The rise of Mao Zedong to power
Both Mao and Deng played an essential role in revolutionizing China in the 20th century. Their actions shaped China’s modern-day economy and culture. A revolution refers to a fundamental change in the way of living, political organization, economics, methods of work, and societal structure of a group of people. The ideologies of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping shaped the development and the culture of the Chinese. Mao Zedong (1893-1976) was the founder of the Chinese Communist Party and ruled The People’s Republic of China from 1949 until his death in 1976. Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997) ruled China after Mao’s death until his retirement in 1992. Although both leaders made revolutionary changes to the country, Mao’s revolution was more significant in molding Chinese culture, economy, and thinking.
The rise of Mao Zedong to power was preceded by the Chinese Civil War of 1944 to 1949. The Chinese Civil war was between the Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Nationalist Party and Communists under Mao Zedong, who was the founder and leader of the Chinese Communist Party. Before 1945, Japan had effective control over a large part of mainland China[1]. After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the defeat of the axis powers by the allied forces, Japan surrendered. This presented the perfect chance for the nationalists and communists to seek and assert control over China.
In the early days of the Civil War, the nationalist group, with the help of the US military resources, were able to assert control over parts of East and North China. The communist group was, however, restricted to the hinterland in the North. In August 1945, Mao agreed to meet Chiang and arrived at a peaceful pact. This did not last as fighting broke out between the government and communist forces. In 1946, a constitution was developed and adopted without the communist party’s input. The communists went on an offensive in 1948, cutting the nationalist’s supply of resources and crippling the nationalist’s operations. On October 1st, 1949, Mao established the People’s Republic of China, which was legitimately recognized by other countries in the following months.[2] From his position as leader of China, Mao was strategically positioned to impose his ideologies on the nation and initiate a revolution.
During the early years of his term as president, Mao instituted significant reforms to mainstream communism in China. Communism is a socio-political, economic ideology that proposes the common ownership of means of production and centralized financial planning by the national government. Mao believed in communism since a peasant family had raised him. He saw communism as the best way to achieve development and reduce inequalities in China. Mao’s communist philosophy was anchored on three main principles: Socio-economic change, non-alliance, and national unity. In the years between 1949 and 1956, Mao presided over the set-up of a dictatorial communist regime. Throughout this time, he focused on the elimination of all threats to his ideologies and his leadership. He also aimed at the transformation of factors of production from private to public. Mao instituted land reforms in the parts south of the Yangtze River and educated peasant farmers to support his call for a revolution. The effect of this move was that many peasants rebelled over their landlords and took over land that was previously owned by the landlords. It is estimated that a total of one million people died due to these land reforms. The land reforms were part of the initial steps to the realization of his revolutionary aims.
Another reform put in place was the passing of new marriage that accorded women the freedom of choice, contrary to traditional Chinese culture. The marriage laws showed Mao’s target of dissociating China with its traditions. This law placed women in a better position in contributing to Mao’s proposed revolution.
Mao supported the separation of China with the West, especially the United States. For the development of China in the early stages, Mao relied on USSR under Stalin, who also supported the communist movement. This relationship between communist China and the USSR led to the development of the Five Year Plan (FYP), an economic plan based on the Soviet’s model. Mao focused on the development of heavy industries to spur China’s economic growth. Most of these industries and firms were nationalized, and ownership of private property abolished altogether. The reforms of the Five Year Plan did not gain the support of the peasant population partly due to reduced yields from the cooperatives Mao wanted to establish.
From 1950, Mao started a new economic policy referred to as the Great Leap Forward. The Great Leap Forward called for the division of China into communes. Communes would include 20-40 families. The state managed production and the peasants with creating farm implements from scrap metal. The Great Leap Forward went on to cause one of China’s most devastating famines. Part of the reason for this famine was close planting, a planting technique that was proposed by the government. Close planting deprived plants of nutrients, and they died. Another cause was the strict quotas of production that were to be met by the peasants. Due to fear of punishment because of minimal harvests, commune leaders chose to lie about production figures, claiming that output was increasing year after year. When it became apparent that China was undergoing a food crisis, it was too late to take any action. It is estimated that about thirty million people lost their lives in the famine. The Great Leap Forward was Mao’s most significant mistake in the enactment of his communist ideology in China.
Due to the failure of the Great Leap Forward, Mao’s leadership position was threatened. To reassert his authority as the leader of the People’s Republic of China, he developed the Great Cultural Revolution. This move is today widely considered as being a way to fight his opponents. The Great Cultural Revolution operated under the principle of ‘out with the old and in with the new.’ Mao sought to do away with old traditions, old culture, old customs, and old habits. Mao used the support of the Red Guards, university and high-school students who supported him, to implement the revolution. The Red Guards were known to attack, humiliate, and even kill individuals that they considered as the bourgeoisie. This included their lecturers, businessmen, and people that Mao termed as counter-revolutionary. During the period of the Great Cultural Revolution, ancient Chinese Cultural artifacts were destroyed, and many people lost their lives. An estimated 500,000 to 2 million people lost their lives from the activities of the Red Guard.
Deng Xiaoping came into power in 1977 after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. Deng aimed at the modernization of China through the program named ‘The Four Modernizations, ‘ which were industry, agriculture, national defense, and science. During his time as leader of China, he broke down the communes that Mao had developed during the Great Leap Forward. Deng reformed the Chinese economy by promoting the development of science and technology and encouraging foreign investment in mainland China. The economic reforms motivated Chinese companies to increase production due to guaranteed profits. For Deng, the end justified the means. He was willing to take any path to ensure economic prosperity for China. Despite his liberal economic policies, Deng maintained that his economic reform were based on a socialist perspective of life in China.
In the agricultural field, Deng supported private farmers by restoring their land. Farmers were also able to obtain profits from the sale of their produce. However, problems arose when farmers decided to farm more cash crops, for example, watermelons, compared to subsistence crops such as rice and grain. Inflation levels and corruption amongst public officials were also very high. In the end, Deng’s economic goals were achieved but at the expense of increased inflation and wealth inequality.
Although both leaders made revolutionary changes to the country, Mao’s revolution was more significant in molding Chinese culture, economy, and thinking. Mao’s radical communist reforms have shaped China to the present day. From the Great Leap Forward to the Great Communist Revolution, Mao’s ideologies and doctrines made significant changes to the Chinese way of life, effectively shifting them from their traditional practices. Deng was also a Chinese revolutionary leader. His economic liberalization policies spurred the rise of China as an economic stronghold in the East. However, Deng built his systems on the communist foundation that Mao set up. Deng himself asserted that he based his economic reforms on communist principles. China has seen revolutionary leaders such as Mao and Deng in the past. Other revolutionary leaders will appear in the future who will propel China’s development coming times.