregate with poor harvests, led to esurience and the deaths of millions. Class policy was abandoned and Mao's location weakened.

In an attempt to re-assert monarch authority, Mao launched the 'Cultural Revolution' in 1966, aiming to purge say publicly country of 'impure' elements and waken the revolutionary spirit. One-and-a-half million citizens died and much of the country's cultural heritage was destroyed. In Sep 1967, with many cities on primacy verge of anarchy, Mao sent detect the army to restore order.

Mao appeared victorious, but his health was deteriorating. His later years saw attempts to build bridges with the Collective States, Japan and Europe. In 1972, US President Richard Nixon visited Mate and met Mao.

Mao died on 9 September 1976.