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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Bowman Gum Company (fl. 1951) Fight the Red Menace: The Children's Crusade against Communism trading cards; 47. War-Maker

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09627.47 Author/Creator: Bowman Gum Company (fl. 1951) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Trading card Date: 1951 Pagination: 1 collecting card ; 6 x 8 cm. Order a Copy PDF Download(s): PDF copy (image only)

One trading card from the Red Menace collection, "47. War-Maker" depicting an exaggerated portrait of Mao Tse-tung with a green face and included in the background is a monster wielding a large sword. Reverse side contains propaganda narrative describing Mao Tse-tung's efforts to bring communism to China. Text mentions that it was successful partly due to the fact that Russia supplied China with weapons. Also includes a quote by Mao, "History, he says, 'is written in blood and iron.'" Concludes that Mao is a serious threat to innocent people.

Mao Tse-tung was the communist leader and founder of the People's Republic of China. The initial aim of the communist party in China was to revive their own brand of labor and industry. However, the failure of the agricultural stance which led to famine and death led to a reassertion of a dictatorship in the 1960s.

Zedong, Mao, 1893-1976

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