Zhu De

views updated Jun 08 2018

Zhu De (1886–1976) Chinese communist military leader. Zhu helped to overthrow (1912) the Manchu dynasty. In 1922, he met Zhou Enlai and joined the Chinese Communist Party. In 1928, Zhu joined forces with Mao Zedong, and led his section of the Fourth Red Army on the Long March (1934–35). Commander in chief during the Second Sino-Japanese War, he retained the post after the establishment of a communist republic (1949). Zhu held several important party posts before being denounced during the Cultural Revolution.