THE CULT OF PERSONALITY

FOR MOST OF CHINA'S HISTORY, IT WAS RULED BY DYNASTIC EMPERORS OR TRIBAL CHIEFTAINS.

BY 1908, THE LAST ADULT EMPRESS DIED.

YOUNG PUYI WAS THE HEIR TO THE THRONE, BUT HE WAS JUST A LITTLE BOY.

NATIONALISTS OVERTHREW THE GOVERNMENT AND MADE CHINA A REPUBLIC.

IN HUNAN PROVINCE IN 1893.

IS STILL VISITED BY MANY CHINESE AND OTHER TOURISTS.

WAS NOT EXTRAORDINARY.

WERE PEASANT FARMERS.

UNTIL HE WAS THIRTEEN.

AND HELPED HIS FAMILY FARM.

HE LEFT HOME AT 17.

MAO JOINED THE REVOLUTIONARY FORCES.

CHINA WAS A REPUBLIC.

WAS THE LEADER OF THE REVOLUTIONARIES.

WAS HIS PARTY'S NAME.

EXCITED MAO.

WERE THE NEW RULERS OF CHINA.

BECAME INTERESTED IN SOVIET COMMUNISM.

MAO WAS BECOMING MORE INVOLVED IN THE POLITICS OF THE GOVERNMENT.

UNTIL HE WAS QUITE HIGH IN THE GOVERNMENTAL HIERARCHY.

WAS ALSO FASCINATED BY COMMUNISM.

THAT FOR TRUE COMMUNISM TO SUCCEED, THE MOVEMENT NEEDED TO BEGIN WITH THE FARMERS

DIED IN 1926.

BECAME THE NEW LEADER OF THE Kuomintang.

WAS NOT INTO COMMUNISM.

WANTED TO MOVE MORE TOWARD WESTERN DEMOCRACY.

WITH MAO ZEDONG.

WORKED ON PURGING COMMUNISTS FROM HIS PARTY.

WERE ASSASSINATED OR SENT TO HARD LABOR CAMPS.

RAISED AN ARMY OF HIS OWN TO DEFEAT CHIANG KAI SHEK.

BUT HE WASN'T GIVING UP.

COLLECT OUR DEAD AND CONTINUE FIGHTING."

CALLED THE SOVIET REPUBLIC OF CHINA.

THIS MADE CHIANG KAI SHEK NERVOUS.

BETWEEN CHIANG AND MAO'S FORCES.

CHIANG WAS DEFEATED.

WAS BORN.

FLED TO THE ISLAND OF TAIWAN.

A RULING SYSTEM THAT TRIES TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD.

NO ONE IS WEALTHY AND NO ONE IS POOR.

THAT GOVERNMENT OWNS EVERYTHING AND PEOPLE OWN NOTHING.

WEALTH IS REDISTRIBUTED.

COMMUNISM IS A HAMMER WHICH WE USE TO CRUSH THE ENEMY."

RELIGION IS ABOLISHED.

TIBET IS A REGION IN EASTERN CHINA.

WAS FORCED TO FLEE THE POTALA PALACE.

MEANING THAT FARMS WERE COMBINED INTO LARGE SWATHES, WORKED BY SEVERAL FAMILIES.

WERE OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

TOOK THEIR SHARE OF THE CROP.

COLLECTIVE FARMS WERE SUCCESSFUL.

IN 1958, MAO BEGAN THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD.

WAS MAO'S ATTEMPT TO MAKE CHINA AS SUCCESSFUL AS WESTERN DEMOCRACIES.

INCREASING FARM OUTPUT.

YIELDS WERE NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO SATISFY THE FARMERS AND THE GOVERNMENT.

LEAVING THE PEASANTS WITH VIRTUALLY NOTHING.

BUT MOST AGREE THAT ABOUT 30,000,000 PEOPLE DIED OF STARVATION.

ABOUT 80 MILLION PEOPLE DIED IN WORLD WAR II.

SOME ARGUE THAT HE DIDN'T REALIZE THE EXTENT OF THE FAMINE.

THAT HIS UNDERLINGS HID THE TRUTH FROM HIM.

OFFICIALS CAREFULLY PRESENTED A "HEALTHY" VIEW OF CHINA TO MAO.

BUT IN 1966, HE STARTED THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION.

WAS A SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE PEOPLE'S THOUGHT.

EVEN THOUGH AN OLD MAN, MAO COULD STILL SWAY A CROWD.

TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM OF A PLOT AFOOT.

THAT ELEMENTS OF HIS PARTY WERE DISSATISFIED.

BRING BACK CAPITALISM.

WAS DISTRIBUTED TO ALL CHINESE CITIZENS.

ADHERED TO HIS IDEOLOGY, LOOKING TO PURIFY THE COMMUNIST PARTY.

WERE PURGED.

BEYOND THE PARTY TO THE GENERAL POPULATION.

WAS AT RISK.

WERE PURGED, MEANING THAT THEY WERE REMOVED TO LABOR CAMPS FOR RE-EDUCATION.

TEACHERS WERE PUBLICLY HUMILIATED BY THEIR STUDENTS.

GAINED FULL MOMENTUM DURING THIS STAGE OF HIS LIFE.

AND THEN TEACH THEM."

MAO WORKED TO ERASE ALL OF CHINA'S TRADITIONAL CULTURE.

GROWS OUT OF THE BARREL OF A GUN."

SOUND LIKE A LOT OF BIG CANNONS."

ESPECIALLY THE YOUNG COLLEGE-AGED STUDENTS.

MET WITH MAO ZEDONG IN 1972.

NOT MUCH CAME FROM THEIR MEETINGS.

DIED IN 1976, AT AGE 82.

THEIR FALLEN LEADER.

TODAY, THE MAUSOLEUM IS A MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION IN CHINA.

WITH KILLING MORE PEOPLE THAN ANY OTHER TWENTIETH CENTURY LEADER.

MAO IS CREDITED WITH IMPROVING WOMEN'S STATUS IN CHINA.

LIFE EXPECTANCY INCREASED DURING HIS 27-YEAR REIGN.

HE ERASED CENTURIES OF CHINESE CIVILIZATION.

HE DESTROYED RELIGIOUS ICONS.

FLED TIBET BECAUSE OF RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.

BUT HE IS ESTIMATED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR . . .

THAT'S SEVERAL TIMES MORE THAN HITLER'S HOLOCAUST.

FOR THE LARGEST GENOCIDE IN HUMAN HISTORY.

THE ECONOMIST. 8 DEC. 2012. WEB. 12 DEC. 2012.

28 SEPT. 2011. WEB. 12 DEC. 2012.

FEB. 2011. WEB. 12 DEC. 2012.

2001-2012. WEB. 21 DEC. 2012.