Mao Ze ‧ dong /ˌmaʊ dzəˈdʊŋ/ BrE AmE ( also Chairman Mao )
(1893–1976) a Chinese politician who helped to start the Chinese ↑ Communist Party in 1921 and became its leader in 1935, during the ↑ Long March . In 1949 he took control of the government and established the People's Republic of China. He started the ↑ Cultural Revolution in 1966. He was one of the most powerful and successful leaders of China, and most Chinese people greatly respected him, had pictures of him in their homes, and had copies of his ↑ Little Red Book called The Thoughts of Chairman Mao .