Mao Zedong was a Chinese communist revolutionary who became the founding father of the People's Republic of China (PRC). He led the Communist Party to victory in the Chinese Civil War against the Nationalists. Mao's theories, known as Maoism, emphasized the role of the peasantry in revolution. His reign included the 'Great Leap Forward,' an attempt to rapidly industrialize China's economy that resulted in a catastrophic famine, and the 'Cultural Revolution,' a decade-long sociopolitical movement aimed at purging 'capitalist' elements and enforcing orthodox Communist ideology. While his policies resulted in tens of millions of deaths, he is also credited with transforming China from a semi-colony into a major world power and significantly improving literacy and healthcare for the masses. His influence remains central to the ideology of the modern Chinese state.