Mao Zedong - Chairman Mao Documentary

Mao Zedong, born on December 26, 1893, in Shaoshan, Hunan province, was the son of a once impoverished peasant who became a prosperous farmer. Despite a difficult childhood marked by his father's strict discipline, Mao developed an interest in his mother's Buddhism and later in history and politics. His education was a mix of traditional Chinese learning and exposure to Western influences. As a teenager, he rejected an arranged marriage and became engaged with the political changes in China, including the push for a republic and the influence of figures like Sun Yat-Sen.

As a teenager, Mao was exposed to political ideas advocating for democracy and socialism as alternatives to the imperial government. He was particularly influenced by the writings of Sun Yat-Sen. With the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912, Mao joined the rebel army and later returned to education, where he was introduced to socialism and communism. His political radicalization deepened during his time in Peking (Beijing), where he interacted with socialists and Marxists and became increasingly critical of the 'bourgeois' class.

The May Fourth Movement in 1919, sparked by the Chinese government's failure to secure the Shandong concession at the Versailles peace negotiations, led to widespread protests and marked a turning point for Mao and many young Chinese towards radical politics. Mao organized protests against Japanese influence and fully committed to communism by the summer of 1921, when the Communist Party of China was formally established. He also married Yang Kaihui and became involved in the alliance between the Communists and the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang), working as an organizer for both.

The Chinese Civil War began with the Nationalist's crackdown on Communists in 1927, leading to Mao's retreat to the Jinggang Mountains and the start of guerrilla warfare. Despite personal losses and hardships, Mao established the Southwest Jiangxi Provincial Soviet Government and expanded the Red Army. The Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-Shek, launched campaigns to suppress the Communists, culminating in the Fifth Encirclement Campaign. This led to the Long March, a strategic retreat that solidified Mao's leadership and the Communist's resilience.

Facing the threat of Japanese invasion, the Communists and Nationalists formed a united front against Japan. Mao's Red Army grew significantly during this period, and he consolidated his power within the Communist Party. The Second Sino-Japanese War and the broader context of World War II saw the Communists gaining support through guerrilla warfare against the Japanese. The war's dynamics favored the Communists, and by 1943, Mao had secured the party's top positions, envisioning a unique path for Chinese Communism.

After the Second World War, Mao focused on consolidating power and restructuring China's economy and society. The First Five Year Plan, initiated in 1953, aimed to industrialize China and reduce its reliance on agriculture. With Soviet aid, China built new factories, collectivized agriculture, and invested in infrastructure, leading to significant economic growth. However, this success set the stage for the overly ambitious Second Five Year Plan, known as the Great Leap Forward.

The Great Leap Forward, launched in 1958, aimed to rapidly increase grain and steel production to assert China's global presence. This plan led to catastrophic consequences, including the most severe famine in history. Local officials used brutal tactics, leading to a significant reduction in food production and the melting down of essential farming tools. Despite early signs of increased production, the plan resulted in widespread death and suffering, with estimates ranging from 25 million to 55 million deaths.

The 1960s were marked by tensions between Mao and the Soviet Union, leading to a complete Sino-Soviet split. Mao launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966 to purify Chinese society and communism by removing traditional and capitalist elements. The movement led to widespread violence and unrest, with millions of people persecuted, and an estimated death toll between 500,000 to 2 million. The Cultural Revolution also saw the rise of the Gang of Four, which promoted its most violent aspects.

In the early 1970s, the United States and China began to re-establish diplomatic ties, with Nixon's 1972 visit to China marking a significant step in this process. Despite domestic turmoil, the visit signaled a new era in international relations, with the US and China recognizing the importance of their bilateral relationship.

Mao's later years were marked by a struggle for power within the Communist Party, with the rise of the Gang of Four and a growing faction around Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping. Mao's death in 1976 led to a period of political uncertainty, which was eventually resolved with Deng Xiaoping's rise to power. Deng shifted China's focus towards economic reform and openness to foreign investment, laying the groundwork for China's economic growth. Mao's legacy is a complex one, with significant achievements in establishing Communist rule and improving living standards, but also immense suffering caused by policies like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.