Mao Zedong

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Summary

Mao Zedong was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and the founding leader of the People’s Republic of China, known for leading the Communist revolution and launching campaigns including the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution. His rule combined communist social transformation with political purges and mass campaigns that caused widespread upheaval. His government promoted women’s legal equality, and he signed the 1950 Marriage Law, which abolished arranged marriage and established equal rights in marriage. Mao’s public record centers on communist politics and state-led social change, including women’s rights; no public statements on LGBTQ identity or advocacy are on record.