6. Mao Zedong
Born on December 26, 1893, in Shaoshan, Hunan Province, China, Mao Zedong was the son of a prosperous farmer. From 1958 to 1962, Mao oversaw the Great Leap Forward, a campaign that aimed to rapidly collectivize agriculture and industrialize the country. It failed and resulted in the Great Chinese Famine. In 1966, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution, which was marked by violent class struggle, destruction of historical artifacts, and Mao’s cult of personality. From the late 1950s, Mao’s foreign policy was dominated by a political split with the Soviet Union, and in the 1970s he began establishing relations with the United States. In 1976, Mao died of a heart attack.
