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The feminist writer He Zhen advocated communism. Read this excerpt from “What Women Should Know About Communism.”

I have a good idea that will exempt you from relying on others while still finding food naturally. How? By practicing communism. Think of all the things in the world. They were either produced by nature or by individual labor. Why can rich people buy them but poor people cannot? It is because the world trades with money. ... If every single woman understands that nothing is more evil than money, and they all unite together to cooperate with men to utterly overthrown the rich and powerful and then abolish money, then absolutely nothing will be allowed for individuals to own privately.

In at least 150 words, explain how Mao’s policies addressed He Zhen’s beliefs about communism and how those policies failed to live up to her expectations. What did Mao promise to women? What was delivered?

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Answer: He Zhen was a prominent feminist and communist activist who played a critical role in the early development of China's leftist movement. She was a vocal advocate for gender equality and women's rights and believed that communism provided the key to liberating women from the oppression of a patriarchal society. Mao Zedong, the founder of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the first chairman of the People's Republic of China, recognized the importance of He Zhen's ideas and incorporated them into his vision for a socialist society. However, Mao's policies failed to live up to He Zhen's expectations of what true communism should look like.

One of He Zhen's most significant contributions to communist ideology was her recognition of the fundamental importance of women's liberation. She argued that women could not be truly free until they were economically independent, and she advocated for women to be fully integrated into the workforce. Mao embraced this idea and promised to create a society in which women's participation in the workforce would be valued and encouraged. He also promised to eliminate the gender pay gap, provide women with education and healthcare, and expand opportunities for women to participate in political life.

However, the reality of Mao's policies for women fell far short of these promises. While women did indeed join the workforce in large numbers under Mao's rule, they were often relegated to low-paying and physically demanding jobs, while men occupied the more skilled and prestigious positions. Women also continued to be paid significantly less than men, and were often subjected to sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Moreover, Mao's policies did not lead to the elimination of gender-based violence, which remained a pervasive problem in Chinese society.

Another area in which Mao's policies fell short of He Zhen's expectations was in the realm of political empowerment. Despite Mao's promises to expand opportunities for women to participate in political life, women remained severely underrepresented in the upper echelons of government. While the CCP nominally endorsed gender equality, in practice women faced significant barriers to advancement in the party hierarchy. Furthermore, many women activists and intellectuals were purged and persecuted during the Cultural Revolution, which was launched in 1966 and was intended to further Mao's goals of revolutionizing Chinese society.

In conclusion, while Mao's policies incorporated some of He Zhen's beliefs about communism, they ultimately failed to live up to her expectations. Mao made promises to women about economic equality, political empowerment, and an end to gender-based violence, but these promises did not materialize in practice. Women continued to face discrimination and violence and were denied the full benefits of China's socialist project. He Zhen's vision of a truly egalitarian society, in which women played a central role, was never fully realized under Mao's leadership.

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