Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung, Chinese communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, author, political theorist, and leader of the Chinese Revolution. Commonly referred to as Chairman Mao, he was the architect of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from its establishment in 1949, and held authoritarian control over the nation until his death in 1976. His theoretical contribution to Marxism-Leninism, along with his military strategies and brand of political policies, are now collectively known as Maoism.