The Cultural Revolution: A People's History
Mao Zedong’s brutal campaign to purify Communist China, which began in the early 1960s, resulted in a decade of chaos that has left an indelible stain on the nation’s politics.
Mao Zedong
Looking back on the Great Leap Forward
Frank Dikötter explains how the gradual opening of Chinese archives has revealed the appalling truth about Chairman Mao’s genocidal rule.
Who Got Mao Right?
The legacy of the Great Helmsman is the source of bitter conflict over China’s future direction, argues Tim Stanley.
The Great Helmsman Goes Swimming
Chairman Mao photographed attempting to swim the River Yangtze in July 1966.
Stalin and Mao: Parallel Rise?
Russel Tarr compares and contrasts the rise to power of two Communist leaders.
Chinese History: The Great Leap Backward
Frank Dikötter looks at how historians’ understanding of China has changed in recent years with the gradual opening of party archives that reveal the full horror of the Maoist era.
Mao Zedong: Liberator or Oppressor of China?
Michael Lynch introduces the controversial career of a gargantuan figure in Chinese and modern world history.
Mao Zedong becomes Chinese Head of State
Mao was elected Chairman of the Central People's Government on 30 September 1949.
Makers of the Twentieth Century: Mao Zedong
That Mao Zedong has changed the course of modern history is beyond dispute. the extent of his influence, both in China and abroad, has however been a matter of fierce debate since his death in 1976.