Mao Zedong

Who was Sun Yatsen and what was his role in early 20th-century China?

Sun Yatsen sought to end foreign domination of China, wanted a strong unified China with a republican government, and led a revolutionary alliance (later reformed as the GMD) that forced Emperor Pu Yi to abdicate.

Who was Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi), and what happened to him?

Right-wing leader of the GMD; ruled China during the Nanjing decade, was weakened by the Japanese war (1937–45), defeated in the Chinese Civil War, and escaped to Taiwan.

Who was Mao Zedong?

Leader of the Chinese Communist Party and founder of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Ruled as an authoritarian leader until his death in 1976.

Who was Liu Shaoqi and what was his significance?

A pragmatist associated with Deng Xiaoping; supported more capitalist-style economic reforms and was seen as a threat to Mao’s radical agenda.

What role did Deng Xiaoping play in post-Mao China?

A pragmatist/revisionist who helped end the Great Leap Forward, was defeated during the Cultural Revolution but later rehabilitated in 1973 to balance the radical left wing.

Who was Lin Biao and how did he die?

A key supporter of Mao and associate of Jiang Qing. He died in 1971 in a mysterious plane crash on his way to the USSR.

Who was Jiang Qing and what was her role?

Mao’s wife and a member of the Gang of Four; she was a driving force behind the Cultural Revolution, especially in controlling art and culture.

What conditions in China allowed Mao to rise to power?

Economic hardship, social divisions, the impact of war and civil war, and the weakness of the previous political system (e.g. Warlord Era, ineffective GMD leadership).

What methods did Mao use to establish authoritarian control?

Persuasion (e.g. ideology, propaganda), use of force (e.g. purges, Red Army discipline), and mass mobilization campaigns (e.g. Long March, land reform).

What was the aim and outcome of the Great Leap Forward (1958–62)?

Aim: Rapid industrialization and collectivization. Outcome: Widespread famine, deaths of up to 45 million, economic disaster.

What were the goals and impacts of the Cultural Revolution (1966–76)?

Goal: Remove “capitalist” elements and strengthen Maoist ideology. Impact: Social chaos, purging of intellectuals, education halted, cultural destruction.

How did Mao’s policies affect women?

Women gained legal equality (e.g. right to divorce), were encouraged to work, but traditional roles and inequality often remained in practice.

How did Mao use propaganda to maintain power?

Through posters, slogans, the “Little Red Book”, revolutionary operas, and control of education and media to promote Maoist ideology.

What role did education play in Mao’s control?

Education was politicized, focused on indoctrination rather than critical thinking. During the Cultural Revolution, schools and universities were shut down.

What was the purpose of the “Hundred Flowers Campaign”?

Initially to encourage free speech, it led to the crackdown on dissent in the Anti-Rightist Campaign — critics were punished or silenced.

How did Mao treat religion in China?

He saw it as a threat to communist ideology; churches and temples were shut down, religious leaders persecuted, and religion was replaced with Maoist ideology.

To what extent did Mao create a totalitarian state?

Mao controlled nearly all aspects of life: economy, media, education, and private life. Use of violence and surveillance created a highly totalitarian system.

What are arguments for Mao’s legacy being positive?

Unified China, improved literacy and public health, ended feudal land systems, resisted foreign influence.

What are arguments for Mao’s legacy being negative?

Economic disasters (e.g. Great Leap), mass death, cultural destruction, authoritarian repression, and lasting trauma.