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Table of Contents
Mao Zedong also known as Mao Tse-Tung was a soldier, communist leader, and founding father of the People’s Republic of China. He ruled China from 1949 until his death in 1976.
See the fact file below for more interesting Mao Zedong facts or alternatively you can download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Early Life:
- Mao Zedong was born on December 26, 1893, in Shaoshan, Hunan Province, China. He was the son of a grain dealer. Mao received very little education when he was young. By the age of 13, he worked full-time on their family farm.
- When Mao was 17, he left home and enrolled in a school in Changsha, capital of Hunan province.
- In 1911, Mao joined the Revolutionary Army and Kuomintang against the Chinese monarchy. After a year, Kuomintang, under the leadership of Sun Yat-Sen, overthrew the monarchy and established the Republic of China.
- In 1918, Mao became a certified teacher after he graduated from the Hunan First Normal School. He travelled to Beijing and became an assistant librarian at Beijing University.
- By 1921, Mao became one of the founding members of the Chinese Communist Party. He believed in the Leninist idea that the farming peasants were the key to communism in Asia. Mao became the party’s assistant assemblyman and executive to the Shanghai branch of the party.
- In 1925, Chinese President Sun Yat-Sen died and was replaced by his successor Chiang Kai-Shek. Two years later, Chiang Kai-Shek broke the alliance and started expelling Communist Party members.
- Mao led an army of peasants to revolt against the Kuomintang. After their easy defeat, Mao retreated to the mountains of Jiangxi Province.
- He was elected as the chairman of the newly organized Soviet Republic of China.
- In 1935, after the continuous extermination of Communists, Mao and more than 100,000 of his members fled to Yanan, northern China. Their journey became known as the “long march,” killing more than 70,000 of his people.
- By 1937, Chiang reached out for Mao’s help when the Japanese Imperial Army invaded parts of China, including Nanking.
Mao Zedong’s Leadership:
- On October 1, 1949, after a failed coalition and bloody civil war, Mao announced the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. Chiang Kai-Shek fled to Taiwan where he founded the Republic of China.
- Mao started to seize land from rich landlords and convert it to communal land. In addition, he employed programs increasing the school population, thus increasing literacy.
- Access to healthcare and promotion of women’s status were also part of Mao’s advocacy.
- In 1956, Mao launched the “Hundred Flowers Campaign” for the people to express their ideas that would be helpful for reform.
- Mao’s campaign was widely rebuked by the city inteligencias. As a response, Mao imprisoned leftists and threats to his government.
- In his attempt to increase agricultural and industrial production, Mao launched his “Great Leap Forward.” Almost 70,000 people worked in agricultural communes wherein each family received a share of the profits and a small plot of land.
- Consecutive years of flooding and bad harvest changed the result of Mao’s program. Many people in the villages died of starvation. Between 1959 to 1961, almost 40 million people died of hunger, making this event as the worst man-made famine in history.
- Lin Biao, Mao’s supporter, compiled Mao’s writings and came up with the Quotations from the Chairman Mao, also known as the Little Red Book, which was published for all Chinese to read.
- In 1966, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution. He gained young followers and formed the Red Guards. He inculcated them with the idea that Chinese bourgeois was restoring capitalism thus they should be eliminated. In addition, Mao ordered the closure of Chinese schools and re-education of young city intellectuals through hard labor. In the end, the Revolution damaged Chinese heritage and hindered economic and social development.
- In 1972, Mao Zedong met with U.S. President Richard Nixon to further solidify its place in the world and alliance due to the existing Cold War.
- On September 9, 1976, Mao died at the age of 82 due to complications of Parkinson’s disease.
- Mao cultivated a “cult of personality” wherein his picture was everywhere in China.
Mao Zedong Worksheets
This bundle includes 11 ready-to-use Mao Zedong worksheets that are perfect for students to learn about Mao Zedong also known as Mao Tse-Tung who was a soldier, communist leader, and founding father of the People’s Republic of China. He ruled China from 1949 until his death in 1976.
This download includes the following worksheets:
- Mao Zedong Facts
- Mao’s Biography
- Chinese Leaders
- Communist Party & Kuomintang Facts
- Fascinating Chinese!
- Mapping Communism
- The Little Red Book
- Propaganda Posters
- Chinese Cultural Revolution
- Mao Zedong in Symbols
- Great Leap Forward
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mao Zedong most famous for?
Mao Zedong, or Chairman Mao as he was popularly known, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who founded the People’s Republic of China (PRC). He served as chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1949 until his death in 1976.
What is Mao’s ideology?
Maoism is a branch of Marxism-Leninism developed by Mao Zedong to bring about a socialist revolution in agricultural, and pre-industrial societies like the Republic of China and later the People’s Republic of China.
What was Mao’s slogan?
The phrase “Serve the People” comes from a speech by Mao Zedong in China many years ago. The phrase is still used today by the Chinese Communist Party.
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Link will appear as Mao Zedong Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, December 19, 2017
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.