Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong (1893–1976) was a Chinese revolutionary, political theorist, and the principal founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC), proclaimed on 1 October 1949 after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) defeated the Kuomintang in the Chinese Civil War. He served as Chairman of the CCP from 1943 until his death and as the first head of state of the PRC from 1949 to 1959.

Mao's political thought, later codified as Mao Zedong Thought, adapted Marxism–Leninism to a predominantly agrarian society, emphasizing peasant-led revolution, protracted people's war, and continuous class struggle. His military strategy was tested during the Long March (1934–1935) and the Second Sino-Japanese War, and his theoretical writings include On Contradiction (1937) and On Protracted War (1938).

As paramount leader, Mao launched several transformative and highly destructive campaigns:

• The Great Leap Forward (1958–1962), an attempt at rapid collectivization and industrialization, contributed to a famine that historians estimate killed tens of millions.
• The Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), intended to purge "bourgeois" elements and reassert Mao's authority after his post-Leap marginalization, produced widespread political persecution, the closure of universities, and the empowerment of the Red Guards.

In foreign policy, Mao signed the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance in 1950, presided over the Sino-Soviet split in the late 1950s and 1960s, and oversaw the rapprochement with the United States marked by President Richard Nixon's visit to Beijing in February 1972. China also acquired its first nuclear weapon under his leadership, tested in 1964, and took the China seat at the United Nations in 1971 following General Assembly Resolution 2758.

The CCP's 1981 Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party officially assessed Mao's record as "70% correct, 30% wrong," a formulation that remains the party's authoritative judgment.