Ruler · Twentieth century · China
Mao Zedong
1893–1976
Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1943 and the central figure of the People's Republic of China, proclaimed in 1949. He held party leadership until his death in 1976. The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution were carried out under his authority.
Facts
- Born
- 26 December 1893, Shaoshan, Hunan
- Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Mao Zedong
- Died
- 9 September 1976, Beijing
- Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Mao Zedong
- Party chair
- Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, 1943–1976. This is party office, not a claim that he held the same state title for all those years.
- Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Mao Zedong
- State founded
- People's Republic of China proclaimed 1 October 1949.
- Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chinese Civil War
- Great Leap death toll
- Estimates differ. Scholarly ranges commonly run from about 15 million to about 45 million deaths from famine, 1959–1961. Dikötter's figure is at least 45 million. Yang Jisheng's is about 36 million. Official Chinese figures are lower. The figure is an estimate, not a census.
- Source: Dikötter, Mao's Great Famine (2010); Yang Jisheng, Tombstone (2008); compare official Chinese figures
The record
Mao Zedong was born in Shaoshan, Hunan, on 26 December 1893, and died in Beijing on 9 September 1976. His authority inside the Chinese Communist Party was consolidated at the Zunyi Conference in January 1935, during the Long March, and he became party chairman in 1943. After victory in the Chinese Civil War, he proclaimed the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949.
The Great Leap Forward, launched in 1958, forced collectivization and backyard steel production. The famine of 1959–1961 killed tens of millions. Frank Dikötter's estimate is at least 45 million. Yang Jisheng's Tombstone puts the toll near 36 million. Official Chinese figures are lower. The number is disputed. It is not a single settled count.
The Cultural Revolution, launched in 1966, used student Red Guards against party officials, teachers, and anyone classed as an enemy. Schools closed. Factional fighting killed large numbers. A full count is not agreed. The campaign is generally treated as lasting until his death in 1976.
Connected
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Books
A history of the famine that followed the Great Leap Forward, built from provincial archives and interviews. It puts the death toll near 36 million.
Book noteAn archive-based history of the famine of the Great Leap Forward. It argues that at least 45 million people died, and that policy, not weather alone, produced the famine.
Book note
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