Why could Mao Zedong be considered a hero?

First and foremost, Mao Zedong is known as the communist revolutionary political figure who came to be the founding
father of the People’s Republic of China. Much to what China is and how the Communist Party of China has been ruling
the country over the decades it’s all thanks to the legacy of his doctrine. Before Mao’s administration, the Chinese
population ranged from 450 to 500 people, they eared approximately an average per-capita income of $54; however, as he
took over, China’s population grew to have a billion habitants. Mao’s objective was to eradicate societal oppression,
worked towards feminist principles, and improve people’s living conditions. From 1949 to 1976, he fought against
corruption from within the government and had managed to strengthen the economy; additionally, he developed
educational reforms that significantly decreased illiteracy in China’s population. Mao was a man who sought social justice
in China, this gave hope to his people and led them to perceive this leader as a hero during his years as chairman who had
restored China.

Why could Mao Zedong be considered a villain?

One of the principal causes that led this chairman to be perceived distastefully was the "Great Leap Forward", launched by
Mao Zedong in 1958. It was a five-year economic plan that intended to regain credibility like other advanced countries in
regards to industrial and agricultural production; however, the plan failed and his policies lead to a calamitous famine and
the death of tens of millions. Moreover, in 1966, Mao initiated the Chinese Cultural Revolution, which was a violent
political campaign. Its purpose was to preserve the Chinese communism by removing any capitalism and traditional
components remaining from their society. Nonetheless, this revolution caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people,
the execution of thousands, and the imprisonment and isolation of hundreds for hidden 'bourgeois tendencies’. During Mao
Zedong’s administration, the total death count was 40 million people, this surpassed the count of dead people for World
War II. In Mao’s last years as chairman, the country collapsed and fell into chaos almost leading it into a state of anarchy.
Mao was impulsive and manipulative, his decision caused substantial devastation over China, which led many to view him
as a villain.

BRIEF EXPLANATION:

In this piece, the propaganda depicted and portrayed Mao as a villain.

In the picture, he is standing over a mountain of corpses. They
represent the millions of people who had died during his
administration; additionally, there’s a grim reaper to emphasize the
massacre. If seen closely, the background goes fro black to red to
represent the blood that had been shed by his people in the Cultural
Revolution. I also added a quote said from Mao, it says “Learn from
the masses, and then teach them”. It’s mostly for ironic purposes. Even
tho he had mainly focused his objectives to benefit the lower classes
and eradicate social oppression he mostly used methods that had
caused countless people to die. He had learned from the masses and
looked for what he needed to gain their trust; however, he taught them
through his mistakes that people who seek for good can also cause
devastation when they have power.

Aljazeera.com. (2019). People's Republic of China: From Mao to now. Retrieved from
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/people-republic-china-mao-190930073724637.html
Griffiths, J. (2016). How the Cultural Revolution changed China forever. Retrieved from
https://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/12/asia/china-cultural-revolution-dikotter/index.html