From my understanding, Mao was a communist leader that got his support fighting the Japanese in the 1930's through the mid 40's. He was the Chinese version of Stalin. The people followed him rather than Chiang Kai-shek because the human nature of equal without effort appealed more to them than democracy.
As in the reign of Stalin, Mao's reign was one of constant suspicion and purges. Millions of Chinese Citizens died under the rule of Mao. According to China, he is a brilliant leader.
Which is true to a certain aspect, Mao was a very strong leader. He is responsible for the 'modernization' of China, which would be very different from today without him. Now- I'll let you decide if that's a pro or a con.
That being said, I'm sure if German had won World war II, their history books would call Hitler a brilliant leader, too.
Mao did more than make a simple mistake. He actively encouraged people to eat up all their stored food, telling them that the glorious scientific advances of the revolution would feed them. It's possible that he really thought that would happen, but if so, he was guilty of homicidal idiocy at the very least.
Putting my extreme rant aside, and looking to be fair- As with any leader in power at the time of uprisings or civil reform, the blame will fall on them. I don't know that his intentions were in the interest of his people or self interest, but the Chinese seem to hold Mao Zedong in high regard.