Essay Sample on Mao Zedong

Mao emerged as the leader of China in 1949. Many factors contributed to Mao’s emergence as leader of China. Mao became the leader of China on October 1, 1949. Before he was in office, he was the chairman of Jiangxi Soviet  (Chinese Soviet Republic). In October of 1934 Mao and the majority of the Red Army set out for the northwest of China on what is called the Long March. After the Long March there were  about 8,000 troops that survived and this was the start of the shift to Mao’s supremacy in the party. This is often referred to as the Yan’an period.  Before Mao came to power as the leader of China, he was chairman of the Chinese Soviet Republic, participated in the Long March, and during the Yan’an period, became closer and closer to becoming the leader of China. 

The Jiangxi Soviet, which is also known as the Chinese Soviet Republic, was an independent government established by Mao Zedong. It was established in 1931 in the Jiangxi province in southeastern China. Mao gained the experience of guerilla warfare here. He later used this to accomplish the communist conquest of China in the late 1940s. Mao and his comrade, Zhu De retreated into the countryside with a small group of communist soldiers. This is where they began their peasant-based government. In 1930, they went through a temporary setback when they attempted to use force to capture urban centres. They were then forced to retreat to the countryside. From there, they continued to organize a land redistribution policy that appealed to people. They now were able to rebuild their base. Mao was elected chairman of the Jiangxi Soviet. It expanded rapidly and soon, there was an area that had several million people under its control. In 1933, the Central Community from Russia moved its headquarters to the Jiangxi Soviet. They gradually took over the leadership of the soviet from Mao. After Chiang Kai-shek launched a military campaign against the Jiangxi Soviet which started to make the soviet overwhelmed and caused them to abandon the Jiangxi base in 1934.

In October 1934, the Red Army abandoned the Jiangxi base and began it’s Long March. The Long March was a 6,000 mile trek that the Chinese Communists took. This resulted in the relocation of the communist revolutionary base. It moved from southeastern to northwestern China. Throughout the entire way, they fought Nationalist forces under the Chiang Kai-Shek. Many people ended up joining the Chinese Communist Party in the late 1930s and early 1940s because of the Long March.

 Between 1930 and 1934, Chiang Kai-shek launched a series of military campaigns against the Chinese communists. They did this in an attempt to get rid of their base area. The communists were able to fight off the first four campaigns by using tactics of guerilla warfare and mobile infiltration. Mao was removed from leadership of the Central Committee in 1934. His method of guerilla  warfare was abandoned and they used regular warfare tactics instead. The communist forces suffered loss and were nearly crushed. In January 1935, Mao was able to establish dominance in the party again. The Long March established Mao’s leadership of the Communist party.  Following the end of the Long March, the CCP established a Soviet in Yan’an. They continued to expand their influence in the 1940s. This is where the CCP started their program of social reform. It became the center of the Chinese Communist Revolution from late 1935 to the 1940s. It is celebrated as the birthplace of the revolution.

Many things played a part in the emergence of Mao as the leader of China in 1949. Some main events that contributed to his path for power are the Jiangxi Soviet, the Long March, and the Yan’an period. He held a position of power in these periods which helped him to become leader later on. He established leadership in the Communist Party and he gained many people's support, further helping him to become the leader of China.