Wk. 12 Mao Zedong, Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan (1927)

Question 1

Mao Zedong, Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan (1927)

Answer 1

Mao Zedong, Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan (1927) – Following the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925, the Communist Party split from the Nationalist Party and a civil war began in China. Millions of peasants sided with the Communists and launched their own uprisings in 1926, creating Peasant Associations. In this document, Mao Zedong, a member of the Communist Party, describes what he observed during a month-long tour of areas where these associations controlled the countryside. Mao’s account helped convince the Communists to base their movement on these revolutionary peasants.

What had the peasants done? What were their goals?

• Before the revolution. “the forces of rural democracy have risen to overthrow the forces of rural feudalism. The patriarchal-feudal class of local tyrants, evil gentry and lawless landlords has formed the basis of autocratic government for thousands of years and is the cornerstone of imperialism, warlordism, and corrupt officialdom.”
• The goals of the peasants and the revolution were to overthrow (and replace) feudalism“To overthrow these feudal forces is the real objective of the national revolution.”
• The peasants wanted power and resources redistributed so that they too could share in the wealth.
  
  • “The main targets of attack by the peasants are the local tyrants, the evil gentry and the lawless landlords”
  • “the privileges which the feudal landlords enjoyed for thousands of years are being shattered to pieces. Every bit of the dignity and prestige built up by the landlords is being swept into the dust. With the collapse of the power of the landlords, the peasant associations have now become the sole organs of authority and the popular slogan “All power to the peasant associations” has become a reality.”

Why did Mao think they were essential to the revolution?

• Mao was very happy about the peasant uprising and made great pains to make a defined separation between the peasants and the “Evil Gentry”.
  
  • “the present upsurge of the peasant movement is a colossal event.”
  • “They will smash all the trammels that bind them and rush forward along the road to liberation. They will sweep all the imperialists, warlords, corrupt officials, local tyrants and evil gentry into their graves.”
• There was a fundamental power shift. “In short, what was looked down upon four months ago as a “gang of peasants” has now become a most honorable institution.”

How did they embody communist values?

• One of the hallmarks of communism, in addition to state ownership, is total control over the people. There is no self-rule in communism. There is no “power to the people”. And this is exactly how the peasants were acting.
  
  • “Even things such as a quarrel between husband and wife are brought to the peasant association. Nothing can be settled unless someone from the peasant association is present. The association actually dictates all rural affairs, and, quite literally, ‘whatever it says, goes.’ “
  • And there is no such thing as free speech, particularly no dissenting speech. “Those who are outside the associations can only speak well of them and cannot say anything against them. The local tyrants, evil gentry and lawless landlords have been deprived of all right to speak, and none of them dares even mutter dissent.” The peasants have become the fascists, quashing dissent and taking away freedom. They instantly became the tyrants – and not only to the “evil Gentry” that they were overthrowing but also to the other peasants.
• The peasants are on the front line of the Communist revolution whether they realize it or not.
  
  • “The poor peasants have always been the main force in the bitter fight in the countryside. […] They are the most responsive to Communist Party leadership. They are deadly enemies […] of the local tyrants and evil gentry and attack it without the slightest hesitation…This great mass of poor peasants, […] the vanguard in the overthrow of the feudal forces and the heroes who have performed the great revolutionary task which for long years was left undone. Without the poor peasant class […], it would have been impossible to bring about the present revolutionary situation in the countryside, or to overthrow the local tyrants and evil gentry and complete the democratic revolution.” Mao and the peasants see the wealthy as evil and the peasants as “the people”.

OTHER:

• Recognizing the inevitable success of the peasant uprising, the gentry attempt to buy favor with them, but they’ll have none of it. Why let them buy your favor, when you can simply punish them and take their money anyway?
  
  • ““Here’s ten yuan. Please let me join the peasant association,” one of the smaller of the evil gentry will say. “Ugh! Who wants your filthy money?” the peasants reply”
• Regardless of the side you’re on in revolution, there is an aspect that is “terrible“ to most people. Many think revolution is “terrible“, but Mao thinks “it’s Fine” and that death to the overlords for the sake of revolution is both acceptable and expected because it is the nature of revolution.
  
  • “Even quite progressive people said, “Though terrible, it is inevitable in a revolution.””
  • “This is a marvelous feat never before achieved, not just in forty, but in thousands of years. It’s fine. It is not “terrible” at all. It is anything but “terrible.””
  • He thinks the call of the uprising being terrible is simply the gentry trying to make the uprising look like the villain rather than the oppressive ‘evil’ gentry.““It’s terrible!” is obviously a theory for combating the rise of the peasants in the interests of the landlords; it is obviously a theory of the landlord class for preserving the old order of feudalism and obstructing the establishment of the new order of democracy, it is obviously a counterrevolutionary theory.”
  • “I have already pointed out that the peasants’ attack on the local tyrants and evil gentry is entirely revolutionary behaviour and in no way blameworthy.”
• But instead of “it’s terrible“, Malc tries to frame revolution as “it’s fine“. He is set in very black-and-white thinking, just like George W. Bush before heading into Iraq “You’re either with us or against us”, a tactic to force people to take sides.
  
  • “Every revolutionary comrade must support it, or he will be taking the stand of counter-revolution.”
• Mao cites “14 Great Achievements” by the peasants

1. Organizing the Peasants into Peasant Associations.
2. Hitting the Landlords Politically
   
   • Checking the Accounts (to search for stolen public money).
   • Levying Contributions (Essentially forcing contributions (a tax) on the wealthy to the peasants)
   • “Crowning” the Landlords ( Parading the gentry through the streets to humiliate and punish them)
   • Execution (They killed the worst of the gentry)
3. Hitting the Landlords Economically (controlling prices on goods and rents)
4. Overthrowing the Feudal Rule
5. Overthrowing the Armed Forces of the Landlords and Establishing Those of the Peasants
6. Overthrowing the Political Power
7. Overthrowing the Clan Authority
8. Spreading Political Propaganda (supporting the revolution)
9. Peasant Bans and Prohibitions (implementing sensors and diminishing freedoms the peasants, and presumably the communists, found unacceptable)
10. Eliminating Banditry
11. Abolishing Exorbitant Levies (Taxes were still necessary to fund the revolution, but certain taxes that were burdensome to the peasants were eased or eliminated)
12. The Movement for Education (Education has always been a forceful power of equalization, for women, poor, minorities – it’s the greatest equalizer.)
13. The Co-Operative Movement (Creating co-ops strips much of the power from the landlords and merchants while empowering the peasants.)
14. Building Roads and Repairing Embankments (infrastructure creates jobs and makes trade easier and less expensive for the non-wealthy.)

POWERPOINT:

Socialism and Communism

• Orwell defined socialism as state ownership of the means of production and a planned economy
  
  • Additional safeguards for democracy and equality
• Socialism vs. Communism in terms of political democracy
  
  • “Socialism” typically means pro-democracy“
  • Communism” typically means non-democratic
• That works, but isn’t the core difference

Marxist Theory of History

• Historical change is caused by class conflict and changes in the means of production
• Change happens in predictable stages, via revolutions
  
  • Feudalism >> Capitalism
    
    • Trade and industry replaces land as the primary means of production
    • Bourgeoisie replaces landlords as the ruling class
  • Capitalism >> Communism
    
    • Proletariat overthrow bourgeoisie
    • Class differences are abolished (equality) and there will be no more state
  • To make the transition to communism, need a socialist state
    
    • “Dictatorship of the proletariat:” eliminate other classes by removing their privileges, education, etc.

Communist Expectations

• Communism has never existed
  
  • To call yourself a “Communist” means you aspire to that utopian situation
  • USSR, North Korea, People’s Republic of China were/are all at the “dictatorship of proletariat” stage (in theory)
• Nationalists and Communists share many values in 1920s China
  
  • Both want to topple the old rulers
  • Both want to industrialize the country
  • Communists view those as first step towards the second revolution
• Communists expect a second revolution to be led by the proletariat
  
  • Problem: there are very few industrial workers in China at the time

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Mao, Report on…the Peasant Movement

• What have the peasants done, starting w/ 14 Achievements?
  
  • They organized themselves into Peasant Associations
  • Those associations have been going after the landlords and other elites
    
    • Overthrowing the local gov’t authorities and replacing them w/ the Peasant Association
    • Investigating and stopping corruption by those landlords
    • Forced “contributions” from the landlords to fund programs for poor peasants
    • Mocking/humiliating/punishing rich landlords (in some cases killing them)
    • Limiting the rent landowners collect
    • Limiting the landlords ability to profit off grain sales
  • Created their own military forces
  • Created co-operatives to allow for collective economic action
• How successful were these Peasant Associations?
  
  • They have become the major power in many rural areas
    
    • So much so that the landlords are desperate to join the Associations
    • The peasants aren’t allowing this to happen – the landlords aren’t allowed to join or be represented
• This looks a little bit like the dictatorship of the proletariat
  
  • But with peasants rather than the industrial working-class proletariat
  • They’re also overthrowing feudalism (not capitalism)
• How should communists respond to what the peasants are doing?
  
  • Communists should support what the peasants are doing
  • Communists should be the “vanguard” of this revolution
• Mao wants an alliance between Communists and the Peasant Associations
  
  • The peasants are the most successful revolutionary group
• Why would the peasants want to join up with the communists?
  
  • The communists are offering equality (esp. economic equality)
  • The peasants want land