Abstract This paper discusses how there are many different terms which have been used to describe MaoZedong, 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. "
Abstract This paper examines MaoZedong's rise to power in the Communist Party of China and focuses, in particular, how the Long March, in which Mao led some 130,000 men and women across 6,000 miles of China's countryside, actually promoted and solidified Mao's leadership.
From the Paper "Mao Zedong's leadership of 20th Century China has a heroic, almost mythic appeal to modern Communists, yet Chairman Mao cemented the majority of his power in the mid-1930s through a series of dramatic, forceful decisions. The greatest of these was a spectacular military campaign known as The Long March, in which Mao led some 130,000 men and women across 6,000 miles of China's countryside, losing nearly 120,000 of his soldiers to starvation and disease in the process. But by a magnificent twist of fate, instead of decimating him, the Long March proved his perseverance. It primarily created a mythology of Mao as Hero, but on more pragmatic terms it established a vital base of operations outside of the Kuomintang centers of power. It also strengthened his remaining army and roused support from a disgruntled peasant class who were later instrumental in shaping his mighty career."
Abstract This undergraduate level paper is an exploration of the life of MaoZedong. It focuses on his political leadership in China, his origins, and the nature of his rule. It concludes that, in the overall view, Mao's charisma was no match for his failures as a leader, which left China as little more than a barely industrialized Third World nation.
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the personalities of MaoZedong and Chiang Kai-Shek. The paper discusses the characteristics and actions of both men and their relationship with each other. After providing examples from their lives, the paper concludes that while their personalities appear to have had some similarities, particularly that both men were resolute, Mao was a far more ruthless and intolerant man.
From the Paper "On the other hand, the most outstanding aspect of Chiang's personality appears to have been his fixity of purpose. This fixity of purpose played no small part in the fact that Chiang's Kuomintang party became the official government of China in the early 1930's. However, his army was defeated by Mao's army in 1949, clearing the way for Mao to found the PRC. While Mao went on to be dictator of China, Chiang was able to become the dictator of the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan for 26 years. Thus, one thing the two men certainly had in common was that they both came from relatively humble beginnings to eventually be dictators for decades - no mean feat, and certainly a testament to the very strong characters of both of them."
Tags: China, dictator, ruthless, liberator, communist
Abstract The paper questions how MaoZedong managed to take control of the Chinese Communist Party, establish the Peoples' Republic of China and rule the most populous nation in the world with an iron fist until his death when he came from commonplace beginnings. The paper examines this question from the point of view of Freudian psychoanalytic theory. The paper explains that Mao dreamt of death and destruction as much as he dreamt of life and liberation, making him an extraordinary man. The paper maintains that this explains to some extent how this commonplace boy was able to change the world.
From the Paper "The only thing these two responses have in common is passion. Anyone who can inspire such very different responses is clearly a most remarkable person. Another authority refers to Mao's megalomania, his reckless fearlessness, and his "idiosyncratic self-assertion [which] became deeply ingrained in the collective experience of the CCP and ... profoundly shaped the communal awareness of the Chinese intelligentsia as a whole" (Wei-Ming, 1996, p. 156). Moreover, as we know, the CCP on which Mao stamped his personality was collectively responsible for millions of deaths, to the point that one authority sees the "destruction of lives, property, institutions, and values" as "a defining characteristic of modern Chinese history" (Wei-Ming, 1996, p. 149). As far as "motiveless malignities" go, Mao had Iago hopelessly outclassed."
Abstract Critical analysis of Chang and Halliday's book, "Mao: The Unknown Story", emphasizing the Great Leap Forward. Gives the views of three other authors to determine and evaluate Mao's role in the Great Leap.
From the Paper "No one can deny that Mao Zedong was of enormous significance in shaping the history of China in the modern era or that he was equally significant an actor on the international ..."
Abstract This paper examines how Mao's early writing shows his theoretical attraction to Marxist analysis in elaborate class descriptions and how the campaign against the Nationalists of 1927-8 had shown him that a Communist revolution would involve strategy, long-term planning, and much political groundwork, in advance. This paper discusses two papers by Mao, plus the contrasting views of Sinologists Maurice Meisner and Mary C. Wright.
From the Paper "Two 1920s papers by Mao Zedong indicate his better understanding of Chinese society after the failure of the campaign in 1927-1928 in the Hunan-Kiangi border region, especially, in the Communists' efforts to move further from Hunan, as the campaign continued. Mao's shift of focus, on account of his forces' defeat is interesting to examine in the light of two also different Western scholarly opinions as offered by Maurice Meisner and Mary C. Wright. "
Abstract The modern Chinese history under MaoZedong is often perceived as a one-dimensional, iron-fisted rule by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by Mao. The truth, of course, is not so simple or one-dimensional. It is true that Mao was a larger-than-life figure who was raised to a godlike status through the personality cult built around him. The paper points out that, at the same time, Mao was an incorrigible revolutionary, which in itself ensured that there would never be a dull moment as long as he was in power. Although defying Mao's thoughts in China was a hazardous occupation while he lived, differences of opinion and expression of alternate visions within the CCP about how the country should be governed were not totally absent, even during Mao's lifetime. This paper examines some of the major policy campaigns launched by the CCP during 1949-1980, the difference of opinion or alternate visions expressed by a few, and the consequences they had to face.
From the Paper "In order to understand the dynamics of Communist China, it is worthwhile to briefly examine the background of the Communist movement and see how it came to China. China was a formerly great continental empire ruled by a weakened monarchy in the early part of the 20th century. A republican revolution in 1911 brought an end to the monarchic rule but the country remained beset with internal troubles and foreign interference. Japan, with its imperialist ambitions, sought to make China its protectorate, while local warlords in the country all but made a central government, irrelevant. China entered the World War I on the side of the Allies, hoping to halt the Japanese ambitions on its territory, but was badly let down at the Treaty of Versailles. In such a political environment, a group of Chinese intellectuals?inspired by the October 1917 Communist revolution in Russia, formed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1921. Initially, the Communists joined the Kuomintang nationalists (KMT) who led a fight against the warlords to reunify the country."
The consequences for Chinese society of the radicalization of MaoZedong's political thought. Focus is given to late 1950s through to early 1970s and Sino-Soviet relations.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 2 sources, 1990, $ 47.95
From the Paper " In the late 1950s Mao Zedong's political thought underwent a radicalization process brought about by a number of forces affecting Chinese society. This radicalization process would also have profound consequences for the development of political thought and action in China over the next decade or more.
The Chinese Revolution in 1949 altered the structure of Chinese society both in the immediate by shifting from the previous regime to a Communist system and in the long term in efforts to alter the degree to which Chinese traditions would be followed or changed. After the Revolution, efforts at changing society were undertaken in a more methodical and all-inclusive manner, and many traditional institutions were either dismantled, prohibited, or downgraded in the effort to modernize and to bring about a new political and social attitude on the part of the..."
Abstract This paper examines how regardless of the differing perspectives from Gandhi, Zedong and Mandela, each share a connectedness. It looks at how the development of Gandhi's pacifist methods, Mandela's use of non-violence, and Zedong usage of military force has all furthered their causes successfully.
From the Paper "Gandhi's beliefs spread like wildfire throughout the newly formed independent India. Gandhi gained millions upon millions of followers. They all followed Gandhi's nonviolent ways. English courts, as well as many other government establishments, were boycotted; Indian children were withdrawn from government schools. His followers would not even rise when being beaten, filling the streets in their meditation position. At this point Gandhi made the change. He changed his name to Mahatma, a Sanskrit word meaning great soul, a title reserved only for the greatest wise person."
Tags: india, china, south, africa, violence, pacifism, apartheid
Abstract This paper examines the events, context and consequences of Mao Zedung's Cultural Revolution. The first part of this paper examines the events that paved the way for the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. The next part then examines how the Cultural Revolution started and its degeneration into violence and destruction. It also studies how the excesses of the Cultural Revolution began and Mao's culpability for these abuses. In the conclusion, the paper examines the long-term consequences of the Cultural Revolution on Chinese society.
Table of Contents:
Gearing for Revolution
Chaos and Violence
Enduring Effects of the Cultural Revolution
Conclusion
From the Paper "Throughout these excesses, Mao's hand remained evident. In 1966, he reveled in his god-like status as he received millions of Red Guards at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. During this speech, Mao exhorted his followers to "smash the four olds," referring to old ideas, old culture, old habits and old customs (Jiang and Ashley 2000). When the Red Guard began to destroy ancient artifacts and books, Mao did nothing to stop them. On the contrary, he used his influence to ensure that political rivals were exiled or otherwise removed from power."
"Furthermore, by forcing intellectuals to labor camps, Mao was quelling resistance from the more critical segments of the population. This helped ensure that he had a pliable foundation for his revolutionary goals. In essence, Mao was establishing a new intelligentsia, one composed of peasants and workers who were fiercely loyal to him and his ideals."
Abstract The paper discusses how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), under its leader MaoZedong, took control of China in 1949. The paper describes how, within a year, it had consolidated its control, and it continued to maintain control during the Maoist Era (1949-1976). The paper further discusses how, to maintain control, the CCP use a variety of methods. The paper analyzes their political methods of control, including emphasizing campaigns, role models and the bandwagon effect; and their ideological methods, including a heavy emphasis on community ideology and class theory. All of this was underpinned by massive use of brute force.
Abstract In this article, the writer looks at views of class struggle in Gramsci and Mao. The writer discusses Mao's views of contradiction and looks at how Mao defines identity.
From the Paper "Mao Tse-Tung outlines his view of the opposing interests and states of the proletariat and bourgeoisie. According to Mao all opposites are simultaneously different and interconnected. In each contradiction however, there is an echo of what is being contradiction. There can be no high without a low, no richness without poorness. And thus even things that are opposite are identical. Because each is the condition for the other's existence. This is the first meaning of identity ... "
Abstract This paper compares Mao's analysis of the social foundations of communist support at two points in time: 1926, during the period of cooperation with the nationalists and at the end of 1928 when the Chinese Communist Party was struggling at the countryside. The paper looks at the changes in Mao's class analysis over the two years. His analysis is also compared to two other authors.
From the Paper "At the time of its formation in 1921, the Chinese Communist party was allayed with the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) in the fight to create new, stable and once again strong China. However, things have changed abruptly when the Kuomintang broke the alliance. It is worthy examining the change Mao Tse-tung's analysis of the class support to the revolution in the period before and after the break up with Kuomintang in 1927. "
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses Mao's and Simmel's views on identity. The writer contends that they both agree that identity is shaped by contradiction.
From the Paper "Both Georg Simmel and Mao Tse Tung believed that the root of identity lay in contradiction. Simmel's stranger's identity is born from the contradiction that he represents being simultaneously within and without society. Although he is not part of the society, his very identity depends on that fact and he views the established group with freshened eyes. Mao for his part also believed that identity was rooted in contradiction. For Mao this contradiction, given the proper conditions, could juxtapose itself just as the proletariat given the right circumstances ... "
