Mao Zedong: Essential Biographies E-Book

Delia Davin

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Mao Zedong, first chairman of the People's Republic of China, one of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party, and the architect of the Cultural Revolution, was active in Chinese politics for most of his 82 years, and became one of the most important revolutionary figures in the twentieth century. He spent the 1920s and 1930s struggling to build the Party. After the establishment of the People's Republic, he strove to impose his vision of socialism on his impoverished country, convinced that if the power of the people could be harnessed China could become an economically successful and egalitarian country. The Great Leap Forward which he initiated was, however, a disaster resulting in millions of deaths. Mao used the Cultural Revolution to re-impose his authority, his critics were persecuted and a personality cult was fostered. His Little Red Book sold over 740 million copies. This book is written by an eminent historian and offers the reader a powerful insight into the life and work of this unique man.

Leseprobe

MAO

ZEDONG

MAO

ZEDONG

DELIA DAVIN

First published in 1997

This edition first published in 2009

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2011

All rights reserved

© Delia Davin, 1997, 2009, 2011

The right of Delia Davin, to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

EPUB ISBN 978 0 7524 7396 3

MOBI ISBN 978 0 7524 7395 6

Original typesetting by The History Press

CONTENTS

Chronology

Introduction

1 CHILDHOOD AND FORMATIVE YEARS

2 LABOUR ORGANIZER AND PARTY WORKER

3 THE JIANGXI SOVIET REPUBLIC AND THE LONG MARCH

4 THE NORTH-WEST

5 THE COMMUNIST PARTY TAKES POWER

6 THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD AND ITS AFTERMATH

7 THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

8 OLD AGE AND DEATH

9 MAO’S LEGACIES

Notes

Bibliography

CHRONOLOGY

26 Dec. 1893

Birth of Mao Zedong.

1911

Overthrow of the Qing dynasty. Mao enrols in Republican Army.

1912

Establishment of the Chinese Republic.

1913–18

Mao at Hunan Teachers’ College. Works in Beijing University library after graduation.

1919

May Fourth demonstrations in Beijing.

1920

Appointed primary school head and marries Yang Kaihui.

1921

Participates in Founding Congress of Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

1923–7

United Front between Guomindang and CCP. Mao works in both.

1925

Death of Sun Yat-sen.

1926

Northern Expedition launched by Nationalist-Communist coalition.

1927

Chang Kai-shek massacres communists and trade unionists in Shanghai.

1927

Mao Zedong leads Autumn Harvest Uprising and retreats to Jinggangshan.

1928

Zhu De’s forces join Mao’s in Jinggangshan. Mao and He Zizhen start to live together.

1930

Japan invades Manchuria.

1931–4

Chinese Soviet Republic in Jiangxi. Mao largely in eclipse.

Oct. 1934

Long March begins.

Jan. 1935

Mao strengthens hold on Party leadership at Zunyi Conference.

1935

Long March arrives in northern Shaanxi.

1937–45

Sino-Japanese War.

1938

Mao marries Jiang Qing.

1945

Seventh Party Congress provides formal recognition of Mao’s pre-eminence.

1946–9

Civil War between the Guomintang and the CCP.

1949

Mao proclaims the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.

1953–7

First Five Year Plan, collectivization of agriculture and nationalization of industry.

1956

February, Khrushchev denounces Stalin in secret speech at 20th Party Congress.

1956–7

Hundred Flowers Movement.

1957

Anti-Rightist Movement.

1958–60

Great Leap Forward followed by famine.

1959

Peng Dehuai criticizes Mao at Lushan Conference.

1966

Outbreak of Cultural Revolution and formation of Red Guards.

1967

Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping disgraced.

1968

Red Guards disbanded.

1969

Ninth Congress of the CCP, Lin Biao officially designated as Mao’s successor.

1971

Disgrace of Lin Biao. China recovers UN seat.

1973

Deng Xiaoping returns to Beijing.

Jan. 1976

Death of Zhou Enlai.

April 1976

Demonstrations in Tiananmen, Deng Xiaoping removed from office.

9 Sept. 1976

Mao dies.

6 Oct. 1976

Arrest of Mao’s wife and the other members of the Gang of Four.

INTRODUCTION

Mao Zedong was a figure of great historical importance. For most of his 82 years he was a central figure in Chinese politics. He spent the 1920s and 1930s struggling to build the Chinese Communist Party and to get his policies accepted by it. In doing so he ended its subordination to Stalin and created a Party with nationalist credentials capable of leading a successful popular revolution.

After the establishment of the People’s Republic, he became a revered but rather remote leader. He strived to impose his vision of socialism on his impoverished country, convinced that if the power and enthusiasm of the people were correctly harnessed, China could become a modern wealthy and egalitarian society. His impatience with the pace of economic development under the First Five Year Plan led him to launch the Great Leap Forward. When this failed he turned on colleagues who criticized the initiative and he refused to recognize the magnitude of the disaster swamping China.

Always irascible and wilful, he now became obsessively suspicious, seeing conspiracy everywhere. He turned against many of his revolutionary colleagues and had them persecuted, imprisoned and even killed. His ideas and actions became more and more unpredictable. Yet so great was Mao’s prestige that it was almost impossible for anyone to speak out against him. Even his victims participated in the most absurd manifestations of his cult, waving the Little Red Book and attributing almost magical powers to the study of his thought. His colleagues and members of his household became ever more preoccupied with appeasing him or manipulating his views. He in turn greatly feared the efforts of others to control him. But sycophancy did not always make people safe. Apparently loyal followers easily became suspects.

Many episodes in Mao’s life are still obscure. Edgar Snow, whose book Red Star Over China contains a biography based on interviews carried out in 1936, inevitably recorded the version of the leader’s life that Mao wished to make public. Most other original sources have particular interests to advance. Mao’s public utterances were often ambiguous or difficult to interpret. Debates persist among the experts over the true significance of many Party documents. All biographers of Mao have had to wrestle with these problems.

I have attempted to produce a short life of Mao that will be easily understood by readers without a prior knowledge of Chinese affairs. The task has been even more difficult than I expected. Inevitably I have had to simplify and to choose between competing interpretations of many events. Mao was a soldier, a political and military theoretician, a philosopher and a poet. He played too many parts on too large a stage for a short book to deal with the whole man. I have chosen to focus only on his political and his family life.