Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why did Mao Zedong serve in the revolutionary army in Hunan?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong.
Mao Zedong served in the revolutionary army in Hunan for six months following the outbreak of the Chinese Revolution in 1911.1
After fighting against the Qing dynasty began in Wuchang on October 10, 1911, the revolt quickly spread to Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. Mao enlisted in a unit of the revolutionary army during this period of upheaval. While he had not yet fully developed his later belief that "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun," this brief military experience served to confirm his long-standing boyhood admiration for military exploits and leaders, such as George Washington and Napoleon I. His service concluded in the spring of 1912 with the birth of the new Chinese republic.1