Mao Zedong is know for many things, one of which is the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-68). Old ideas, dissidents and other 'reactionary' elements were eradicated.
But Mao's not the first. Qin Shi Huang, the 1st Emperor of China, carried out a similar campaign of book-burning... and scholar-burning at the advice of prime minister Li Si. Like Mao, it was also intended to secure the nascent political order against ideological threats.
Both were allegedly paranoid about keeping their hold on power, the threat of treacherous ministers, and the fear of losing public support.
R.G. Collingwood once said "The history of the word is the history of great men". We should bring psychology onto the political stage.
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