Mao Tse-tung as a political leader: Political skills, transformative thinking and the Chinese Communist political system

摘要

Why did Mao Tse-tung order the establishment of people's commune, the Great Leap Forward, and Cultural Revolution? Why is the People's Republic of China unique as the only major communist nation in which there arose such an erratic, virtually utopian movement to transform society so quickly? Which analytical framework is best suited to examine leadership roles and influence in communist political system, particularly the Chinese Communist Party?;This study tries to consider the key aspects of the problem, weighing both ideological and behavioral factors by examining three dimensions of Mao's leadership: his ideas, his political skills, and his interaction with other individuals, particularly intellectuals. Two periods, 1893-1921 and late 1950s-1966, are used to review the paradox. My argument is: Mao was a quintessential politician. He had extraordinary Machiavellian skills that enabled him to mobilize others to do his bidding. His crucial combination of political skills and transformative vision was already evident in his early, formative years in Hunan. Moreover, his transformative approach was not unique to him. It was in fact part of a widespread trend in China since K'and Yu-wei, a utopian reformer, in late nineteenth century.