Mao: A Necessary Evil

A detailed Summary of Mao: A Necessary Evil


The lecture that Philip Short gave on his book Mao: A Necessary Evil was a very interesting insight into the life of the controversial leader of China. He started by talking about Mao's early life, growing up in central China. There was very little outside influence there, and life was lived the same way it had for hundreds of years. His tiny village did not even have electricity or newspapers. What he did receive there was a Confusion education, which would be the bedrock of his thinking throughout his life.

Mao became a Marxist at the age of 27, and he had the advantage of relating these beliefs to the Chinese people through his knowledge and belief in Confucianism.

A huge civil war was underway in China (started in 1912) when Mao took on Marxism. In 1911, revolutionaries overthrew the emperor, and the civil war that came after raged on for decades. The war was terribly bloody, during one outbreak of fighting,


So, the question of necessary evil still remains. Some argue that China could have taken the same route as Taiwan, but Taiwan did not become a democracy until 12-15 years ago, and that is when their economy boomed. Hopefully China will also boom, and it is perceivable because democracy is slowly moving in, and creating a middle class. People are starting to own property and automobiles, and better education is now available. Politically, the government has banned some bullish laws, and people are able to think freely, although they can't print it.

over 300,000 people lost their lives. Through all this blood however, it was also a very "exhilarating" time for China, as Short put it. This is because the revolution opened the doors for outsiders, especially from Japan and Western nations.

Philip Short thinks that it was a necessary evil. He feels, because of the time frame, it was the only way it could be done, and that the pain was neces

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Approximate Word count = 641
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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