Mao: A Necessary Evil

MAO: A NECESSARY EVIL The lecture that Philip Short gave on his book Mao: A Necessary Evil was a very interesting insight into the life of the controversial leader of China. He started by talking about Mao’s early life, growing up in central China. There was very little outside influence there, and life was lived the same way it had for hundreds of years. His tiny village did not even have electricity or newspapers. …

…evil. He feels, because of the time frame, it was the only way it could be done, and that the pain was necessary. It made the Chinese skeptics, so they would not believe in things so easily and without cause. Short’s final argument was looking at China’s past. Often when a very violent period took over, the next period was a golden age. Hopefully for the Chinese another golden age is soon coming.