Mao Zedong is revered by many as the ‘founding father of modern China’, with his legacy being not only physically but metaphorically embalmed. However, many, particularly in the West, question this reverence in so far as he halted economic and political progress in China via tumultuous campaigns such as the Great Leap Forward. In order to consider if Mao's importance in Chinese history has been exaggerated, his significance needs to be assessed. Looking at Mao's the impact of his policies at the time, and considering whether they are still reminiscent in Chinese society today could measure the extent of his significance. The best way to measure his significance is to analyse Mao's role politically and economically in Chinese society. In the majority of these factors, Mao's significance is overstated; however, it can be seen why he is idolised so greatly by the most populous nation today. Before the creation of the People's Republic of China, the country was divided by corrupt warlords and the Kuomintang. When Mao came to power, he unified the whole country by breaking down provinces and enforcing communist rule at every subdivision. Mao’s unification of such a large country can be seen as significant as it existed in great disunity for so long. Mao's main aim was to create one class- the proletariat- and to do this he expelled anyone who he considered to be a 'bourgeoisie.' In doing this, he transformed the lives of the peasants, who made up the majority of the country, by giving them equality through sharing out land in the Agrarian Land Reform of 1950. Therefore, he was significant as he improved the lives of the multitudinous peasants rather than the elite landlords who had often been favoured by the Qing dynasty and the Kuomintang. However, it can be argued that by antagonising the wealthier populace, who were generally more educated, it impeded China’s industrial progress due to a lack of experts in campaigns such as the Great Leap Forward. Mao's main ideologies were that class struggle and ‘continuous revolution' were necessary to instill communism into China. He even made sure that communist party members had the humility to work with the peasants, to demote the notion of a ruling class as there had been in the Qing dynasty. Many today argue that Mao's communist ideology has been adapted, or even changed to suit the needs of modern China: Deng’s four modernisations, which encouraged ‘upgrading administration' displays the uprooting of Mao’s major ideology. Most recent leaders have not followed Mao’s principles, perhaps indicating that his significance is lessening despite him still being afforded a god-like status. Mao promised democracy, but in reality people had to follow his commands without question. Therefore, he was effectively a dictator in a one-party state and purged anyone whom he considered a 'counter-revolutionary' (effectively anyone who did not agree with him). Mao also purged party members: in one case Zhou Gao Gang and Rao Shushi were purged due to ‘underground activities.’ This illustrates Mao’s fear of anyone rising up past his authority, which is noticeable in Chinese society today: president Xi Jinping recently purged many universities for their breach in ‘political discipline.’1After Mao's death, Deng continued the repression against democracy: most notably in 1989 when he
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This had greater effects on the lives of the Chinese, as the Great Famine- a consequence of too much focus on industry, bad weather, and Mao's constant need for affirmation in his policies (many told Mao that it was their 'greatest harvest' leading people to eat more food) - killed over 20 million people. This affected the Chinese’s living standards, most notably in rural areas where some turned to cannibalism to survive. A combination of the intensive five-year plans saw a decrease in workers' conditions: many were so overworked that they fell asleep in factories. The militia in this campaign also committed armed robbery, rape, and murder in some provinces of China. Although some may argue the famine was partly caused by a natural disaster and the false claims by agronomists, the widespread chaos was mostly a result of Mao's ill-informed and naive policies which highlights that his impact is exaggerated- he stalled industrial and agricultural growth whilst the impacts infringed on his people's social liberties and living
This had greater effects on the lives of the Chinese, as the Great Famine- a consequence of too much focus on industry, bad weather, and Mao's constant need for affirmation in his policies (many told Mao that it was their 'greatest harvest' leading people to eat more food) - killed over 20 million people. This affected the Chinese’s living standards, most notably in rural areas where some turned to cannibalism to survive. A combination of the intensive five-year plans saw a decrease in workers' conditions: many were so overworked that they fell asleep in factories. The militia in this campaign also committed armed robbery, rape, and murder in some provinces of China. Although some may argue the famine was partly caused by a natural disaster and the false claims by agronomists, the widespread chaos was mostly a result of Mao's ill-informed and naive policies which highlights that his impact is exaggerated- he stalled industrial and agricultural growth whilst the impacts infringed on his people's social liberties and living