In less than a century, China transformed itself from a colonized nation dreaming of its former glory to one of the world's dominant economic and political powers. For better or for worse, this transformation could not have taken place without Mao Zedong, a pivotal figure in the Cold War who brought China into the Communist camp and thrust the nation back into global prominence.  So how did this young revolutionary get his start? How did the son of two peasants rise through the ranks of poverty to become one of the most important and controversial figures in the 20th century?