Mao Zedong Campaign Analysis

Mao Zedong subscribed to the “Great Man” theory of history, a school that downplays the trends and forces that shape the world over time in favor of single actors that forcefully bring about punctuated changes. Counter to the rhetoric of the CCP, which touted collectivist uplift through cooperation, Mao’s scholarship led him to appraise the efforts of emperors and tyrants not by their atrocities, but in spite of them, choosing instead to praise their overarching designs to build strong empires. Mao cast himself in this same light, as a kind of demigod imbued with the authority to sacrifice human life on a mass scale in order to materialize his utopian visions. It was with an eye towards history that Mao set out to make his mark, justifying the actions he would carry out against opposition in his own ranks as well as the citizenry of China with an unyielding belief that he was the only man capable of bringing China 's salvation.
According to Mao, by the mid 1950s some of the CCP party leaders – even former Long Marchers – had grown soft, living more …show more content…
The Hundred Flowers movement did effectively “coax the snakes out of their holes” and in June of 1957 Mao pivoted, editing his message and recasting it as a call to arms against all who dared speak against him and the party. Half a million individuals felt the wrath of “anti-rightist” movement. Once identified as “rightists”, people suffered punishment that varied from jail sentences to public executions and protracted death sentences by way of exile in forced labor reeducation camps. In spite of the unexpected criticisms, Mao’s campaign ultimately worked towards his goal of regaining the dominant voice in the party as opposition to him was silenced by the looming threat of violent