Mao Tse-tung is one of the most important political leaders of the 20th century, and through his revolutionary leadership and state-building efforts, he shaped the course of modern Chinese history. As the main architect of the People's Republic of China, Mao worked to end decades of civil war and foreign invasion, while instituting a new political order. Mao's leadership combined ideological commitment with strategic pragmatism, which allowed the Chinese Communist Party to mo