Mao Zedong

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how there are many different terms which have been used to describe Mao Zedong, including champion of the poor, visionary leader and brutal tyrant. The question remains as to whether Mao was truly a heroic leader of the revolution, or an evil tyrant oppressing the Chinese people to meet his own ends. While it may be argued that he could be both depending on the perspective of the individual it is important to understand why there remain very different views of Mao as a leader. The paper presents the different achievements of Mao during the Chinese revolution, along with the actions of Mao which have led to many portraying him as the villain of the people of China.

Outline:
Introduction
Hero
Villain
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"By 1921 Mao had become a fully fledged Communist as a result of many factors which had impacted upon his life until that time. At 27 years old he led a team from Hunan to the first meeting of the Chinese Communist Party in Shanghai. It was here that he took his first political steps, and was declared secretary of the Hunan branch of the Chinese Communist Party. Mao quickly began to unionize the manual workers in the area, such as the railroad workers, carpenters and coal miners. Seen as a visionary, even at this early stage, Mao quickly rose up through the ranks of the Communist Party. In 1925 Mao was put in charge of the Nationalist Party's propaganda department, at a time when Sun Yat-sen was attempting to reunify China through cooperation between Communist and Nationalist parties. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chang, J. and Halliday, J. (2005) Mao: The Unknown Story. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
• Chung, T. (1995) Mao Zedong - The Product of History. China Report, 31, 135.
• Feigon, L. (2002) Mao: A Reinterpretation. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee.
• "Mao Zedong: Hero and Villain." (2005) Minnesota-China Connection. Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Available [online] from: http://www.minnesota-china.com/Education/emGov/mao.htm [Accessed 6/11/2007].
• Rogaski, R. (2007) "Mao Zedong." Microsoft Encarta. Microsoft Corporation. Available [online] from: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761559589/Mao_Zedong.html [Accessed 6/11/2007].

More papers on Mao Zedong:

• Term Paper # 131956 : "Personalities of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek"
• Analytical Essay # 119806 : "Mao Zedong: Hero or Anti-Hero?"
• Essay # 64527 : "The Leadership of Mao Zedong"

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