The leader of the Chinese Communist Party during the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 was Mao Zedong. Mao played a pivotal role in the Chinese Revolution, leading the communists to victory against the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War. His leadership marked the transition of China to a communist state, significantly altering its political landscape. Mao’s policies and ideology, known as Maoism, shaped the country's subsequent direction and had profound implications for its social and economic development.