"Revolution is not a dinner party, nor an essay, nor a painting, nor a piece of embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another." — Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao at Tiananmen Sqare, Beijing, China, in August 1966.
In late 1956, Mao launched a campaign under the slogan “Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred thoughts contend.” He hoped that this free expression technique would gain him more support. However, he ended this campaign once the Communist party was criticized.
Of course, power does not come without criticism and opposition. Mao executed thousands of the 550,000 Chinese who had spoken out against communism during his campaign. He also exiled hundreds of thousands to the countryside to “rectify their thinking through labor.” Mao believed that the criticism was getting out of control and used harsh methods to control it. The Hundred Flowers Campaign ultimately reduced criticism of Mao throughout China.
Mao's leadership caused a revolution in China comparable to that of Russia’s as one of the major social transformations of the 1900s. Like Lenin in the Soviet Union, Mao built a one-party totalitarian state, with the Communist party having the power. His nickname was the “Great Helmsman.”
Known to many as the revolutionary hero who restored order and ended foreign domination, Mao Zedong made China a world power once again.