Final answer:
Mao Zedong revolted to bring about a communist revolution and modernize China. He built his force gradually and initiated the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. His leadership and policies led to widespread violence, anarchy, and economic disaster.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mao Zedong revolted because he believed that the Chinese peasant population had the power to bring about a communist revolution and modernize China. He built his force gradually, starting with a small number of survivors at the end of the Long March in 1935 and growing it to 1.2 million members by the end of World War Two.
In 1966, Mao initiated the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which aimed to reinforce Maoist ideology and remove capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society. This led to the closure of schools and universities, the persecution of intellectuals, and a loss of education for a generation of Chinese.
The cultural revolution had devastating effects on China, delaying industrialization and modernization, and resulting in estimates of 3 to 10 million deaths. Mao's leadership and policies often led to violence, anarchy, and economic disaster, causing the loss of millions of lives throughout his era.