What shaped the ideas and actions of one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century Presenting a new account of Mao Zedong s lifelong engagement with philosophy Robert Allinson reveals the extent to which Chinese and Western thinkers determined Mao s political career For the first time Mao s understanding of early philosophers such as Confucius Laozi Aristotle Hegel Schopenhauer and Nietzsche is looked at in close detail Drawing upon his exposure as a student to both traditional Chinese and Western philosophy Allinson shows how Mao s reading of Marxism utilized concepts from the traditional Yijingto produce a philosophy that departs from Engels and the Soviet model By revealing how Mao s reading of Western political thought as well as misreadings of traditional Chinese thought impacted his thinking Allinson presents a fresh and challenging study of the man who ushered in anti intellectualism during the dark period of the Cultural Revolution