Quote Originally Posted by robert42
Mao Zedong[?] (December 26, 1893 â?? September 9, 1976; Mao Tse-tung in Wade-Giles) was the chairman of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from 1943 and the chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from 1945 until his death. Throughout his leadership, the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) became the ruling party of mainland China as the result of its victory in the Chinese Civil War. On October 1, 1949, Mao declared the formation of the People's Republic of China at Tiananmen Square.

While in power, he started a series of experiments aimed at speeding up China's economic development known as the Great Leap Forward. He forged but then later split the alliance with the Soviet Union and launched the Cultural Revolution.

Mao is widely credited for creating a mostly unified China free of foreign domination for the first time since the Opium Wars. However, critics point out that Mao's inappropriate economic policies in conjunction with the Three Years of Natural Disasters caused the famine of 1959â??1961, which led to the deaths of millions of Chinese. Mao has also been criticized for his contribution to the split with the USSR, his establishment of a one-party dictatorship, and initiating the internal turmoil during the Cultural Revolution.

Mao Zedong is still sometimes referred to as Chairman Mao (毛主席). At the height of his personality cult, Mao was commonly known in China as the "Four Greats": "Great Teacher, Great Leader, Great Supreme Commander, Great Helmsman".

Most people have this idea that Mao was evil because millions of Chinese died after the communists took over. While much of this is true (my wife's Grandfather actually died in a Communist "re-education" camp) a huge portion of these deaths were the result of the histeria following communist take-over and not due to a direct order from Mao himself. People were so anxious to appear pro-communist that they'd kill anyone that they thought might be anti-communist. Of course this was still considered illegal but if anyone (from peasants to government officials) said anything they were essentially signing their own death warrants.

Then again, Mao did have a thing for deflowering 12 year-old virgins which could be considered evil. Most considered it a priviledge, however. People are stupid that way. I'm sure there are a few idiots here in the U.S.(most likley in Texas) who think it was a great thing if G.W. boinked there little girl too.

Incidentally, most Chinese today think that Mao was an idiot and have no reservations about stating it.