Do you think his reforms and influence ultimately helped or crippled the People's Republic of China!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
| Question Home |
Position:Home>History> Was Mao Zedong Really A Good Leader?Question: Was Mao Zedong Really A Good Leader!? Do you think his reforms and influence ultimately helped or crippled the People's Republic of China!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: In all fairness I do not believe we can Mao a sympathetic leader, but that is not the question!. As a leader Mao had a lot of revolutionary ideas that were to better China as a whole and make it an independent nation!. Although these ideas were meant for the good of China, Mao ruined a lot on the way!. With the great leap forward a lot of Chinese were killed who opposed the idea and people were killed who did not "comply" by government standards!. In trying to make China a more agricultural nation, Mao cause famine and lots of inner disintegration of China!. The push of agriculturalization (I know it’s not a word) did not work because none of the officials in China actually came from a working class background and therefore did not understand the workings of agriculture!. We must not forget that even Mao himself was victim of the famine at this time and that means that it was so much worse for the rest of China!. I do believe that it is a noble act to try to make everyone equal, but this just does not work in society!. There must be levels so that all jobs are covered and the economy will grow!. Mao also believed in great advisers and intelligence in officials, but this does not make up for the fact that they did not look to the past to guide their government!. We can never judge the future especially with out concrete examples in the past of the same issues!. In all fairness Mao did encourage the 100 flowers blooming (the criticism of the government), but he quickly took this away as he saw that it was becoming a problem!. I do believe that some of Mao's ideas were very good in the revolutionary since, but in the way they were carried out there is much lacking!. Mao had potential to be a great leader, but failed in the delivery!. The People's Republic of China was definitely influenced by him, but I believe the influence was both in a negative and positive way!. By the way, I am not saying by any means that what Mao did was right!.Www@QuestionHome@Com On the upside, he set the foundation for a united china and moved it towards (although in a different direction) to the country it is today!. That being said, He was a classic megalomaniac, and towards the end nearly considered himself a demigod!. His attempts to force radical Communism, his "5 years plans", collective farms, and cultural revolution killed millions through famine and economic chaos!. He also invaded Tibet and deposed the Dali Lama!. So in my opinion he ranks up there with most of the other despots in the 20th century!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Though a consumate politician; being able to take control of the Communist party, undermined his opposition and manage his image well over the decades!. How good a governor he was is something we may never know!. Certainly his flagship initiatives (Great Leap, Cultural Revolution) were dismal failures from our perspectives ie in terms of delivering economic growth!. However these were as much politically motivated as purely economic policies so how much good Mao actually expected them to do is mute!. It might be argued that he was inclined to taylor policy to reinforce his position rather than to improve the lot of the Chinese people; Communism was just a handy front!. The growth in modern China is almost wholly down to those who followed Mao and their inclination to socially & economically less "adventurous" policies!.Www@QuestionHome@Com he was nothing more than a murderer!. he is in the same league as stalin, hitler, and pol pot!. his "ideas" of reform and his move to make china a more agricultural nation killed millions due to famine and internal strife!. his invasion and taking of tibet didn't help any either!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Chairman Mao is seen in the same light as Hitler, Stalin, Franco and all the despots of Africa, as an evil megalomaniac who killed millions of his own people!. what ever rebirth china is having has nothing to do with him!.Www@QuestionHome@Com His reforms improved the quality of life of the Chinese people quite a bit!. The downside is that Communism gave China a bad image to the Western world!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |