About the benevolent/charisma or the fearsome of a particular non-democratic leader/dictator to his people. It should be one of the elements that contributed to the 'somewhat' stability of that regime. But how about the nationalistic sentiment of the people - in another word is the nationalism or the national identity.
Chinese people under Mao, of course, there were a major part that follow his lead because of fear or love.
However, there should be reasons for people to love him, not only because of the ideological he brought, or the 'New China' he created, but also a sense of nationalism. That sense of nationalism can be hopes or efforts to conserve a 5000-years-of-culture China.
Excellent point, Hung - yes, many of these leaders are followed because they represent the nation in the minds of the people. Mao certainly did.
ReplyDeleteBut Mao had a complicated attitude towards the old China. The Chinese Cultural Revolution was an attempt to break with the past - sometimes quite literally, by breaking the "old" things and destroying reminders of China's "feudal" past.
Prof.X, Is that why he was replaced ?
DeleteNo, he wasn't replaced. He died in office at a ripe old age, as absolute a ruler as any of the old emperors. (Though in the waning years of the cultural revolution some high-level CCP members did rein him in a bit). Afterwards people did discuss his legacy and changed his policies, but he wasn't ever replaced.
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