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Mao Zedong: A Life from Beginning to End
Mao Zedong * * *Download for FREE on Kindle Unlimited + Free BONUS Inside!* * * Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet. For a champion of the poor, Mao Zedong was born to a wealthy aristocratic family in Shaoshan, Hunan China. As an adolescent, he once had to defend his father’s farm from starving peasants during a famine, who wished to seize his father's land and steal his grain. This same Mao would later promote a policy of land reform that would give those peasants the green light to violently overthrow the rich land owners all over the Chinese countryside. Inside you will read about... ✓ Where Revolution Was Made ✓ Mao Comes Into His Own ✓ Mao, the Pragmatist ✓ From Nanking to Pearl Harbor ✓ Consolidating Power ✓ Mao’s Stranglehold ✓ Mao Loses Face And much more! Mao Zedong was a Marxist revolutionary wishing to overthrow regimes he viewed as “imperialist,” and yet Mao, often referred to as the “Red Emperor,” behaved much like totalitarian Emperors of China’s medieval past. Mao was a man of intriguing contradiction. This book takes the time to explore them all.
114 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2017
226 people are currently reading
409 people want to read
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Hourly History
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
November 18, 2019
Cruel and heartless person
Map Zedong by Hourly History tells about his extremely cruel upbringing so maybe that's why he was a monster. A couple of key events happened at the right time to boost the communist party in China. There was another group fighting the communist group so China could have gone either way. Fate was unfortunately for the communist. He certainly was not good for his wives! He lived so long too! Good people die young, mean cruel men live long!
Map Zedong by Hourly History tells about his extremely cruel upbringing so maybe that's why he was a monster. A couple of key events happened at the right time to boost the communist party in China. There was another group fighting the communist group so China could have gone either way. Fate was unfortunately for the communist. He certainly was not good for his wives! He lived so long too! Good people die young, mean cruel men live long!
August 11, 2021
I am not a scholar of Chinese history, but it seems to me the facts in this short overview were presented accurately and the author's strong opinions were clearly demarked. An excellent introduction to a complicated, talented, thoughtful and evil personality.
December 29, 2022
another emperor
The history of China is replete with the stories of omnipotent emperors who forced obedience and change by the means of violence and tyranny. This is the story of another such emperor. To understand Mao is to begin to understand contemporary China.
The history of China is replete with the stories of omnipotent emperors who forced obedience and change by the means of violence and tyranny. This is the story of another such emperor. To understand Mao is to begin to understand contemporary China.
June 24, 2021
This complicated figure impacted Chinese history and world history in a huge way. Even though along the lines he created a reign of terror and committed innumerable human right violations.
April 28, 2019
The man who "let hundred flowers bloom" only to "pluck the poisonous" weeds has been very aptly portrayed in this interesting offering. The book provides interesting and some little known insights into the events in China and the persona of Mao that changed the face of the country.
March 31, 2019
Muito simplista, mas também não pretende ser outra coisa.
October 1, 2023
Despite some [pr'o]gramm'atical errors, the lessons are priceless
(Kindle Edition, location 78)
“Learn from the masses, and then teach them.” —Mao Zedong
I don't respect him, but dang, the man left a goooood maxim.
Looks like young Mao couldn't find his place within the old established soc’iety. No wonder he became a revolutionary.
Throughout the pages this book delivers a lot of, fairly, good in-form’at-i’on for the readers to understand why and how Mao Zedong was to choose his every path.
This book also depicts the man pretty good: What a whimsy beast’/ bast’ard he really was.
I don’t think he really cared about the nation and the people, but his “vanity” ab'ove all. He ruined a huge part’/ port’ion of precious Chinese herit’age along with the livelihood of the peopl’/ popul’ace. You read this book, and you will find out how he did it.
(Kindle Edition, locations 194-197)
Rather than being a supportive husband, Mao took He Zizhen’s sick leave as an opportunity to divorce her and become involved with a famous Chinese actress named Jiang Qing. Mao would eventually marry Jiang Qing, despite opposition from other party members, on November 28th, 1938. Hi Zhizen would never quite recover from the trauma of her injuries and her divorce from Mao, and after being treated in Moscow, she suffered a series of mental breakdowns...
What a sleazeball! Moreover, right after the Naking Massacre? Bastard, your people were dying in hundreds-of-thousands!
(Kindle Ed., locs. 152-155)
...This sad news would be followed a year in October of 1930 by even worse tidings from Mao's personal family in Changsha when his own wife Yang Kaihui was detained by the Kuomintang, brutally interrogated, and shot dead when she refused to reveal her husband’s whereabouts. It is hard to say how much the tidings of his wife’s tragic end affected Mao, but as soon as he heard the news of his wife’s death, he wasted no time in marrying his mistress, his longtime companion in the mountains, He Zhizhen...
Correction: ...This sad news would be followed a year later in October of 1930 by even worse tidings from Mao's personal family in Changsha when his own wife Yang Kaihui was detained by the Kuomintang, brutally interrogated, and shot dead when she refused to reveal her husband’s whereabouts.
BTW, what a woman, for a husband who had openly cheated on her.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 170-171)
Japan soon began pushing from Inner Mongolia all way to the Great Wall of China itself...
Correction: Japan soon began pushing from Inner Mongolia all the way down to the Great Wall of China itself...
Yeah, outside the Great Wall wasn't really considered "China."
(Kindle Ed., locs. 68-73)
Even though Mao never officially enrolled at the university, due to his status as an employee he was granted special permission to attend many of the lectures on campus. It was here that he was first introduced to the concepts of Karl Marx. It was also here that Mao Zedong was first introduced to love in the form of Yang’s daughter, Yang Kaihui. The two developed a relationship after Mao began staying over in Yang’s house. Shortly after her father’s death in January of 1920, Yang Kaihui would end up marrying her father’s star pupil: Mao Zedong.
As a matter of fact, she was his second wife who bore him three children.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 136-137)
...It was during this bloody period that Mao met the second love of his life, a young communist ideologue named He Zizhen...
Nope, she was Mao's third wife.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 123-125)
...he began to become further and further from the grasp of even his own CCP Central Committee leaders; Mao Zedong came into his own.
...farther and farther from the grasp...
(Kindle Ed., locs. 145-146)
When CCP party bosses from Shanghai arrived on the scene in Jiangxi, as soon as his rival communists arrived, they immediately connived to limit the scope of power that the once unquestioned authority that Mao had in the region...
Correction: When Mao's rival Communists, the CCP party bosses from Shanghai, arrived on the scene in Jiangxi, they immediately connived to limit the scope of Mao's power, the once unquestioned authority that the man had in the region...
(Kindle Ed., locs. 188-189)
Mao’s long march ended when he arrived in the Shaanxi province here he was able to meet up with the already established communist base in the area and reorganize the 20,000 some troops that had managed to survive with him during the journey...
Correction: Mao’s long march ended when he arrived in the Shaanxi province. Here he was able to meet up with the already-established Communist base in the area and reorganize some 20,000 of his troops that had managed to survive with him during the journey...
(Kindle Ed., locs. 190-191)
...This move would prove to be "an" even greater "crossroads" in Mao Zedong’s own personal life.
Correction: ...This move would prove to be an even-greater crossroad in Mao Zedong’s own personal life.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 230-231)
...While for the most part Chinese men were spared the horror of sexual assault upon their own person, they were quite often made to watch the denigration of their own wives and daughters before they were executed themselves.
Correction: ...The Chinese men, meanwhile, had to helplessly watch the miserable horror of sexual assault upon their own wives and daughters before the men themselves were killed by their enemy hands.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 241-243)
...During these attacks, council’s tunnels, bridges, and railway stations vital to the Japanese war effort were destroyed. Immediately following the destruction of this important infrastructure, the Chinese communists went on to attack the Japanese bases directly.
Correction: ...During these attacks, tunnels, bridges, and railway stations vital to the Japanese war effort were destroyed. Immediately following the destruction of these important infrastructures, the Chinese Communists went on to attack the Japanese bunkers and bases directly.
(Kindle Ed., 245-249)
The success of Mao’s guerrilla fighters was more of a propaganda boon than anything else, greatly bolstering his popularity with the average Chinese citizen, making the communists seem much more successful than the wavering forces of Chang Kai-shek. The Nationalists of Generalissimo Chain Kai-shek were about to receive a great boost, however, in the form of another aggressive move from Japan - the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor.
What, is this a first draft? And why all of sudden the Nationalist leader's name became "Chain?" Lol
If I were the editor:
The success of Mao’s guerrilla fighters worked as a great propaganda for him bolstering his popularity among the average Chinese citizens. It made the Communists look much more competent than the wavering forces of the Nationalists. The Nationalists under Generalissimo Chaing Kai-shek were about to receive a great boost, however, in the form of another aggressive move from Japan - Pearl Harbor.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 239-240)
...By 1940 the Eighth Route Army led by Zhu de had swelled its ranks to over 400,000 men.
Look at the person’s name: Zhu De. The writer must revise his work thoroughly before he publishes it.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 251-252)
Even though most Americans were completely surprised by the Japanese attack on Hawaii that occurred on December 7th, 1941, the Pentagon in the United States was well aware of the possibility...
What "Pentagon?" The building construction began in 1943, and it wasn't even called "DoD (Department of Defense)" back then. The writer means the US "War Department," right? A lack of bas'ic knowledge of the “author[ity]” can really disappoint the readers.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 253-254)
The colony of Indochina was a conglomeration of modern day Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and parts of Malaysia...
Where's Singapore? Wait, the writer means the "French" Colony of Indochina, right? It was just Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia then. Thailand was free, while the rest of Indochina (Myanmar (Burma at the time), Malaysia and Singapore) was all under British rule.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 254-255)
...The invasion occurred shortly after France’s capitulation to Nazi Germany, in one of the more stunning upsets of World War Two.
Nothing was more upsetting than the Battle of Singapore following right after the Japanese conquest of French Indochina. 90,000 British Commonwealth forces surrendered to the 30,000 Japanese troops on bi-c'ycles due to the British intelligence failure. Then-British Prime Minister Winston Churchill lamented that there had never been any battle as embarrassing as the Battle of Singapore in British military history.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 288-290)
...After the dropping of two nuclear bombs on Japan in 1945 ended World War Two, it would be Mao’s newly reformed communists that would take the struggle of their newfound ideology straight to Chaing Kai-shek and the Kuomintang.
Correction: ...After the two nuclear bombs ended World War Two in 1945, the Chinese Communists would take the struggle of their newfound ideology straight to Chaing Kai-shek's Kuomintang forces.
(Kindle Ed., loc. 294)
...Mao’s top lieutenants became fellow Long March veterans Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi...
Correction: ...Mao’s fellow Long March veterans Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi became his top lieutenants...
(Kindle Ed., locs. 377-378)
...Mao seemed to be calling on the average Chinese citizen to voice their honest opinion of how the revolution was proceeding.
Mao seemed to be calling on the Chinese citizenry (cit’i-z’en-[u]r’y) or the average Chinese citizens, n'est-ce pas?
Why the apostrophe for the 1950s? It isn’t a possessive:
(Kindle Ed., locs. 344-346)
...After the confiscation of Tibet and the Korean crisis came to a close, the rest of 1950’s communist rule under Mao Zedong would be marked by drastic changes in the status quo of Chinese society.
Correction: ...After the confiscation of Tibet and the Korean crisis came to a close, the rest of 1950s Communist rule under Mao Zedong would be marked by drastic changes in the status quo of Chinese society.
Again, it’s the early “1960s.” As far as I remember, there are a couple more of these same issues to be edited:
(Kindle Ed., locs. 415-416)
By the early 1960’s, Mao’s communist China found itself ostracized from its big brother, the Soviet Union...
BTW, you know what's really interesting? Those two countries' statuses have been flipped over today, just like Austro-Hungarian Empire and German Empire by the end of the 19th century. Now the PRC is the big bro to Russia.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 335-339)
Tens of thousands of people were killed during the Korean War, including Mao Zedong’s own son Anying, and in the end, after all of the bloodshed, nothing could be said to have been accomplished, and nothing changed. This is the supreme irony and tragedy of the Korean War; at the beginning of the conflict Korea was split in half at the 38th parallel, and then after 3 years of bitter back and forth fighting, Korea was still split at the 38th parallel, exactly where it started. Neither side seemed to gain anything except thousands of dead soldiers.
It is a pretty good introduction of the Korean War ex-cept/ -sauf/ -save the numbers.
Correction:
Millions of people were killed during the Korean War, including Mao Zedong’s own son Anying, and in the end, after all of the bloodshed, nothing could be said to have been accomplished, and nothing changed. This is the supreme irony and tragedy of the Korean War; at the beginning of the conflict Korea was split in half at the 38th parallel, and then after 3 years of bitter back and forth fighting, Korea was still split at about the 38th parallel, almost exactly where it started. Neither side seemed to gain anything except literally millions of dead people with thousands of families split alive with the DMZ between them.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 220-221)
...When on that rather unlucky day of December 13th, 1937, Japanese troops marched into Nanking, China and unleashed a veritable hell on Earth for its citizens.
Correction: ...On that rather "tragic" day of December 13th, 1937, Japanese troops marched into Nanking, then-capital of China, and unleashed a veritable hell on Earth against its citizens (calling for revenge of Sob'i of "Kda-[na]ra" Bæg-ge[o]).
(Kindle Ed., locs. 226-227)
...stemming from the fact that Japanese soldiers very much did rape their way all throughout this historic former Chinese capital.
Again, Nanking was then-capital of the Republic of China, and the Japanese celebrated their conquest of the en'emy capital right there.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 447-456)
In an incredible bit of irony, it would be just a few years after the unheard-of inhumanity and wanton bloodshed Mao had inflicted against his own people in the Cultural Revolution that Mao’s government would be accepted as a full-fledged member of the U.N.; ironic, since the United Nations is supposed to be the number one world body when it comes to espousing human rights. Although China was initially excluded from the U.N. after the 1949 communist takeover, by 1964 China was a nuclear power, as well as being the most populous country on the planet. So despite the presence of egregious human rights abuses, these two facts alone seemed to all but guarantee China a place back at the bargaining table of the United Nations Security Council, and in 1971 the United States officially withdrew its objections for Chinese membership. These overtures were then followed up a year later in 1972 when Richard Nixon came to China for an official visit with Mao Zedong. A sitting U.S. President was then photographed smiling and shaking hands with a man who was said to be responsible for the deaths of millions. Four years later, in 1976, Mao Zedong’s reign of terror would end when he passed away at the ripe old age of 82.
It could have been perfect if Mao's daring military confrontations with the Soviet Union in the 1960s were introduced here.
All-in-all, despite some errors, it is a great read to learn and think about this controversial man in our Human hæ-sto[u]r’y.
(Kindle Edition, location 78)
“Learn from the masses, and then teach them.” —Mao Zedong
I don't respect him, but dang, the man left a goooood maxim.
Looks like young Mao couldn't find his place within the old established soc’iety. No wonder he became a revolutionary.
Throughout the pages this book delivers a lot of, fairly, good in-form’at-i’on for the readers to understand why and how Mao Zedong was to choose his every path.
This book also depicts the man pretty good: What a whimsy beast’/ bast’ard he really was.
I don’t think he really cared about the nation and the people, but his “vanity” ab'ove all. He ruined a huge part’/ port’ion of precious Chinese herit’age along with the livelihood of the peopl’/ popul’ace. You read this book, and you will find out how he did it.
(Kindle Edition, locations 194-197)
Rather than being a supportive husband, Mao took He Zizhen’s sick leave as an opportunity to divorce her and become involved with a famous Chinese actress named Jiang Qing. Mao would eventually marry Jiang Qing, despite opposition from other party members, on November 28th, 1938. Hi Zhizen would never quite recover from the trauma of her injuries and her divorce from Mao, and after being treated in Moscow, she suffered a series of mental breakdowns...
What a sleazeball! Moreover, right after the Naking Massacre? Bastard, your people were dying in hundreds-of-thousands!
(Kindle Ed., locs. 152-155)
...This sad news would be followed a year in October of 1930 by even worse tidings from Mao's personal family in Changsha when his own wife Yang Kaihui was detained by the Kuomintang, brutally interrogated, and shot dead when she refused to reveal her husband’s whereabouts. It is hard to say how much the tidings of his wife’s tragic end affected Mao, but as soon as he heard the news of his wife’s death, he wasted no time in marrying his mistress, his longtime companion in the mountains, He Zhizhen...
Correction: ...This sad news would be followed a year later in October of 1930 by even worse tidings from Mao's personal family in Changsha when his own wife Yang Kaihui was detained by the Kuomintang, brutally interrogated, and shot dead when she refused to reveal her husband’s whereabouts.
BTW, what a woman, for a husband who had openly cheated on her.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 170-171)
Japan soon began pushing from Inner Mongolia all way to the Great Wall of China itself...
Correction: Japan soon began pushing from Inner Mongolia all the way down to the Great Wall of China itself...
Yeah, outside the Great Wall wasn't really considered "China."
(Kindle Ed., locs. 68-73)
Even though Mao never officially enrolled at the university, due to his status as an employee he was granted special permission to attend many of the lectures on campus. It was here that he was first introduced to the concepts of Karl Marx. It was also here that Mao Zedong was first introduced to love in the form of Yang’s daughter, Yang Kaihui. The two developed a relationship after Mao began staying over in Yang’s house. Shortly after her father’s death in January of 1920, Yang Kaihui would end up marrying her father’s star pupil: Mao Zedong.
As a matter of fact, she was his second wife who bore him three children.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 136-137)
...It was during this bloody period that Mao met the second love of his life, a young communist ideologue named He Zizhen...
Nope, she was Mao's third wife.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 123-125)
...he began to become further and further from the grasp of even his own CCP Central Committee leaders; Mao Zedong came into his own.
...farther and farther from the grasp...
(Kindle Ed., locs. 145-146)
When CCP party bosses from Shanghai arrived on the scene in Jiangxi, as soon as his rival communists arrived, they immediately connived to limit the scope of power that the once unquestioned authority that Mao had in the region...
Correction: When Mao's rival Communists, the CCP party bosses from Shanghai, arrived on the scene in Jiangxi, they immediately connived to limit the scope of Mao's power, the once unquestioned authority that the man had in the region...
(Kindle Ed., locs. 188-189)
Mao’s long march ended when he arrived in the Shaanxi province here he was able to meet up with the already established communist base in the area and reorganize the 20,000 some troops that had managed to survive with him during the journey...
Correction: Mao’s long march ended when he arrived in the Shaanxi province. Here he was able to meet up with the already-established Communist base in the area and reorganize some 20,000 of his troops that had managed to survive with him during the journey...
(Kindle Ed., locs. 190-191)
...This move would prove to be "an" even greater "crossroads" in Mao Zedong’s own personal life.
Correction: ...This move would prove to be an even-greater crossroad in Mao Zedong’s own personal life.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 230-231)
...While for the most part Chinese men were spared the horror of sexual assault upon their own person, they were quite often made to watch the denigration of their own wives and daughters before they were executed themselves.
Correction: ...The Chinese men, meanwhile, had to helplessly watch the miserable horror of sexual assault upon their own wives and daughters before the men themselves were killed by their enemy hands.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 241-243)
...During these attacks, council’s tunnels, bridges, and railway stations vital to the Japanese war effort were destroyed. Immediately following the destruction of this important infrastructure, the Chinese communists went on to attack the Japanese bases directly.
Correction: ...During these attacks, tunnels, bridges, and railway stations vital to the Japanese war effort were destroyed. Immediately following the destruction of these important infrastructures, the Chinese Communists went on to attack the Japanese bunkers and bases directly.
(Kindle Ed., 245-249)
The success of Mao’s guerrilla fighters was more of a propaganda boon than anything else, greatly bolstering his popularity with the average Chinese citizen, making the communists seem much more successful than the wavering forces of Chang Kai-shek. The Nationalists of Generalissimo Chain Kai-shek were about to receive a great boost, however, in the form of another aggressive move from Japan - the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor.
What, is this a first draft? And why all of sudden the Nationalist leader's name became "Chain?" Lol
If I were the editor:
The success of Mao’s guerrilla fighters worked as a great propaganda for him bolstering his popularity among the average Chinese citizens. It made the Communists look much more competent than the wavering forces of the Nationalists. The Nationalists under Generalissimo Chaing Kai-shek were about to receive a great boost, however, in the form of another aggressive move from Japan - Pearl Harbor.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 239-240)
...By 1940 the Eighth Route Army led by Zhu de had swelled its ranks to over 400,000 men.
Look at the person’s name: Zhu De. The writer must revise his work thoroughly before he publishes it.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 251-252)
Even though most Americans were completely surprised by the Japanese attack on Hawaii that occurred on December 7th, 1941, the Pentagon in the United States was well aware of the possibility...
What "Pentagon?" The building construction began in 1943, and it wasn't even called "DoD (Department of Defense)" back then. The writer means the US "War Department," right? A lack of bas'ic knowledge of the “author[ity]” can really disappoint the readers.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 253-254)
The colony of Indochina was a conglomeration of modern day Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and parts of Malaysia...
Where's Singapore? Wait, the writer means the "French" Colony of Indochina, right? It was just Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia then. Thailand was free, while the rest of Indochina (Myanmar (Burma at the time), Malaysia and Singapore) was all under British rule.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 254-255)
...The invasion occurred shortly after France’s capitulation to Nazi Germany, in one of the more stunning upsets of World War Two.
Nothing was more upsetting than the Battle of Singapore following right after the Japanese conquest of French Indochina. 90,000 British Commonwealth forces surrendered to the 30,000 Japanese troops on bi-c'ycles due to the British intelligence failure. Then-British Prime Minister Winston Churchill lamented that there had never been any battle as embarrassing as the Battle of Singapore in British military history.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 288-290)
...After the dropping of two nuclear bombs on Japan in 1945 ended World War Two, it would be Mao’s newly reformed communists that would take the struggle of their newfound ideology straight to Chaing Kai-shek and the Kuomintang.
Correction: ...After the two nuclear bombs ended World War Two in 1945, the Chinese Communists would take the struggle of their newfound ideology straight to Chaing Kai-shek's Kuomintang forces.
(Kindle Ed., loc. 294)
...Mao’s top lieutenants became fellow Long March veterans Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi...
Correction: ...Mao’s fellow Long March veterans Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi became his top lieutenants...
(Kindle Ed., locs. 377-378)
...Mao seemed to be calling on the average Chinese citizen to voice their honest opinion of how the revolution was proceeding.
Mao seemed to be calling on the Chinese citizenry (cit’i-z’en-[u]r’y) or the average Chinese citizens, n'est-ce pas?
Why the apostrophe for the 1950s? It isn’t a possessive:
(Kindle Ed., locs. 344-346)
...After the confiscation of Tibet and the Korean crisis came to a close, the rest of 1950’s communist rule under Mao Zedong would be marked by drastic changes in the status quo of Chinese society.
Correction: ...After the confiscation of Tibet and the Korean crisis came to a close, the rest of 1950s Communist rule under Mao Zedong would be marked by drastic changes in the status quo of Chinese society.
Again, it’s the early “1960s.” As far as I remember, there are a couple more of these same issues to be edited:
(Kindle Ed., locs. 415-416)
By the early 1960’s, Mao’s communist China found itself ostracized from its big brother, the Soviet Union...
BTW, you know what's really interesting? Those two countries' statuses have been flipped over today, just like Austro-Hungarian Empire and German Empire by the end of the 19th century. Now the PRC is the big bro to Russia.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 335-339)
Tens of thousands of people were killed during the Korean War, including Mao Zedong’s own son Anying, and in the end, after all of the bloodshed, nothing could be said to have been accomplished, and nothing changed. This is the supreme irony and tragedy of the Korean War; at the beginning of the conflict Korea was split in half at the 38th parallel, and then after 3 years of bitter back and forth fighting, Korea was still split at the 38th parallel, exactly where it started. Neither side seemed to gain anything except thousands of dead soldiers.
It is a pretty good introduction of the Korean War ex-cept/ -sauf/ -save the numbers.
Correction:
Millions of people were killed during the Korean War, including Mao Zedong’s own son Anying, and in the end, after all of the bloodshed, nothing could be said to have been accomplished, and nothing changed. This is the supreme irony and tragedy of the Korean War; at the beginning of the conflict Korea was split in half at the 38th parallel, and then after 3 years of bitter back and forth fighting, Korea was still split at about the 38th parallel, almost exactly where it started. Neither side seemed to gain anything except literally millions of dead people with thousands of families split alive with the DMZ between them.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 220-221)
...When on that rather unlucky day of December 13th, 1937, Japanese troops marched into Nanking, China and unleashed a veritable hell on Earth for its citizens.
Correction: ...On that rather "tragic" day of December 13th, 1937, Japanese troops marched into Nanking, then-capital of China, and unleashed a veritable hell on Earth against its citizens (calling for revenge of Sob'i of "Kda-[na]ra" Bæg-ge[o]).
(Kindle Ed., locs. 226-227)
...stemming from the fact that Japanese soldiers very much did rape their way all throughout this historic former Chinese capital.
Again, Nanking was then-capital of the Republic of China, and the Japanese celebrated their conquest of the en'emy capital right there.
(Kindle Ed., locs. 447-456)
In an incredible bit of irony, it would be just a few years after the unheard-of inhumanity and wanton bloodshed Mao had inflicted against his own people in the Cultural Revolution that Mao’s government would be accepted as a full-fledged member of the U.N.; ironic, since the United Nations is supposed to be the number one world body when it comes to espousing human rights. Although China was initially excluded from the U.N. after the 1949 communist takeover, by 1964 China was a nuclear power, as well as being the most populous country on the planet. So despite the presence of egregious human rights abuses, these two facts alone seemed to all but guarantee China a place back at the bargaining table of the United Nations Security Council, and in 1971 the United States officially withdrew its objections for Chinese membership. These overtures were then followed up a year later in 1972 when Richard Nixon came to China for an official visit with Mao Zedong. A sitting U.S. President was then photographed smiling and shaking hands with a man who was said to be responsible for the deaths of millions. Four years later, in 1976, Mao Zedong’s reign of terror would end when he passed away at the ripe old age of 82.
It could have been perfect if Mao's daring military confrontations with the Soviet Union in the 1960s were introduced here.
All-in-all, despite some errors, it is a great read to learn and think about this controversial man in our Human hæ-sto[u]r’y.
March 19, 2018
This book was less clear than most of the series. Maybe Mao's life was more complicated than most. It wasn't clear to me why he rose to power so quickly and so absolutely. I would have like to know more about his feelings. Did he enjoy inflicting suffering? Did he feel it a necessary evil? Was he unaware of the extent of the evil he propagated? Maybe its asking too much for this kind of analysis in a concise biography. As usual this series makes me want to read more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2020
This was a short book on Mao and his personal life. This book holistically covers all the major phase of the life of Mao and states the reason for him becoming a man he was.
If you are interested in history and want to know about the people who have had an impact on changing the course of time, then you must read this book.
If you are interested in history and want to know about the people who have had an impact on changing the course of time, then you must read this book.
November 22, 2022
I witnessed a parallel written in this biography's introduction to my own father's childhood life on the tenant-family farm in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression years... this added to my curiosity: "Almost as soon as Mao could walk his father made him work, and by the time Mao was six years old he was already working as a full-time farm hand for his father. In addition to this manual labor, Mao was enrolled into primary school starting at the age of eight while he continued to toil on the farm in the early morning and late into the evening."
Mao searched for an avenue of fulfillment for his life: "In a quick succession of time, he tried many things. He enrolled in a Police Academy, attempted Law School, and even tried his hand as a soap maker, but each and every time he somehow fell short of anything substantial. Unsure of what to do, and what institution to attend, Mao decided to teach himself. He rented out a bed in a local boarding house, and when he wasn’t sleeping, he was at the local library poring over books of history and philosophy."
"Of particular interest for Mao during his coursework at East Mountain was his study of world history. He loved to read about the rise of nations and powerful leaders." Eventually, Mao found himself working for the Beijing University Library.
Raised rural in his early years, later years of living with comrades in the mountains, the death of his first child, CCP activities, the personal support of Soviet Russia's Josef Stalin, WWII, etc., all helped pave the way for Mao's historical political future. After the end of World War Two in 1945, the communist party of China held a referendum in which 1.2 million communists attended, and Mao Zedong was elected official Chairman of the CCP. On October 1st, 1949, Mao declared mainland China as the People’s Republic of China.
Mao's 'battle of ideology' during the 1950’s, found Mao’s 'thought police' out in full force. "Having set up local study groups in schools and factories in order to make sure that no one deviated from proper Maoist doctrine, all of the Chinese society soon became rife with fear of being deemed retrogressive to the cause. Soon neighbor was turning against neighbor in order to demonstrate who was the most loyal to the revolution... As a result, of all this focus on pure ideology, millions of Chinese became incarcerated in work camps for nothing more than their perceived 'bad thought' processes."
Mao's 'Hundred Flowers Campaign' leading to The Anti-Rightist Campaign and Movement, were used to suppress counterrevolutionaries in the 1950s, 2.4 million people were executed according to official figures. The term "rightists" was largely used to refer to intellectuals accused of favoring capitalism over collectivization.
In 1976, Mao Zedong passed away at the age of 82.
These concise biographies can help the reader to decide if they wish to pursue the topics which they are reading about with more lengthy works.
- Mao Zedong quotes from this work:
“A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.”
“Despise the enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically.”
“From the barrel of the gun grows political power.”
- Other works that may be of interest:
Unit 731: Japan's Secret Biological Warfare in World War II -Peter Williams & David Wallace
1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: A Memoir by Ai Weiwei (2021)
The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek (1944)
The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt (1949)
Mao searched for an avenue of fulfillment for his life: "In a quick succession of time, he tried many things. He enrolled in a Police Academy, attempted Law School, and even tried his hand as a soap maker, but each and every time he somehow fell short of anything substantial. Unsure of what to do, and what institution to attend, Mao decided to teach himself. He rented out a bed in a local boarding house, and when he wasn’t sleeping, he was at the local library poring over books of history and philosophy."
"Of particular interest for Mao during his coursework at East Mountain was his study of world history. He loved to read about the rise of nations and powerful leaders." Eventually, Mao found himself working for the Beijing University Library.
Raised rural in his early years, later years of living with comrades in the mountains, the death of his first child, CCP activities, the personal support of Soviet Russia's Josef Stalin, WWII, etc., all helped pave the way for Mao's historical political future. After the end of World War Two in 1945, the communist party of China held a referendum in which 1.2 million communists attended, and Mao Zedong was elected official Chairman of the CCP. On October 1st, 1949, Mao declared mainland China as the People’s Republic of China.
Mao's 'battle of ideology' during the 1950’s, found Mao’s 'thought police' out in full force. "Having set up local study groups in schools and factories in order to make sure that no one deviated from proper Maoist doctrine, all of the Chinese society soon became rife with fear of being deemed retrogressive to the cause. Soon neighbor was turning against neighbor in order to demonstrate who was the most loyal to the revolution... As a result, of all this focus on pure ideology, millions of Chinese became incarcerated in work camps for nothing more than their perceived 'bad thought' processes."
Mao's 'Hundred Flowers Campaign' leading to The Anti-Rightist Campaign and Movement, were used to suppress counterrevolutionaries in the 1950s, 2.4 million people were executed according to official figures. The term "rightists" was largely used to refer to intellectuals accused of favoring capitalism over collectivization.
In 1976, Mao Zedong passed away at the age of 82.
These concise biographies can help the reader to decide if they wish to pursue the topics which they are reading about with more lengthy works.
- Mao Zedong quotes from this work:
“A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.”
“Despise the enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically.”
“From the barrel of the gun grows political power.”
- Other works that may be of interest:
Unit 731: Japan's Secret Biological Warfare in World War II -Peter Williams & David Wallace
1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: A Memoir by Ai Weiwei (2021)
The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek (1944)
The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt (1949)
October 1, 2017
This is a short biography of the controversial Chinese leader, Mao Zedong, who is regarded by some as the architect of modern China and others, as a brutal dictator comparable to Hitler and Stalin (incidentally, he had a close relationship with the latter).
Mao had a modest beginning, and considering the standards back then, he was from a wealthy family considering they held a farmland of their own and the book goes on to describe how his father instilled the discipline in Mao. It then goes on to talk about his failed pursuits of higher education and as to how he was suddenly inspired by the ideas of revolution, the communist ideology even though he differed with the Soviet version as he believed China was more agrarian than Russia. It then went on to describe the conflict between the Nationalists and the Communists and how they united to face the common enemy in Japan. It then goes on to talk about Mao’s retreat – the long march, followed by his eventual victory against Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalists, thus officially establishing a Communist State in China (barring Taiwan where Chiang Kai-Shek was in charge of the government in exile) and what he did later, the policies he had in place, the Red guards that he created, among various other things.
The book was very detailed, and gives a glimpse of the situation in China, with regard to the society, their leanings and their inclination towards the nationalists. It also gave a reasonable account of their role in the Second World War against Japan and some of the gruesome events as part of it. It also established Mao’s personality in detail, the pragmatist, idealist who wouldn’t hesitate to impose his ideology and his relentless fight against imperialism. As aforementioned, Mao’s effectiveness is debatable and this book made a reasonable effort in touching upon both good and bad aspects of his administration.
However, the extent of detail was a demerit as well, considering, while the Nanking Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese war is an integral part of modern Chinese history, they failed to establish as to how it was relevant in this book considering Mao stayed relatively silent during the period. Additionally, although I did state that the book did touch upon some of the bad aspects of his administration, it failed to quantify any of it, wherein, it is alleged that through his flawed policies, he has been responsible for the deaths of close to 71 million people (upper limit) through the purges he conducted against counter-revolutionaries, his failed industrialisation policy leading to a mass famine, and the atrocities committed in the name of The Cultural Revolution. Considering the seriousness of his flawed policies, I felt it required much more attention than whatever it managed to garner and in that sense, it is a failure of this biography.
I would say this was a decent biography considering they didn’t try and go out of the way to justify every action of Mao but then, I felt the attention was fully on Mao the revolutionary and very little on Chairman Mao. Considering that, I would award the book a rating of two on five.
Mao had a modest beginning, and considering the standards back then, he was from a wealthy family considering they held a farmland of their own and the book goes on to describe how his father instilled the discipline in Mao. It then goes on to talk about his failed pursuits of higher education and as to how he was suddenly inspired by the ideas of revolution, the communist ideology even though he differed with the Soviet version as he believed China was more agrarian than Russia. It then went on to describe the conflict between the Nationalists and the Communists and how they united to face the common enemy in Japan. It then goes on to talk about Mao’s retreat – the long march, followed by his eventual victory against Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalists, thus officially establishing a Communist State in China (barring Taiwan where Chiang Kai-Shek was in charge of the government in exile) and what he did later, the policies he had in place, the Red guards that he created, among various other things.
The book was very detailed, and gives a glimpse of the situation in China, with regard to the society, their leanings and their inclination towards the nationalists. It also gave a reasonable account of their role in the Second World War against Japan and some of the gruesome events as part of it. It also established Mao’s personality in detail, the pragmatist, idealist who wouldn’t hesitate to impose his ideology and his relentless fight against imperialism. As aforementioned, Mao’s effectiveness is debatable and this book made a reasonable effort in touching upon both good and bad aspects of his administration.
However, the extent of detail was a demerit as well, considering, while the Nanking Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese war is an integral part of modern Chinese history, they failed to establish as to how it was relevant in this book considering Mao stayed relatively silent during the period. Additionally, although I did state that the book did touch upon some of the bad aspects of his administration, it failed to quantify any of it, wherein, it is alleged that through his flawed policies, he has been responsible for the deaths of close to 71 million people (upper limit) through the purges he conducted against counter-revolutionaries, his failed industrialisation policy leading to a mass famine, and the atrocities committed in the name of The Cultural Revolution. Considering the seriousness of his flawed policies, I felt it required much more attention than whatever it managed to garner and in that sense, it is a failure of this biography.
I would say this was a decent biography considering they didn’t try and go out of the way to justify every action of Mao but then, I felt the attention was fully on Mao the revolutionary and very little on Chairman Mao. Considering that, I would award the book a rating of two on five.
January 14, 2021
With one major objection I will leave for the end of this review, very excellent stuff.
As I noted in my recent review of Chairman Mao from the Charles River Editor history series, recently I have resolved to soon reread Jung Chang's Mao: The Unknown Story, which I read about eight years ago, but before I do that, I want to read three mini-biographies of Mao to refresh my memory of any details I may have forgotten: one from Charles River Editors (just mentioned and just recently read), one from Hourly History (that is, this book), and one from Captivating History (which I've yet to read as of this review).
I expected this book to be decent but not as good as it has turned out. Not only did it have an excellent sense of "presentational proportionality" -- that is, emphasizing some aspects of the subjects life more than others in proportion to and accordance with their metaphysical importance -- it also had a very negative view of Mao (as anyone who knows anything about Mao should) that became more apparent as the book proceeded and was flagrantly evident by its conclusion. With these sorts 0f independently produced, introductory mini-books, I typically see a more value-neutral attitude displayed toward the subject -- often a good thing but not necessarily, such as with inhuman monsters like Mao (history's worst mass murderer). I was very pleased with its criticism of the United Nations at the end, for example, for allowing Communist China to be represented at its congregations despite presenting itself as a human rights organization.
All of this has me very disappointed that I had to award this book "only" four stars instead of five, which brings me to my one objection: its coverage of events in Mao's life after 1969 is very inadequate and incomplete. This is the sole reason I could not award it five stars.
Whatever the case, along with the other two mentioned mini-biographies, I strongly recommend it as an indispensable introduction to Mao.
As I noted in my recent review of Chairman Mao from the Charles River Editor history series, recently I have resolved to soon reread Jung Chang's Mao: The Unknown Story, which I read about eight years ago, but before I do that, I want to read three mini-biographies of Mao to refresh my memory of any details I may have forgotten: one from Charles River Editors (just mentioned and just recently read), one from Hourly History (that is, this book), and one from Captivating History (which I've yet to read as of this review).
I expected this book to be decent but not as good as it has turned out. Not only did it have an excellent sense of "presentational proportionality" -- that is, emphasizing some aspects of the subjects life more than others in proportion to and accordance with their metaphysical importance -- it also had a very negative view of Mao (as anyone who knows anything about Mao should) that became more apparent as the book proceeded and was flagrantly evident by its conclusion. With these sorts 0f independently produced, introductory mini-books, I typically see a more value-neutral attitude displayed toward the subject -- often a good thing but not necessarily, such as with inhuman monsters like Mao (history's worst mass murderer). I was very pleased with its criticism of the United Nations at the end, for example, for allowing Communist China to be represented at its congregations despite presenting itself as a human rights organization.
All of this has me very disappointed that I had to award this book "only" four stars instead of five, which brings me to my one objection: its coverage of events in Mao's life after 1969 is very inadequate and incomplete. This is the sole reason I could not award it five stars.
Whatever the case, along with the other two mentioned mini-biographies, I strongly recommend it as an indispensable introduction to Mao.
June 19, 2020
A concise book which speaks of the rise of Mao.It speaks volumes about his whimsical rule , which killed millions of his Countrymen. It also tells us about his low moral values in personal life, where he would go in for another wife once the present one died or is badly wounded.
His greatest achievement has been unifying the Country and driving out the Japanese. He established his own version of Communism which was different fromthe Russian Doctrine- the proletariat in China he rightly identified were the peasants and not the city workers.He freed up land from landlords and made it property of State.He briefly lost control of the Red Brigade, but later on saved the situation by using Army.His methods were sometimes very cruel.
The book could have been slightly more detailed , but otherwise gives you a fair account of this Great Leader of China, who had united the Country
His greatest achievement has been unifying the Country and driving out the Japanese. He established his own version of Communism which was different fromthe Russian Doctrine- the proletariat in China he rightly identified were the peasants and not the city workers.He freed up land from landlords and made it property of State.He briefly lost control of the Red Brigade, but later on saved the situation by using Army.His methods were sometimes very cruel.
The book could have been slightly more detailed , but otherwise gives you a fair account of this Great Leader of China, who had united the Country
November 15, 2018
Most controversial figure of People's republic of china. When nationalists suppressing communists in chine he was leader of communists, how he tackled all the situations and became the leader of China, how he starts from small soviet and reached to the goal of peoples republic.This book give brief information of Mao Zedong's life and his struggle.
When two great are fighting how one(who is weaker compare to them) should get his work done without getting dirty, this is the key of his politics.By which he occupied Tibet and attacked India.
When two great are fighting how one(who is weaker compare to them) should get his work done without getting dirty, this is the key of his politics.By which he occupied Tibet and attacked India.
April 5, 2020
Having read quite a bit about Mao Zedong in the past few months, I was interested in how Hourly History would treat the subject. I was pleased to read a clear narrative about an important communist leader's life. What I really liked was the fact that Chairman Mao remained the focus of the book. The writing style was clear and informative, without bogging down in extraneous details.
The reasons for Pearl Harbor's attack were well-defined. I also appreciated the clarity of the causes of the Korean War and the aftermath. The book was interesting and a quick read.
The reasons for Pearl Harbor's attack were well-defined. I also appreciated the clarity of the causes of the Korean War and the aftermath. The book was interesting and a quick read.
October 2, 2020
This book was a small introduction into the history of China through the life events of Mao Jedong, the CHAIRMAN who led various revolutions in China, many of them blasphemous and atrocious and which must have affected the culture of China tremendously. The book was quick but still was able to present the major events quite vividly . I stumbled upon this book while scrolling through amazon prime reads . But now that I know that there are similar books on other historical figures and events by the author, I would surely pick them up .
April 13, 2020
I found this book to be very enlightening about one of the worlds worst leaders. Moa Zedong was a very dangerous man. I would have certainly ranked him with Hitler and Stalin.
This book certainly pointed out his few successes and many failures. He stands as a great example of what China has become today.
These hour long books are very short and succinct. They give a good, but brief , look into an important part of history be it biographies or historical events.
This book certainly pointed out his few successes and many failures. He stands as a great example of what China has become today.
These hour long books are very short and succinct. They give a good, but brief , look into an important part of history be it biographies or historical events.
January 22, 2018
Interesting biography. I still don't understand how Mao garnered so many followers. There must be more to the story.
I know Chinese people who were on each side of the cultural revolution; their stories are horrifying, and their stories were repeated millions of times: millions of horrors. Millions of people died during the Cultural Revolution.
I know Chinese people who were on each side of the cultural revolution; their stories are horrifying, and their stories were repeated millions of times: millions of horrors. Millions of people died during the Cultural Revolution.
February 3, 2019
Map Zedong: Revolutionary or Power Hungry Mad Man
Good read on Mao Zedong, China's Communist Father. This book gives a quick assessment of Mao's beginnings and some reasoning as to why he implemented his ideologue on the Chinese populous. Though as stated in the books conclusion, the world is still grading Mao Zedong's ideology and it's consequences.
Good read on Mao Zedong, China's Communist Father. This book gives a quick assessment of Mao's beginnings and some reasoning as to why he implemented his ideologue on the Chinese populous. Though as stated in the books conclusion, the world is still grading Mao Zedong's ideology and it's consequences.
February 21, 2023
Interesting read
Book give you a good insight on who Mao was and how he came to power.
It explains and help you understand why China is how it is today and much is because of the way Mao set the rules for the future China.
It looks on what effect Mao had on counties around China.
You get to know many sides of his life.
Book give you a good insight on who Mao was and how he came to power.
It explains and help you understand why China is how it is today and much is because of the way Mao set the rules for the future China.
It looks on what effect Mao had on counties around China.
You get to know many sides of his life.
November 1, 2017
It is very difficult to try to summarize the life of Mao Zedong in a few pages, but this book does the job, in a way. A good summary for people who need to know the man and his actions in a brief and concise way.
November 28, 2017
Loved it!!!t
Short and easy read! Learned in a lot about how Mao's power came into being!!!i would highly recommend it for those who are curious and want to learn quickly about China.
Short and easy read! Learned in a lot about how Mao's power came into being!!!i would highly recommend it for those who are curious and want to learn quickly about China.
January 15, 2018
Well written! I thoroughly enjoyed this piece.
Thanks for this piece on a very complicated world leader. Mao was many things to many people his form of communism was far different than the Russian version well written and informative work every one should read.
Thanks for this piece on a very complicated world leader. Mao was many things to many people his form of communism was far different than the Russian version well written and informative work every one should read.
August 20, 2018
This book was interesting in giving an overview of Mao's life. Not a whole lot of introspection or fleshing out of the many people who were so influential in shaping events during the pre and post WW II period in China.
May 1, 2019
Too Much Life in Too Few Pages
This short overview of Chairman Mao is just not long enough. There is far too much in his life to be assessed and evaluated. A second volume would have been very beneficial b
This short overview of Chairman Mao is just not long enough. There is far too much in his life to be assessed and evaluated. A second volume would have been very beneficial b
January 6, 2020
It's a very short book which provides a brief overview of Mao' s life from the beginning to the end. However, it's compelling enough to make people read through those terrible decision he made. Worth to read.
March 30, 2020
Mao and his ideologies was catastrophic for the Chinese citizenry.
Mao Zedong and his communist ideologies wreaked havoc on Chinese citizens. As it happens with any totalitarian regime, Mao and his atrocities resulted in million of lives lost.
Mao Zedong and his communist ideologies wreaked havoc on Chinese citizens. As it happens with any totalitarian regime, Mao and his atrocities resulted in million of lives lost.
May 24, 2020
Informative and Crisp
An informative summary about a historical figure; so it helps you get a decent background in about 60-80 minutes. Not detailed enough to form an opinion on the topic, but that shouldn't be the objective too, with this book.
An informative summary about a historical figure; so it helps you get a decent background in about 60-80 minutes. Not detailed enough to form an opinion on the topic, but that shouldn't be the objective too, with this book.
December 4, 2020
A small book but concise and complete. Just the kind of primer you need if you are starting on a journey to understand modern day China. Well written, with an affable style of communication, this book gave me a good peek into the travails and rumbles of communist China
March 17, 2021
Not accurate
Things are a lot more complicated in China than the author can understand. I don’t think one can understand Mao without understanding Chinese culture. Mao is a product of a culture.
Things are a lot more complicated in China than the author can understand. I don’t think one can understand Mao without understanding Chinese culture. Mao is a product of a culture.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews