Mao Zedong was a Chinese communist revolutionary and the founding father of the People's Republic of China. He was also the leader of the Chinese Communist Party from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. During his rule, Mao initiated the Cultural Revolution, a period of political and social upheaval in China from 1966 to 1976. Mao was a Cultural Revolutionist, a term used to describe those who actively participated in the Cultural Revolution.