Mao Zedong (1893-1976) was a revolutionary and Marxist-Leninist who transformed one of the poorest countries on earth into a self-sufficient and prosperous nation.
Born into a family of rich peasants in Shaoshan, he had gained political consciousness at an early age. At the time, the easiest way to make change was to join the republicans in the overthrow of the Qing dynasty. He was active in the Xinhai Revolution and the May Fourth Movement, determined to serve the Chinese people.
In the early 1920’s, Mao learned that capitalist democracy wasn’t good enough for his people. He helped start up the Chinese Communist Party and improve the class consciousness of the Chinese masses. As all communist movements do, it had gained quite a bit of traction along with an equal amount of state repression.
His first attempt at revolution was in 1927, and it was undermined as the Kuomintang, the governing party in China, adopted a more hard-line approach towards communism. They forced Mao and his friends into what is now known as the “Long March” in 1934. Although they had worked together to combat the Japanese fascists in World War II, the CPC eventually overthrew the Kuomintang and began the People’s Republic of China.
Myths About Mao
Although Mao was a great revolutionary who made life better for billions of workers and peasants, the imperialist propaganda machine has demonized him as a totalitarian monster and a murderer.
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Maoism For The Masses 