In the summer of 1949, the People's Liberation Army under the control of the Communist Party of China entered Beijing and took over power. Mao Zedong, the leader of the Communist Party declares the social revolution and the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. Maoism, a particular form of socialism that “mixes orthodox Stalinism with Populism” will provide inspiration in a whole generation of activists in the 1960s and 1970s. Almost ten years later, in 1957 Mao launched his “Great Leap Forward” a campaign that led to the most deadly famine in the history. The aim was to rapidly transform the economy of China from agricultural to industrial. According to Frank Dikötter, a Hong Kong-based historian, this movement claimed the lives of 45 million people an overwhelming number compared to the worldwide death toll of the Second World War that was 55 million. Excessive targets were set for economic growth. Phenomena of violent land collectivization occurred that resulted in the establishment of rural communities, basically state-owned, while simultaneously massive propaganda campaigns were launched in order to reinforce work discipline. In 1966, Mao launched the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution a movement meant to impose a revolution of culture that “would serve the interests of the majority, not a tiny elite”. During that time, the Red Guards, fight against the bureaucrats that threaten Mao’s ruling and the Little Red Book, the intellectual product of Mao’s thought was established as a sacred transcript. Up to this day, Maoism has influenced many regimes especially in the Third World.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Akbar, Arifa. "Mao's Great Leap Forward 'killed 45 Million in Four Years'" The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 17 Sept. 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
- Rummel, R. J. "China'sBloody Century." China's Bloody Century. Transaction Publishers, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
