Mao Emergence

Question 1

How did Mao use ideology to emerge to power?

Answer 1

PA: Moise → Mao’s ideology was vital as it was adapted to China’s situation and attracted popular support

• Mao didn’t adopt orthodox Marxism-Leninism, but rather applied its principles to China’s specific situation

→ argued that peasants (80% population) would lead the revolution, not industrial workers (4% population)

most policies undertaken by Mao aligned with his ideology

→ local peasant associations were created and
regularly consulted by CCP leaders

→ land reform policies (ie. seizure of land and reallocation to peasants)

→ provision of peasant literacy and health programmes

→ the application of CCP ideology through these policies
(+ nationalism during S-J War) won the CCP support (1937-45: membership rose from 40,000 to 1,000,000).

Question 2

How did Mao use force to gain power?

Answer 2

Lynch → “Mao unashamedly condoned the use of terror” in achieving his revolution (he depended on it).

• CCW (1946-1949) –> Communist party had to fight a literal war
• 1930: Mao ordered the torture/interrogation/execution
  of 4,000 Red Army soliders who supported his political rivals within the CCP (‘Futian Incident)
• 1940 Land Reform campaigns - 100k killed (landowners) to control the land
• ‘Rectification Campaigns’ (1942) Ya’nan encouraged CCP members confess crimes went against Mao –> 10,000 deaths from these campaigns).

1) Created Climate of Fear
2) Strengthened Mao’s cult of personality
3) Movement emphasized the need for self-criticism, mass mobilization, and the importance of the peasants in the revolution.
4) These ideas became central to Maoist ideology and were used to justify many of the policies implemented by Mao during his time in power.

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Question 3

COA of Force?

Answer 3

Fitzgerald → the CCP won popular support through honest government, policies and discipline, not force.

R1: Mao win support of the peasant class attractive reforms

→ land reform (ie. seizure of land + reallocation to peasants)

→ abolition of usury (exorbitant interest on loans) →
these policies directly improved the lives of peasants (therefore less need for coercion through violent means).

R2: Mao’s policies still necessitated the use of force (ie. land was confiscated from landlords though violence)

–> the popularity Mao earned
also does not change the fact that he came to power via military victory (NOT a peaceful/electoral pathway).

Question 4

Propoganda?

Answer 4

• Long March of ‘34 –> Major propoganda success
• Red Army –> form of indirect propoganda

–> Mao instructed Red Army soldiers to spread communist ideology in the villages they ‘liberated’

• Behaviour of the army was also regulated –> ‘Six principles of the red army’ included rules such as ‘pay for all things broken, even a chopstick’
• Previous imperial/warlord armies had mistreated civilians (Red Army conduct thus improved image of CCP)

Question 5

Perspectives of Propoganda?

Answer 5

see