The influential leader of the 人民解放军 (People's Liberation Army) in China during the Chinese Civil War was Mao Zedong. Mao played a key role in the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, leading the communist forces to victory against the Nationalist government. His ideologies, encapsulated in Maoism, emphasized peasant-based revolution and the importance of rural struggles. Mao's leadership significantly transformed China's political landscape and initiated profound social and economic changes.