Mao Tse-Tung

Introduction

Mao Tse-tung was the founding political leader of the People’s Republic of China. He remained in power as the chairman of the Communist Party of China from 1949 until his death in 1976. Mao came up with several military theories as well as political strategies that were criticized not only in china but also around the globe. His political polices and military strategies are known as Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and in short form Maoism. Mao Tse-tung was responsible for Cultural Revolution Policies in China.

Brief historic background

Born on 26 December 1893, Mao was trained as a teacher before he travelled to Beijing to work in a university library. It was in this library that the communist leader began to read Marxist literature and in 1921, he formed the Chinese communist party. He was among the first Chinese rebels to challenge the ruling warlords of China. His party merged with the Kuomintang and together the two parties defeated the warlords. However, the leader of Kuomintang party initiated a campaign against the communists which led to Mao’s exile.

Mao’s political dilemma

Mao and his followers were completely decentralized and they had to search for a new base of operation. He led his followers to the Northwest China in an epic 6,000 miles journey. During the historic 8 years of war against Japan, the communists and the Kuomintang reunited to fight the enemy but soon after that, they differed again and this resulted to a civil war. This time, the communists led by Mao Tse-tung were victorious and therefore he was declared their leader.

His leadership style

During his tenure, Mao and his fellow communists sought to reshape the Chinese society. His government brought all industries under state ownership and all farmers were required to gather into collective groups. On the other hand, rebels who tried to oppose or challenge his leadership faced harsh punitive actions. His rival, KMT’s leader Chaing Kai-Shek, had to flee to the island of Taiwan to avoid arrest by the Mao led regime.

Conclusion

Mao received immense support from the Soviet Union although the relationship between the two nations began to dwindle soon after he took over. One of the greatest downfalls of Mao as a leader was the famous ‘Great Leap Forward’ policy. This policy was designed and intended to mobilize mass labor in an attempt to enhance agricultural and industrial production. Instead, it led to severe drought hence starvation.