This image depicts Mao Zedong interacting with peasants during the Long March. Prior to Mao’s rise to power, there was a significant divide between the peasant masses and the upper-class landowners. Peasants were often subject to the whims of their landlords, and the Kuomintang valued the interests of wealthy landowners, increasing the divide. Mao played off of these social divisions by siding with and interacting with peasants. The CCP won peasant support through redistribution, rent controls, and campaigns to wipe out corruption and improve literacy. The support of the peasants, who represented up to 90% of the population, allowed Mao to gain control.
