Maos Cult of Personality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Maos Cult of Personality - Essay Example The following discussion will be concentric upon the cult of personality surrounding Mao Tse Tung and the means by which this cult of personality was able to assist the People’s Republic of China, and specifically the Chinese Communist Party, in solidifying their grip on power during the period of the Cultural Revolution (approximately 1966 to 1976). Further, it is the distinct hope of this student that the following analysis will be beneficial in discussing how the Cultural Revolution was able to take place and the means by which identity was formulated through this particular cult of personality. As a means of framing this particular issue, it must be understood that Mao Tse Tung’s cult of personality was not something that was evident from the time he came into power as the Chairmen of the People’s Republic of China. Although doubtless revered within the Communist Party, and amongst the people of China, there did not exist a mechanism or state-sponsored cult of personality for the leader up until the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. Essentially, this cult of personality was born out of a direct need. As a direct result of the Great Leap Forward, Chinese industry, the row, and communist identity had been significantly reduced (MÃ ¡rquez, 2010). Whereas the Great Leap Forward had been designed as a means of rapidly transforming the People’s Republic of China into a modern industrialized society, the ultimate end result of this failed policy was mass starvation, economic difficulty, and disastrous collectivized nation that failed to produce the requir ed quotas of goods that leadership demanded. From the information that is thus far been provided, it is clear and apparent that the cult of personality exhibited around Chairman Mao was much more than a lust and desire for emulation and hero worship. Although it is doubtless true that the overall level of power that Chairman Mao, and those within Chinese leadership, exhibited served as a means of corrupting the ultimate message that they hoped to provide to the people, the true nature of Mao cult of personality that has been the focus of this particular analysis is in attempting to reestablish the legitimacy and trust of the people after the horrendous failures that were exhibited in terms of the great leap forward other failed policies of development during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Furthermore, it should also be understood that even though the cult of personality which has been the focus of this brief essay was intended to engage each and every stakeholder within China, the specific focus that it had was on the youth. This was of course done in the understanding that the youth of the nation were those that were most likely to carry on the communist struggle and encourage older individuals to have faith in the process and to promote the ideology and approach that Chairman Mao most wish to have affected. Without the participation and engagement of the youth, is doubtful that the Cultural Revolution, or indeed the cult of personality, could ever have become as powerful determinants in Chinese history as they have become. Â