Deep Story

EP.10- The Second Greatest Leader in Modern China: Mao Zedong

• MPT

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-Mao: The Unknown Story
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-Step into the dramatic saga of China's transformation from empire to republic, where foreign exploitation, internal rebellion, and revolutionary leaders clashed to reshape a nation. Explore the cascading effects of the Opium Wars, the chaos of the Taiping Rebellion, and the daring ambitions of visionaries like Sun Yat-sen. Uncover the ideological battles and seismic shifts that defined modern China, from dynastic collapse to revolutionary triumphs. Join us as we delve into this compelling story of resilience, upheaval, and the relentless pursuit of change.

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Speaker 1:

Let's be real here. Say it, dig it and analyze it. That's Deep Story. Thanks for tuning into Deep Story. I'm MPT. You want to learn the key moments in modern Chinese history? All right, buckle up folks. In the next few minutes we're zooming through China's rollercoaster ride, from the opium wars to the death of Mao and the chaos of succession. Sound like fun? Let's go.

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China's decline oh, it showed up just as Europe was flexing its economic, political and industrial muscles. Picture this China, the once mighty Asian giant, suddenly looked fragile. Britain was the first to notice and thought, hey, let's poke the dragon and see what happens. And oh boy, they did. The Opium Wars, two of them. The first one, 1839 to 1842. And the second, 1856 to 1860. Spoiler alert China didn't exactly come out on top.

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Now three big consequences from those wars. First, the wars exposed just how deep the crisis ran in the dynasty. People started looking at the Qing rulers who, by the way, were Manchus foreigners themselves and going yeah, these guys aren't great at running the show. A second the peace treaties were a disaster for China. They were so unfair they got nicknamed Kuniko treaties. And let me tell you, those treaties tied China up tighter than grandma's Christmas sweater. Foreign powers started picking China apart like it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. And third, well, this humiliation gave China a wake-up call. It was like, huh, maybe we should try this thing called modernization, you know, like the West was doing. But hang tight, we're just getting started. A foreign exploitation only made folks angrier at the Manchu rulers. This anger hit new heights with the Taiping Rebellion, 1850 to 1864. And let me tell you, this wasn't your average protest. No, it was the largest anti-dynastic movement in history. Millions of people got involved. But now, as if that wasn't enough, other smaller revolts broke out during the 1860s and 70s. The empire was running on fumes.

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People Two, empress, dowager, owed queen. She swooped in as regent in 1861 and stayed in power until 1889. Her solution Put down the rebellions, restore order. Her solution Put down the rebellions, restore order and rebuild the empire Sounds solid, right, but how did they do it? Here's the plan.

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First, rebuild areas destroyed by the rebellions. Second, expand farmland. Third, repair or build public works, things like granaries, dynams, you name it. It sounds practical like, hey, maybe we don't need a western style makeover after all. Just stick with Confucian traditions and keep things chill. No need for modern industry or railroads.

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Spoiler alert this wasn't exactly a recipe for success. Some officials did try to borrow Western tech and ideas. But here's the kicker If your emperor doesn't have the brains or the backbone to see reforms through, you're not going far. So why did these reforms fail? Let's break it down. First, the monarchy couldn't pull off a modern, centralized government. Second, the bureaucracy A mess, corrupt and inefficient. Third, society itself was fragile. Oh, and let's not forget Western imperialists breathing down China's neck. And things really hit rock bottom with the Sino-Japanese War in 1894. Yep, china lost to Japan, and it was embarrassing.

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The young Guangzhou emperor tried to save face by launching the Hundred Days Reform in 1898. His goal Modernize China fast, fast, before the dynasty crumbled completely. Great plan, terrible execution. Why? Because the Empress, dowager old queen, was not having it. She staged a coup, tossed Guangxu aside, like yesterday's leftovers, and took back control. Boom reform, crushed, conservative rule restored. Next up, the Boxer Rebellion, where old queens court-wavered between supporting anti-foreign rebels and, you know not, injuring the West. Guess what? The West intervened, crushed the Boxers and left the Qing dynasty looking weaker than ever.

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An old queen hung on to power until her death in 1908. Then they handed the throne to Puyi, a three-year-old yeah, that's right, a toddler. And the regency tried to relaunch reforms that had stalled a decade earlier. But honestly, it was too little, too late. Two big problems. First, real power had shifted from Beijing to the provinces, where local rulers were calling the shots. Second, reformers were done with monarchy altogether. Old Queen's interference had pushed them to embrace republicanism. Them to embrace republicanism, enter Sun Yat-sen and his revolutionary crew. Sun preached a new order nationalism, democracy and socialism. But here's the kicker every uprising they tried before 1910 flopped.

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Then, in October 19LM, everything changed. The military in Hubei province, middle of China, rose up and boom, like lighting a fuse. Province after province joined in. Within two months the Beijing government was toast and just like that the empire collapsed. China was no longer ruled by emperors. But trust me, folks, this was just the beginning of the chaos. Stay tuned, alright, folks, let's fast forward to 1912. China's monarchy finally threw in the towel, thanks to a deal between Sun Yat-sen and Yuan Shikai. Picture this the regent signed the abdication papers on behalf of the last emperor a little kid no older than your nephew. And boom, china became a republic. But let's not get too excited yet, because governing this vast, fragile empire was about as easy as teaching a cat to swim.

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Now remember the instability of the Qing dynasty. That gave the urban elite, tiny in number but big on ambition, a golden opportunity. Enter the doctor Sun Yat-sen. Not a medical doctor, but a political visionary. Sun managed to rally all kinds of disgruntled groups under one roof, giving birth to the KMT or Nationalist Party. Their goals, simple on paper, tricky in practice First, kick out foreign economic control. Second, improve the lives of the Chinese people. And third, bring democracy to political life. With the help of some northern Chinese military officers, sun and his allies pulled off the 1911 revolution, ousting the monarchy and declaring the republic.

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But, plot twist, sun didn't hold on to the presidency for long. Instead, he handed the keys to Beijing to Yuan Shikai, who took over and decided you know what I like this whole ruler thing? At first, yuan played tough, replacing disobedient governors, dissolving parliament and chasing down his critics. And then, in 1915, his ego went into overdrive. Yuan declared himself emperor, taking on the name Hongshan. Yeah, that didn't sit well. His imperial fantasy lasted all of four months before backlash forced him to step down in March 1916. But get this. He still held onto power as president until he died just a few months later, in June. Talk about a short-lived dynasty.

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By then China's central government was bankrupt, seriously, it could barely control Beijing and the neighboring regions. The rest of the country, a free for all. Northern and central regions, were ruled by warlords. Southern China set up its own, a democratic republic. In Guangzhou and other regions. They became wild west style territories controlled by local officials and feudal strongmen. Oh, and Mongolia and Tibet, yeah. They took advantage of the chaos and basically said we're out of here. And then came World War. I Did that help unify China? Nope, it made things worse. Warlords ruled their territories like many kingdoms, squeezing the economy dry and ignoring national unity. Add in the foreign powers who still held on to their unequal treaties and territorial perks, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

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Meanwhile, sun Yat-sen was having an existential crisis. He watched the republic he helped create collapse and decided you know what I'm out? The KMT, the first modern political party in China, also lost its footing between 1912 and 1922. Sun, disillusioned with Western powers who barely lifted a finger to support China's reforms. Finger to support China's reforms turned to a surprising new ally, the Soviet Union. At the 1924 Party Congress, sun signed an agreement with Soviet Envoice calling for two urgent goals national unity and independence. And hey, the Soviets were happy to help. No strings attached, right? Well, maybe a few. The KMT also agreed to join forces with the newly founded Chinese Communist Party, creating a fragile alliance that would make Thanksgiving dinners look harmonious in comparison.

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Then came the military campaigns. Sun's successor, chiang Kai-shek, stepped in, leading the nationalist military forces to victory across large swaths of China. Meanwhile, the commies fueled their own momentum with demonstrations, strikes and boycotts. By 1927, the KMT had established control over most of China. But wait, don't celebrate yet. If you know anything about China's history, you know this is the calm before yet another storm.

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So, folks, let's talk about the ripple effect of China's first revolution. No question about it. This revolution inspired movements across Southeast Asia, where commies parties had already started popping up in the 1920 to 1930. China basically became the blueprint, showing the world the need for an alliance between the bourgeoisie and the power of the people led by commies. It was like a political juggling act. And the power of the people led by commies. It was like a political juggling act. Nationalist parties tried to act as a balancing mechanism, though in many cases they got completely overwhelmed by grassroots movements.

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Now here's the deal the history of the KMT and other similar parties across Southeast Asia can be split into two big phases. Phase one led by Western educated intellectuals, these guys wanted more political power in their own governments. In China's case, as we've seen, they ended Qing rule, yay progress. They ended Qing rule, yay progress. But uh, they didn't solve any of China's bigger problems, like its reliance on the West Pace too. Things got spicier with the rise of Marxist ideas and the birth of the Chinese Commies Party Suddenly, and the KMT found itself splitting down the middle, nationalists on one side, commies on the other. This period gave rise to revolutionary movements that linked national liberation with social liberation Basically liberation on all fronts.

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The real split happened in 1927. That's when the commies set up a revolutionary base in Jiangxi province, launched land reforms for the peasants and openly resisted the government. Fast forward four years. The commies, in direct opposition to Chiang Kai-shek's central government, created the Chinese Soviet Republic, maintaining their independence and freedom. Then came 1934. Chiang Kai-shek's army finally defeated the commies in Jiangxi and smashed the Soviet Republic.

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But then this is where the story gets legendary. The surviving commies, forces led by Mao and Lin Bao, launched the Long March. Folks, let me paint this picture 10,000 kilometers, 18 mountain ranges, 24 rivers. An army of 120,000 commies set out on this epic trek. Most didn't make it. Many died along the way. Epic trek Most didn't make it. Many died along the way. But the survivors reached northern mountain hole, settled in rat house and created a new commie stronghold. By this point the long march had taken on an almost mythical status part struggle, part survival and 100% legendary. But wait, because the international scene was heating up. The rise of fascism and Japan's expansionist ambitions changed the game completely.

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In 1935, the nationalists and commies hit pause on their feud and formed a shaky alliance to fight their common enemy, japan. Now, japan's threat didn't just bring China's warring factions together. It also sparked cooperation between commies and democrats in places like French Indochina and Indonesia. So yeah, japan was basically uniting people just by being that aggressive. Alright, let's cut to the chase with Japan and China. In 1931, japan invaded Manchuria, the Chinese government. Completely useless. Tensions between the two countries simmered for years before boiling over in 1935 into full-scale war. This conflict, of course, eventually merged into World War II and finally ended in 1945 with Japan's defeat.

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Now here's the kicker. You'd think victory over Japan would bring peace to China, right? Nope, japan's occupation had been brutal. China lost territory, millions of lives and its economy was left in tatters. But defeating Japan didn't heal China's wounds, it just lit the fuse for another explosion. The KMT was in shambles. Meanwhile, mao's commies, bolstered by Soviet support, were ready to pounce.

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So what happened? A civil war From 1945 to 1949, the commies and the KMT duked it out Spoiler alert. Mao and his Red Army won by thousands of spies, chiang Kai-shek and the nationalists. They packed up, fled the mainland and set up a government in exile on the island of Taiwan. And that, my friends, is how China split into two Mao's raids China on the mainland and Chiang's democratic China hanging on for dear life in Taiwan. You'd think the story ends there, but trust me, this was just the beginning of another long chapter. And notice Democratic China means Taiwan. Alright, folks, let's jump to 1949. It's October 1st and Mao stands in Beijing looking victorious and declares the founding of the Reds' China. Can you picture the scene? The crowd goes wild, flags waving. It's like China hit the reset button. Meanwhile, in the south, a few cities were still hanging on to nationalist control. But it didn't take long for Chiang Kai-shek to pack his bags and head to Taiwan. Safe travels buddy.

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Now, the new Communist government under Mao faced a colossal task rebuilding a country that hadn't known peace since 1937, when Japan came knocking On top of that, mao and the party weren't just here to patch things up, they were here to build a new Marxist state, revolutionary zeal. Oh, they had plenty of it. To get things rolling, mao called a consultative conference where they drafted the Red's Common Program, a foundational document with clear goals for the new nation. Politically, the Commies Party held all the cards At the top of the power pyramid the Standing Committee led by Ma Yao Zidong, zhou Enlai, liu Shaoqi, chen Yun and oh yeah, zhou Enlai again. I guess being twice as hardworking earns you two mentions. It's a kidding Folks, typos happen. Anyway, these five strongmen ran the show. They also led the Politburo, a 14-member group that worked under the Central Committee, a 44-person team tasked with coordinating commies' efforts across the country. Translation the party had a grip on everything. No wiggle room.

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Economically, after decades of war and chaos, the nation was in desperate need of rebuilding, and while China would later turn away from Soviet influence, in those early days cooperation with Moscow was crucial. In December 1949, mao hopped on a train to Moscow to meet Stalin. That meeting secured Soviet loans, technology and aid to jumpstart China's industrialization. Think of it like borrowing your neighbor's tools to rebuild your house, except the neighbor is Stalin and the house is a country. Another major focus a land reform. The party confiscated land from big landlords and redistributed it to peasants, putting Marxist principles into action. These policies were soon followed by the first five-year plan, from 1953 to 1957, heavily inspired by the Soviet model. The goal build a planned economy centered on heavy industry and collective agriculture. And you know what? Despite some early struggles, the plan worked. China's economy grew significantly.

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Now let's talk about muscle, the military. The Red Army, over 4 million strong, wasn't just the regime's backbone, it was the spine, ribs and pelvis. This army guaranteed the party's control over Chinese territory, but China hadn't forgotten the regions it lost during earlier chaos. Mao's government made it a priority to restore territorial integrity. In 1950, the Red Army swept into Tibet and Hainan Island. Mongolia, however, was off the table. Soviet protection turned that into a no-entry zone.

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Taiwan, though, that was a different story. The commies had their sights set on the island. But then, plot twist, in June 1950, just as Mao was making plans, north Korea decided to invade South Korea, cue the United States who rushed to deploy the 7th Fleet near Taiwan. This move wasn't just about protecting Taiwan, it was about containing communism in the Far East. Uncle Sam made it very clear Hands off the island, mao. So Mao's dream of taking Taiwan shelved For now. But the Korean War changed the entire game. Shelved for now, but the Korean War changed the entire game.

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The US poured its resources into supporting Chiang Kai-shek and the nationalists in Taiwan, while Mao focused on backing North Korea, and because China couldn't intervene openly, they sent their volunteer troops instead. Where is the volunteer come from? Yeah, you got it. Mao pushed surrendered army into the war. Let's be real, though these volunteers were anything but casual. They marched in guns blazing to stop UN forces from unifying the peninsula under South Korea's government. The war finally ended in July 1953 with an armistice that brought things back to square one. The 38th parallel remained the dividing line between North and South Korea, and China's volunteers returned home. Here's a fun fact the UN intervention in Korea only happened because the Soviets were boycotting the Security Council at the time. Why? Because Taiwan was still recognized as China's representative in the UN. Oh the irony. But Mao doesn't care. That time and the cost of this volunteer surrendered army effort.

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Reports suggest that close to a million Chinese soldiers lost their lives. Let that sink in One million people. A staggering price for China to pay, all while trying to secure its place as a major player on the world stage. Alright, buckle up, because the Korean War didn't just redraw battle lines. It reshaped China's international politics. First, let's talk about Taiwan. The US, now firmly backing Chiang Kai-shek, forced Beijing to abandon its plans to take the island and, just like that, a political and ideological divide opened between the mainland and Taiwan, one that lingers to this day. Second, the Cold War in East Asia drove Mao and Moscow closer than ever. The West, now officially enemy number one.

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China, ramped up propaganda campaigns accusing foreigners of espionage and sabotage. It was like welcome to China. Oh, you're a spy right, and trust me, this wasn't the party's first campaign rodeo in 1951. This wasn't the party's first campaign rodeo in 1951. The regime launched the Surprising Counter-Revolutionaries campaign, which targeted businessmen and landowners, accusing them of not cooperating enough with the new government. If you were rich or influential, life suddenly got very complicated, or influential life suddenly got very complicated. Next up the three anti-campaign led by Gao in Manchuria and later rolled out nation wagits, theterruption, waste and bureaucracy Sound noble, right? Well, that was just a warm-up. Soon came the five anti-campaign aimed at tackling tax evasion, bribery, theft of state property fraud and leaking economic secrets. Basically, if you were a business owner, congratulations, you were probably guilty of something.

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The real goal, though, is solidifying the communist party's control over every single corner of society and the economy. You have money Guilty. You have house Guilty. You want to speak for yourself Guilty. But even party leaders weren't safe. By 1954, cracks were showing. Zhao and Riao criticized policies pushed by Liu and Zhou Enlai. Big mistake Gao lost his position and shortly after took his own life. Rao got off easier he was just thrown in jail.

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This first major party purge forced a political reset. The central government reorganized China into 22 provinces, five autonomous regions and two centrally controlled cities, beijing and Shanghai. It was all about tightening the reins. Mao's action is like Emperor Xi Jinping today. Oops, talked too much, and then Mao tried something radical. Let's hear what the people think. Seriously, he thought allowing criticism of the party could strengthen it.

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Cue the hundred flowers movement in 1956. Inspired by a Chinese poem, mao invited intellectuals to let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend. Sounds lovely, right. Yeah, it backfired spectacularly. Critics took the bait and started questioning the government's failures and commies' ideals. Mao's response Oops, just kidding. The flowers stopped blooming real fast. In 1957, he launched the anti-rightist campaign. Thousands of critics, intellectuals, journalists and professionals were labeled enemies of the state. Many were arrested, tortured or executed. Talk about shutting down feedback, but hold on to your hats, because now we're getting to the great leap forward.

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In 1958, just one year after the party congress, mao said forget the Soviets, we're doing this our way. His vision mobilize the masses to supercharge both industrial and agricultural production. The dreaming goal was to leapfrog over the West and achieve communism overnight. Sounds bold, right yeah, it was also catastrophic. Here's how it played out In the countryside. Collective farms were replaced with massive people's communes. The idea was to free up labor for industrial work. To fill the gap in the fields, women were mobilized as the new agricultural workforce. In theory, this was revolutionary. In practice, families were torn apart, traditional village life was uprooted and morale plummeted.

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On the industrial front, mao wanted rapid steel production, so people started smelting steel in backyard furnaces. The result Tons of useless, low-quality metal that couldn't even hold up a bicycle, let alone a country, and the focus on industrial output starved agriculture of attention. Farmers, stripped of autonomy, lost their motivation. By 1959, the disaster was impossible to ignore. Crop yields plummeted, but local officials, terrified of angering, mao, falsified numbers to hide the truth. Mao's too stupid. The result a famine unlike any other. Between 1959 and 1962, famine swept across China. Estimates suggest up to 30 million people perished. 30 million. Think about that.

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The great leap forward was a colossal failure. Mao's reputation took a massive hit. Though he remained chairman of the Commies Party, he had to step back from governance. Liu Shaoqi officially took over as head of state in 1958. Meanwhile, the Sino-Soviet relationship was falling apart. By 1960, mao had had enough of Moscow. Suspicious of Soviet intentions and their exorbitant economic demands, china cancelled cooperation projects. Soviet advisors packed their bags and left. And just when you thought things couldn't escalate further, there's this In March 1969, chinese and Soviet troops clashed along the Manchurian border.

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Shots were fired. While the conflict didn't spiral into full-scale war, it marked the breaking point between the two communist giants. Cold War allies, not anymore. So to sum it up, amayao's grand plans for China's leap forward ended in tragedy. His relationship with the Soviets hit rock bottom and by the end of the 1960 to 1970, the chairman was bruised but not beaten. Trust me, though, mao wasn't done yet. So picture this Mao Zedong standing there on the banks of the Ushuri River, staring across at Russian soldiers like it's an awkward family reunion.

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The Soviet split left China in this weird geopolitical no-mans land out of the Western capitalist clique, out of the Soviet bloc, and with Albania as the last kid picked for dodgeball. I mean Albania. The guy must've felt like the lonely kid eating lunch by himself. And things weren't exactly peachy for Mao back home either. Liu Xiaoki and Deng Xiaoping were running the show trying to fix the economy, but completely ignoring the military brass. Mao sidelined and, fuming, decided to shake things up with a little thing called the Cultural Revolution. Oh, you know, just a proletarian uprising, with some help from the People's Liberation Army under Lin Biao. No big deal right Now. Mao wrapped this thing in the nicest ideological bow he could find. But let's be real, it was all about his personal comeback tour. It was all about his personal comeback tour.

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Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping out gone. Liu was accused of being a capitalist roadster or something, and Deng got a one-way ticket out of town. Poor Liu didn't even make it. He died in prison after some truly horrific treatment. Horrific treatment, lucky guy. He just got exiled.

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And then we have Zhang Qun, Mao's wife. She was basically the beyond of China's cultural scene, but, you know, in a slightly more terrifying way. Together they turned Mao's speeches into a bestseller, weaponized the arts and built this colossal cult of personality. Meanwhile, red Guards basically teenagers on a sugar rush ran around smashing anything that looked too bourgeoise. It was like giving a bunch of tiktokers unlimited power and no parental controls. But here's the kicker Mao eventually had to call in the army to stop the Red Guards. I guess he realized, wait a minute, this chaos thing is getting a little too chaotic. So in the summer of 1967, the People's Liberation Army rolled in and said all right, kids. The People's Liberation Army rolled in and said All right, kids, playtime's over.

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When it all wound down, the real drama began who's going to replace Mao? Lin Bao seemed like the frontrunner. He had the military on his side and everything. But then Mao started giving him the side and next thing, you know, lin's fleeing the country in a plane that crashes in Mongolia. It's like a political thriller meets a bad travel itinerary.

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Meanwhile, jiang Qiong and Zhou Enlei were still in the mix. Zhou was all about opening China up to the west, you know, playing nice with Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter. By the 1970s they were even talking about normalizing relations with the US. And get this. In 1971, china got into the United Nations. Sorry, taiwan, but there's only room for one China at this party.

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Fast forward to 1979, mao and Zhou were gone and Deng Xiaoping was back like a sequel. Nobody saw coming. He outmaneuvered Jiang Qun and the so-called Gang of Four in this Game of Thrones-style power struggle. I mean Jiang tried power struggle. I mean Zheyang tried. But let's face it, when even the military's like now we're good, you're in trouble. And then there's Houwa Goufeng, mao's chosen successor. This guy was like the understudy who suddenly gets the lead role but doesn't have the charisma to keep the audience interested. Sure, he had Mao's blessing, but Deng Xiaoping had momentum allies and a solid game plan. By 1980, huo was out, deng was in and China had a new direction. The whole thing was like a roller coaster of ideological purges, power plays and unlikely comebacks. And honestly, somewhere in there I'm pretty sure Albania just quietly backed away, muttering what didn't sign up for this. Thank you.