The Saddle-Shaped Thoughts Transformation of Mao Zedong in the Agrarian Reforms of China

Abstract

The thoughts transformation of Mao Zedong in the land ownership policies can be divided into three stages and was saddle-shaped. First, the traditional Chinese Great Harmony, his life-long guiding principle upon the various policies, decided his preference for the public land ownership when he was still young. Secondly, as a pragmatist, Mao transformed his thought to adopt private ownership policy for more than twenty years (1930-1953). Thirdly, when Mao Zedong possessed the authority over the country, he released the general line, started the Great Leap Forward, and proposed the People’s Communes to realize his idealized target, a purer communist country, which resulted in a great disaster. The whole process of Mao Zedong’s thoughts transformation was a result of his compromise between the ideal in his mind and the reality of the society.