Mao Zedong died on 9 September 1976 in Zhongnanhai, aged 82. A Chinese Communist revolutionary and political leader, Mao helped to found the Chinese Communist Party and led it through the Long March and the war against Japan. After defeating the Nationalists in the civil war, he proclaimed the People's Republic of China in 1949 and ruled as chairman of the party until his death. His policies include land reform, the Great Leap Forward, which was followed by a famine in which many millions are estimated to have died, and the Cultural Revolution begun in 1966, which brought turmoil and persecution. He also developed Mao Zedong Thought, an adaptation of Marxism to a peasant country. His legacy remains disputed.
Before and after
- 28 July 19761976 Tangshan earthquake
- 9 August 1976Launch of Luna 24
- 15 August 1976Birth of Abiy Ahmed
- 18 August 1976Korean axe murder incident
- 9 September 1976Death of Mao Zedong
- 18 September 1976Birth of Ronaldo
- 27 September 1976Birth of Francesco Totti
- October 1976First edition of Toronto International Film Festival
- 1977Origins of Chicago Marathon
More in Wars, politics & history
- 15 August 1947India and Pakistan become independent
- from 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953Korean War
- from 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975Vietnam War
- from 16 May 1966 to 6 October 1976Cultural Revolution
- 20 February 2014Russo-Ukrainian war
- 31 January 2020Brexit
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.