How Mao Zedong built up his cult of personality – from new Frank Dikötter book How to be a Dictator
- Mao made sure his portraits were everywhere, that the people sang songs glorifying him, and The Study of Mao Zedong Thought became compulsory
- With the cult of personality came a harsh regime modelled on the Soviet Union, as Mao portrayed himself as having adapted Marxism to China’s circumstances
Historian Frank Dikötter is one of the most respected chroniclers of modern China, winning acclaim for books including Mao’s Great Famine (2010), The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution (2013) and The Cultural Revolution: A People’s History (2016).
In this edited excerpt from the chapter on Mao, Dikötter describes how the founding father of the People’s Republic of China built up his cult of personality:
The moment the red flag fluttered over Beijing, a hastily sketched portrait of Mao Zedong went up over the main gate of the Forbidden City. Over the following months portraits of the chairman appeared in schools, factories and offices, often with precise instructions on how they should be displayed. His distinctive wart soon became a trademark.
The study of Mao Zedong Thought became compulsory, as adults from all walks of life had to go back to class, poring over official textbooks to learn the new orthodoxy. Revolutionary songs, including Mao Zedong is our Sun or Hymn to Chairman Mao were belted out daily by schoolchildren, soldiers, prisoners and office workers. These tunes were also blasted from loudspeakers, installed on street corners, railway stations, dormitories, canteens and all major institutions. Carefully choreographed parades were held twice a year, as clockwork soldiers, mounted cavalry, tanks and armoured cars were reviewed by the Chairman on top of a rostrum in Tiananmen Square.
With the cult of personality came a harsh regime modelled on the Soviet Union. “The Soviet Union’s Today is our Tomorrow” was the slogan of the day. Mao emulated Stalin, seeing the key to wealth and power in the collectivisation of agriculture, the elimination of private property, all-pervasive control of the lives of ordinary people and huge expenditures on national defence.