Mao Zedong

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ABSOLUTE POWER - MAO ZEDONG

A person who has absolute power is known as an autocratic. An autocratic is someone that has absolute power and control. This is when no one can speak against the dictator without being killed, having their head chopped off or being jailed. A good example of absolute power is Mao Zedong.

Mao Zedong was a Chinese man who was the son of a peasant farmer. He was born in south of China on the 26th of December 1893 and died on the 9th of September 1976. In his early years Mao was a writer, he often wrote poems and books.

Before Mao came into power, Qing dynasty ruled China for a long time, this is when China now longed for new China, and Mao had led the way. Mao gained power in 1949 when China had become a communist nation. As Mao was now the new ruler of China he controlled all aspects of Chinese life. Many Chinese people would study his writings, and would put up posters of Mao up on building walls throughout the country.

In January 1958 Mao launched a Five-Year Plan also known as the Great Leap Forward. This plan was intended to be an alternative model for economic growth focusing on heavy industry. Many peasants were ordered to work on massive projects and small-scale production of steel and iron. Private food was banned; livestock and farming supplies were also brought under collective ownership. The Great Leap Forward led to millions of deaths of Chinese peasants.

On the 16th of May1966 Mao Zedong launched a Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution was an idea to mobilize China’s youth. This caused chaos throughout the whole of China. Mao closed down all schools in China and the children, mostly teenagers were ordered to work in the country side, they were forced to manufacture weapons for the Red Army. The Cultural Revolution led to destruction to most of China’s Cultural heritage and imprisoned a huge number of Chinese citizens. Millions of lives were ruined during this stage, as the Cultural Revolution broke into every part of Chinese life. Finally in 1969 Mao declared the Cultural Revolution to be over.

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