Chairman Mao Zedong
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Transcript Chairman Mao Zedong
Born in 1893 in Shaoshan, China
His father was a poor peasant who was able to become
a landowner and businessman
Received a basic education and learned a lot about
political and economic problems in China (e.g.
widespread famines)
Moved to Peking in 1918 and worked for a Marxist
thinker
Quickly became a strong believer in Communism and
edited radical magazines, organized trade unions, and
started schools of his own.
Became one of the 50 founding members of the
Chinese Communist Party
Failed in his early attempts to be a leader in the Party
and his role in Party activities was decreased
dramatically
Mao went back to his hometown
and had very little communication
with the Party
He studied the peasants and learned
about their financial situation and
the ways they were being abused by
the landowning class
His new knowledge of the peasants
allowed him to rise again as a leader
in the Party, where he advocated
that peasants should lead the
revolution
The Communist Party worked with another political
group called the Kuomintang to kick out the foreign
powers in China
By 1941, the parties turned on each other in a struggle
for power
Mao emerged as a major military leader and quickly
gained power
“[A] great many so-called intellectuals are actually
exceedingly unlearned . . . The knowledge of workers
and peasants is sometimes greater than theirs.”
“Books cannot walk, and you can open and close a
book at will; this is the easiest thing in the world to do,
a great deal easier than it is for the cook to prepare a
meal . . . [or] for him to slaughter a pig.”
Mao became the chairman of the Communist Central
Committee
All the leaders in the party praised him and
encouraged people to listen to his wisdom
In 1943, several leaders in the Party began to rewrite
Chinese Party history so that Mao would be seen as
responsible for all the advances of the Party
“The Chinese Communist Party takes Mao Zedong’s
thought – the thought that unites Marxist-Leninist
theory and the practice of the Chinese revolution – as
the guide for all its work, and opposes all dogmatic or
empiricist deviations.” ~Preamble to the Constitution
of the Communist Party
The Communists defeated the Kuomintang and took
complete control of China in 1949
Mao’s ideas formed the basis for all Party activities and
government decisions
They took control of the media and the education
system and began taking land away from the wealthy
and distributing it among all people
Attempt to modernize China
People were forced to grow grain and melt metals
down to produce steel
Led to widespread famine and death
Damaged Mao’s reputation
Mao needed a comeback
He organized students and mobilized them
throughout the country to spread his ideas and wipe
out anyone who tried to contradict him
He created an extremely effective propaganda
campaign that again brought him back to power.