Jon Halliday

Es war nicht das Wohl seines Volkes, das Mao Tse-tung, dem Großen Vorsitzenden der Volksrepublik China, am Herzen lag. Es war auch nicht die kommunistische Ideologie, obwohl er ihren weltweiten Sieg anstrebte. Das Motiv von Maos Handeln war ausschließlich und zu jeder Zeit sein absoluter Wille zur Macht. Ob auf persönlicher, auf nationaler, auf internationaler Ebene ? sein Machthunger war grenzenlos. Mao Tse-tung hat nicht alle, aber viele seiner Ziele erreicht, und China hat teuer dafür bezahlt: mit dem Leben von 70 Millionen Menschen.

Based on a decade of research, and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before - and everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him, this book is the story of the life of Mao. It is full of revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing completely unknown Mao.

A gripping portrait of the late Chinese leader provides hitherto unavailable details about the life of Mao Tse-tung, exploding a wide variety of myths about Mao, including facts about the Long March, his relationship with Stalin, his ruthless campaign of getting his own way, his monstrous behavior toward those close to him, and the devastating impact of his thirst for power on the Chinese people. Reprint.