Who was the founder of the People's Republic of China and led the country until 1976, initiating the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution?

• A. Deng Xiaoping
• B. Jiang Zemin
• C. Sun Yat-sen
• D. Mao Zedong

Answer: (D)

Mao Zedong founded the People's Republic of China in 1949 and led the country until his death in 1976. He directed two monumental campaigns: the Great Leap Forward, a push to rapidly industrialize and collectivize agriculture, which instead caused severe famine and hardship; and the Cultural Revolution, a movement intended to reinforce ideological control and purge perceived enemies, which led to widespread social and political chaos. Deng Xiaoping was a later leader who guided reforms after 1976, Jiang Zemin led in the 1990s, and Sun Yat-sen was a key figure in founding the Republic of China before the PRC. Because Mao initiated these campaigns and headed the PRC through that period, he is the correct answer.