(1893 - 1965)
Mao Zedong was the leader of the People's Republic of China since before the country's victory against both the Japanese Empire and the Republic of China. A charismatic man with an agile military thinking, he had subjugated China under a single stable central authority for the first time since a century ago. Perhaps his greatest moment was in the Korean War, when the technologically superior UN forces were beaten back by his People's Liberation Army.
However, in the mid-1960s, Mao Zedong grew increasingly paranoid, zealous and delusional, putting him on a collision course with the Soviet Union's neo-Trotskyists. Even within China, many began to question his ability to lead the country to greatness. Upon realising his plans for a Cultural Revolution and what it entailed, the Communist Party of China's "Reformer" group and the PLA high command staged a coup. Mao was killed in the final shootout within Beijing, fighting alongside his Red Guards. His position as leader of the CPC was succeeded by Deng Xiaoping, leader of the modernist faction.