Maoism and Mao’s Rise to Power Flashcards
What are the 10 most important points from the “Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan” reading ?
- Peasant Movement in Hunan: The central focus of the text is on the peasant movement in Hunan Province, China.
- Periods of Development: The text highlights two distinct periods in the development of the peasant movement: one focused on organization, and the other on revolutionary action.
- Membership and Leadership: It discusses the growth in membership and leadership within the peasant associations.
- Targets of Attack: The main targets of the peasants’ actions are identified as the local tyrants, evil gentry, and lawless landlords.
- Power of Peasant Associations: The text emphasizes the rise of peasant associations as powerful entities, effectively replacing the authority of the landlords.
- Revolutionary Significance: It underscores the revolutionary significance of the actions taken by the peasants, particularly in the context of the broader national revolution.
- Dealing with Opposition: The text addresses how the peasants handle opposition and dissent, including those who resist their actions.
- Different Classes of Peasants: It categorizes peasants into rich, middle, and poor classes, and discusses their varying attitudes towards the peasant associations.
- Role of Poor Peasants: The text emphasizes the vital role played by poor peasants, who are identified as the driving force behind the revolutionary movement.
- Criticism and Mistakes: The text acknowledges criticism and potential mistakes made by various parties, including the government’s response to certain actions.
What is Mao’s origin story ?
He is from a well-off farming family.
Born in the early 1900s, he is 18 when the Qing empire collapses, all these big changes shape his formatting years.
He is well-read and self-taught, becomes a library assistant and involved with reading circles, protest groups, strike groups etc.
When does Mao become important to the communist party and why is he so important ?
He joins the party in 1921 and quickly became important.
However, he is really identified as leader during the long march.
He is a very relevant Chinese leader as he has been the head of the communist party both as a revolutionary party and communist party in power.
He also developed his own set of political ideals and ideology; Maoism.
According to Julia Lowell, what is the first characteristic of Maoism ?
Political power comes from controlling the means of violence.
This was shown to young Mao through the KMT massacre in Shanghai for example.
One can violently impose power and violently suppress enemies.
Being persuasive is not enough, it comes from “the barrel of a gun, and the party controls the gun, the gun cannot control the party”.
Still to this day, the PLA defends the party first and the country/state second.
Note: Mao also did believe in propaganda and persuasion to bonnify the gains brought about by violence.
According to Julia Lowell, what is the second characteristic of Maoism ?
Revolution is violent. He supports the purifying and transformative effect of violence.
A revolution is not a dinner party, it cannot be gentle. You need violence to uproot a system.
In the Chinese context, this means peasants overthrow landlords. These land reforms killed 1.5 to 2 Million people.
The people actively participate in the violence: denounce ennemies to the party, pitted against one another.
Quota of 1/1000 citizen executed.
According to Julia Lowell, what is the third characteristic of Maoism ?
Pragmatic Communism.
The working class is the locomotive of history. Since China did not have an urban revolution, workers were not sensitized, still rural. Therefore, the peasants need to be the drivers of revolution.
Communism was adapted to national conditions. Knowing the terrain was very important and in the party - “no investigation, no right to speak”, members were sent to experience the rural lifestyle.
According to Julia Lowell, what is the fourth characteristic of Maoism ?
Gender Equity. “What men can do women can do”. Effort to promote a counter culture to Western beliefs in the 1960s.
Mao established laws to allow women to divorce and own land (though, a little like Henry the 8th, who knows if that was for his own benefit…)
Still, only 26% of the party today is women.
According to Julia Lowell, what is the fifth characteristic of Maoism ?
Criticism, self-criticism and ritual humiliation.
Everyone was encouraged to keep in check their behaviour, reflect on it and change it.
This was a public practice, which facilitated discipline and group cohesion. Also scared potential challengers.
Even at the elite level: CCP’s big players submit to self-criticism papers, kept everyone on their toes and weary of one another.
Competition to be loyal to Mao: he made sure that no one too important was close to him so they would not try to lead the party. He would conduct purges, let others join in to isolate the target and force him to submit a paper which was kept and used as blackmail.
According to Julia Lowell, what is the sixth characteristic of Maoism ?
Personality Cult.
Mao is the philosopher king of China.
Lin Piao’s little red book filled with quotes from Mao, everyone had to carry one around.
This 1) ensures loyalty 2) bind everyone to the leader (each little commitment makes it harder for you to turn away)
STALIN’S DEATH: Khrouchtchev turns away from Stalin (secret speech of 1956). Calls for collective leadership and liberalization. The rest of the block follows.
Mao is adiment that this cannot happen in China after he dies. He double down all the measures putting him forward.
According to Julia Lowell, what is the seventh characteristic of Maoism ?
Anti-imperialism.
Mao refuses to make peace with the West, helps North Korea for example. There are meaningful tensions. He is very much anti-USA.
According to Julia Lowell, what is the eighth characteristic of Maoism ?
Perpetual revolution.
In Mao’s eyes, revolution is ongoing. He is anti-bureaucratic (no entrenched bureaucratic interests).
In 1966: want the youth to experience revolution, begins the cultural revolution.
According to Julia Lowell, what is the ninth, and last, characteristic of Maoism ?
Mass-line method.
There is no accountability mechanism. Mass dictatorship: ideas and criticism from the people and reformulated and published as propaganda. This is a way of staying close to them.
He deems people to be politically unsophisticated, their dissatisfaction changes nothing.
What are the main legacies of Mao ?
- Maoism is still an important strain of thought.
- The party cannot dissociate itself from him, constructs his own history of Mao (leaves out, embellishes etc.)
- His image is on currency, in Tiananmen Square.
- Xi Jinping’s interpretation of Maoism: similar with one clear difference: Xi wants a strong disciplined party and a strong bureaucracy loyal to the party. Mao did not care about these two things.
