Mao Yushi: Judging Mao as a Man

Mr. Mao is an economist and the chairman of the Unirule Institute.

Editor's note: This article is adapted from a longer essay that has now been removed from the website of Caixin magazine. After it was published, pro-Maoist groups have called for the author to be prosecuted for sedition and treason. The translation is by Jude Blanchette.

Mao Zedong was once a god. With the uncovering of more and more documents and information, he is gradually returning to human form.

Some still view Chairman Mao as a god, however, and view any critical discussion of him as blasphemous. If these people have their way, we will never be able to analyze him, never directly face his legacy, never question his spirit. Fortunately, the average person is now able to form their own understanding of his legacy.

In the 1950s, Mao resisted criticism of his policies by Peng Dehuai for fear that Peng would usurp his authority. Even though his leftist policies had created disaster, he continued to push forward. He initiated the reality-defying Great Leap Forward with its backyard steel production, its People's Communes, and its Three Flags campaign. Thirty million Chinese starved during this period, a number that surpasses any previous period in human history. As this was a time of peace for China, there is no way to place the blame for this event on anyone else.

To evade responsibility for this destruction and retain power, Mao then launched the Cultural Revolution. He attempted to destroy all of his political opponents and pass his power on to his most trusted partner, his wife Jiang Qing.

His method for acquiring power was class struggle. The original meaning of class struggle was the proletariat's fight against the capitalist class. For Mao, however, the term capitalist was used to describe anyone he disliked, many of whom had little or no property...