Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung, and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao (26 December 1893 - 9 September 1976), was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution, He was the architect and founding father 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 policies, are collectively known as Maoism