10 Really Horrible Things Done By Great People

3. Mao Zedong Murdered 80 Million Chinese People

"History is the symptom and humanity is the disease." ~ Mao Zedong

Supporters of Mao often employ a cost/benefit argument when evaluating his rule to critics. Sure millions died under his dictatorship, but it was necessary for China to progress forward. Before Mao's Communist revolution the average life expectancy was thirty-five; afterwards, it was sixty-five. Before Mao, only 20% of the population could read; afterwards this figure had multiplied to 80%. If it hadn't been for Mao Zedong, China would never have become the impressive super power that it is now. Surely all the good Mao did for China outweighs the bad. So, Was He Really Such A Bad Guy? Yes, he was. Without a second's thought, Mao allowed millions of Chinese to die excruciating deaths under his regime. During the Great Leap Forward (1958-1961), his inspired plan to achieve a modernized communist nation, China would be struck with what many historians call the worst famine in history. What is truly shocking are the loads of eye-witness accounts detailing the brutality people suffered at the hands of fanatical party members. Countless citizens were beaten to death while working the fields. Some were forced to work naked in the dead of winter. The shortage of food and intolerable work conditions pushed several into desperation. The dead became food, and in a few horrific cases, living children were sold for meat. All the while, dictator Mao stood by with his secret police ready to snatch up any who disagreed with the communist plan so they could be placed in re-education camps.