Mao Tse-Tung (1893–1976), the leader of the People's Republic of China from its inception in 1949 until his death in 1976 is, in the minds of many, the single most important person in China's history. For twenty-two years he led Chinese armies in guerrilla warfare against foreign invaders, and then against the Chinese government in an effort to effect a complete sociopolitical revolution in his country. He succeeded, and then became the spokesman for a quarter of the human race.