The first leader of the People's Republic of China was Mao Zedong. He was a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and played a crucial role in leading the party to victory in the Chinese Civil War, establishing the People's Republic on October 1, 1949. Mao's leadership marked the beginning of a significant transformation in Chinese society through policies such as land reforms and the promotion of collectivization, though his tenure was also marked by severe social upheavals such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, which led to widespread suffering and millions of deaths.