Mao Zedong Addressing His Followers on December 6, 1944—Photograph

Photographs can reveal information that would take many words to describe. By examining the actions, details, and environment revealed in photographs, we can learn many things about different periods in history. The photograph below is of Mao Zedong (mow dzuh dahng), a famous Chinese leader.

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Background

Mao Zedong was born in China's Hunan province in 1893. At that time, the Chinese people were unhappy with the Qin dynasty. They felt that foreign nations had too much control over China's resources. Mao later said that it seemed to be a time when “the dismemberment of China” would happen quickly. Mao became active in politics at a young age. When this photograph of Mao addressing his followers was taken in 1944, he was the leader of the Chinese Communist Party. Mao had organized and trained a peasant army to resist the Japanese occupation of China during World War II. After the Japanese surrender, he used his peasant army to take control of China for the Communist Party. He and his fellow revolutionaries took power in 1949. China became a Communist state and Mao became its leader. He had almost total control of the country. Mao wanted China to be a self-sufficient, powerful nation. Yet, millions of Chinese died in the aftermath of his revolution. The brutal changes enforced by the Communist government also destroyed many of China's artistic and cultural traditions.