She portrays him as a tyrant who manipulated everyone and everything he could in pursuit of personal power .
Chang and Halliday do not accept the idealistic explanations for Mao 's rise to power or common claims for his rule .
She portrays Chang as a tyrant who manipulated everyone and everything he could in pursuit of personal power .
Chang and Halliday do not accept the idealistic explanations for Mao 's rise to power or common claims for his rule .