Book Excerpt: Mao - The Unknown Story
Mao Zedong was one of the most central figures of
the 20th century. From 1949, the year China became a communist
nation, till his death in 1976, Mao ruled with an iron fist. His insane
policies were responsible for the deaths of at least 4o lakh (estimates vary
widely) of his countrymen.
Today’s China pursues economies policies that are
far removed from Mao’s narrow and myopic economic ideas. The self-absorbed Mao pursued economic
policies that were self-serving and directed at massaging his bloated ego.
China tightly controls not just information but
also the flow of information, especially if it relates to the party and its
heavyweights – past and current, dead and alive.
There are very few books that relate the life and
times of Mao in unbiased and unflattering terms. However, the seminal work of
Jung Chang and Jon Halliday, the authors of Mao
- The Unknown Story, is a brilliant exception. The duo depict the Communist strongman as an evil, Machiavellian, and power-hungry politician.
Title: Mao - The Unknown Story
Author: Jung Chang and Jon Halliday
Publisher: Vintage
Pages featured here: 517-525
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