Mao's dominance of the top positions in the party, the military, and the government during his twenty-seven-year rule had made it more difficult for others to challenge him, but the core of Mao's power remained personal. His authority came not from his official positions, but from his extraordinary success in leading the revolution to military victory, his mastery of the uses of power, his grandiose visions, and the hope and awe he inspired in his people—with the help of a disciplined party and a controlled media.
