Mao Zedong: A Biography

Mao Zedong, also known as Mao Tse-tung and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and the founding father of the People’s Republic of China. His Marxist-Leninist theories, military strategies and political policies are collectively known as Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (often shortened to Maoism) or Mao Zedong (Tse-Tung) Thought. Mao adopted a Chinese nationalist and anti-imperialist outlook in early life, particularly influenced by the events of the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and May Fourth Movement of 1919. Mao converted to Marxism-Leninism while working at Peking University and became a founding member of the Communist Party of China (CPC), leading the Autumn Harvest Uprising in 1927. During the Chinese Civil War, Mao helped to found the Red Army, led the Jiangxi Soviet’s radical land policies and ultimately became head of the CPC during the Long March.