Timeline Description: A communist leader with an anti-imperialist outlook, Chairman Mao used Marxist-Leninist concepts, political strategies, and military approaches that are known today as Maoism. Zedong was the founding father of the People's Republic of China and governor of the Communist Party of China.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| December 26, 1893 | Mao was born Mao Zedong was born in Shaoshan village to Mao Yichang, a tremendously wealthy farmer in the village, and Wen Qimei, a fervent Buddhist. His father was abusive and his mother worked to temper her husband's attitude. |
| 1906 | Mao was married Forced into an arranged marriage at age seventeen, Mao married, joining together two very wealthy families who owned a large amount of land. Mao Zedong was unhappy and left his wife. |
| 1912 | Zedong went back to school Desiring to be a teacher, Mao joined in the Fourth Normal School of Changsha, the finest school in Hunan. He make friends with a professor who helped him become involved in a radical newspaper, the New Youth. |
| 1915 | Mao was elected secretary of the Students Society He managed protests against the school rules and began writing with a friend to receive food. Zedong went on a walking tour of Hunan. |
| 1917 | Mao Zedong moved to Beijing Alongside his mentor, Yang Changji, Mao moved to Beijing and became an assistant to the university librarian, Li Dazhao, a Chinese Communist. Mao grew progressively radical, swayed by anarchism and evolving toward Marxism. |
| 1919 | Mao returned home to Shaoshan After traveling Shanghai, Mao returned home to visit his terminally ill mother, who passed away in October. His father passed away soon after her in January of 1920. |
| 1920 | The student rebellions After becoming a history teacher at Xiuye Primary School, Mao began to establish protests against the Hunan Province governor, known as Zhang the Venomous because of his viciousness and corruptness. Zedong founded the Hunanese Student Association, advocating for trade unions, non-violent revolts, and mutual aid. |
| 1921 | The Communist Party Founded in 1921, Mao established the Changsha branch of the Communist Party, also creating a Socialist Youth Corps subdivision. He opened a bookstore in order to circulate literature of the revolution and used it as a base to form worker strikes, activities for Hunan autonomy, and his other revolutionary movements. |
| September 9, 1927 | Mao planned to attack Changsha Mao Zedong led his troops into Changsha. He planned to attack the KMT-held city as commander-in-chief of the Red Army. |
| September 15, 1927 | Zedong accepts his defeat Mao Zedong's four regiments could not stand their ground in the Autumn Harvest Uprising. After six days of fighting, he pulled his troops from the battle. |
| October 14, 1934 | The Long March The Red Army broke through the KMT to embark on the Long March. Many wounded, children, elderly, and ill were left behind, but 85,000 soldiers and 15,000 others were on their way to cross the Xiang River, Wu River, and the Guizhou territory. During a temporary rest, Mao was elected as Chairman of Politburo. |
| 1940 | The Civil War(1940-1949) The Communist Party of China was sent a special envoy from the diplomats, called the Dixie Mission. In 1948, Mao ordered the People's Liberation Army to occupy Changchun. More than 160,000 civilians were killed in the siege that lasted five months. |
| October 1, 1949 | The People's Republic of China was established After two decades of international and civil wars, Chairman Mao became a businessman and a leader from his poolside compound. He established the Peoples Volunteer Army and sent them into the Korean War. |
| 1953 | Mao Zedong split from the Soviet Union After Stalin's s death in March, Albania was the only nation to openly side with China, forcing an alliance. Mao led the alliance by the Marxist doctrine. |
| September 9, 1976 | Mao Zedong passed away At the age of 86, after years of smoking, drinking, Parkinson's disease, and two heart attacks, Chairman Mao died from heart attack complications. His body was in state for a week for visitors to pay their respects. He was then put to rest in a mausoleum. Mao Zedong still remains a debated character with many opinions of his legacy. He is praised for unifying China, ending decades of war, refining women's rights, literacy, and education. His policies, however, triggered millions of deaths and his military tactics are still used today. |