Wk. 12 Mao Zedong, U.S. Imperialism is a Paper Tiger (1956)

Question 1

Mao Zedong, U.S. Imperialism is a Paper Tiger (1956)

Answer 1

Mao Zedong, U.S. Imperialism is a Paper Tiger (1956) – By 1956 the Communist Party ruled mainland China, having defeated both Japanese invaders and the Nationalist or Guomindang Party led by Chiang Kai-shek in the civil war. But in the context of the Cold War, especially the Korean War (1950-1953), the People’s Republic of China faced hostility from the United States, which refused to recognize it as the legitimate government of China. In this text, which came out of a discussion of U.S. involvement in Latin America, Mao explained why he believed the Communists had been successful in their revolutionary struggles in China and how he thought they could defeat the United States.

What did he believe was the secret to revolutionary warfare?

• He believed the key was the support of the people and sneaky tactics like guerilla warfare to counter the opponent’s superior technology.
• Create a slog (slow, difficult path) for the enemy through superior morale and local support.
  
  • This has been successful for the North Vietnamese vs. USA and for the Afghanis vs. the Soviet Union.

How did this apply to the contemporary situation?

• Since the communists had inferior technology, and, at points, fewer numbers, they would have to create this slog for their opponent, the USA.

What was the difference between viewing the United States “strategically” versus “tactically?”

• Strategically, the US is despised by everyone. Tactically, it is powerful and must be taken seriously and dismantle piece-by-piece over time.
  
  • “Strategically, we must utterly despise U.S. imperialism. Tactically, we must take it seriously.”
  • “But today the United States still has strength, turning out more than 100 million tons of steel a year and hitting out everywhere. That is why we must continue to wage struggles against it, fight it with all our might and wrest one position after another from it. And that takes time.”
• Mao sees the US is hostile to China and to their current way of life.
  
  • “The United States is flaunting the anti-Communist banner everywhere in order to perpetuate aggression against other countries.”
  • “The whole world, Britain included, dislikes the United States. The masses of the people dislike it. Japan dislikes the United States because it oppresses her. None of the countries in the East are free from U.S. aggression. The United States has invaded our Taiwan Province. Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Viet Nam and Pakistan all suffer from U.S. aggression, although some of them are allies of the United States.”
• Making the connection, Mao equates the US global stance as imperialistic even as late as 1956, first saying the US is an “oppressor“ and then noting the oppressed want independence.
  
  • “None of the countries in the East are free from U.S. aggression.”
  • “All oppressed nations want independence.”
• Mao seems to believe that the US citizens are implicitly revolting against their own government, but at least democracy allows for the removal of unwanted rulers, not like communism.“The U.S. imperialist forces will change from big to small because the American people, too, are dissatisfied with their government.”
• Mao keeps talking about a shift of power from the current “Big“ powers (USA) to the “small”, but growing powers (China).
  
  • “Everything is subject to change. The big decadent forces will give way to the small new-born forces.”
  • “The big will be overthrown by the small. The small will become big.”
• Mao sees the failure of Sun Yat-sen to provide the economic equality that he promised as the reason for the rise of the communists. It was that failure that motivated the bourgeoisie (workers) to join the communists and defeat the remaining warlord standing in their way.
  
  • “After overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, Sun Yat-sen met with defeat. For he failed to satisfy the demands of the people, such as their demands for land and for opposition to imperialism…Subsequently Sun Yat-sen’s bourgeoisdemocratic revolutionaries co-operated with us Communists and together we defeated the warlord set-up left behind by Yuan Shikai.”
• Mao was convinced that no one but the communists had “the common people‘s” best interest at heart. And that is why Chaing Kai-shek ultimately failed, with a “big” power succumbing to the “small” power.
  
  • “Chiang Kai-shek’s rule in China was recognized by governments of all countries and lasted twenty-two years, and his forces were the biggest. Our forces were small, […] Again this law operated: the big and strong end up in defeat because they are divorced from the people, whereas the small and weak emerge victorious because they are linked with the people and work in their interest.”
    
    • As a result, Mao believed that this (communism) is always the ultimate destination.“That’s how things turn out in the end.”
• Mao seems to credit the communist forces with the downfall of Japan following the narrative that “small replaces big”. Howver, he completely ignoring the great impact of the allied forces on Japan’s surrender.
  
  • “During the anti-Japanese war, Japan was very powerful, […] and the armed forces led by the Communist Party could only conduct guerilla warfare in the rural areas behind the enemy lines. […] Nevertheless, […] the Japanese militarists collapsed in a few years, in accordance with the same law.”
    
    • He asserts this “small replaces big” narative despite admitting that his communist forces were hopelessly weakened and nearly completely destroyed after the “Long March“.“while our forces fell from several hundred thousand strong to a few tens of thousands. At the end of the 25,000 li Long March we had only 25,000 men left.”
• Because the US actions ran counter to Mao‘s beliefs, Mao asserts that
  
  1. Everyone hates the US.
  2. Even US citizens hate the US.
  3. The US is weak because it is “divorced from the people”
  4. as a result the USA power is only an illusion, a “Paper Tiger”.
  • “Now U.S. imperialism is quite powerful, but in reality it isn’t. It is very weak politically because it is divorced from the masses of the people and is disliked by everybody and by the American people too. In appearance it is very powerful, but in reality it is nothing to be afraid of, it is a paper tiger.”
• Mao sees peace only through the elimination of what he perceives as imperialism. “Only when imperialism is eliminated can peace prevail. The day will come when the paper tigers will be wiped out.”
• IMPERIALISM – extending a country‘s power and influence through diplomacy or military force. This includes:
  
  • DIRECT IMPERIALISM – Direct rule sends their own officials to rule, impose on the culture, and use the land for their own colonies.
  • INDIRECT IMPERIALISM – Indirect rule allows local rulers to decide on things, try to groom the kids to be like them, and allowed culture to stay (for the most part).
  • In the 20th Century, and certainly by 1956, the influence the USA was asserrting was VERY indirect, and not at any point ruling over the rulers of other nations, though there were still restrictions in place over regions from WWII.
• “Divide and conquer“ by classifying all whites into one of two opposing forces: rulers or the ruled.“Perhaps the white immigrants from Europe can be divided into two groups, one composed of rulers and the other of the ruled. This should make it easier for the groups of oppressed white people to get close to the local people, for their position is the same.”
• Mao sees the globally oppressed as his allies, but what about the oppression of state dictatorship?“Our friends in Latin America, Asia and Africa are in the same position as we and are doing the same kind of work, doing something for the people to lessen their oppression by imperialism.”
• Mao sees imperialism as “making him sick” even as he was set to control and oppress all the people under his rule.“But we are different in nature from imperialism, and the very sight of it makes us sick.”

POWERPOINT:

Civil War

• Civil War from 1927
  
  • Nationalists (Kuomintang or KMT)
  • Communists
• 1931: Japan invades and occupies Manchuria
  
  • Nationalist leadership prioritizes defeating Communists
• 1934-1935: Long March (map)
  
  • Red Army retreats from KMT
  • Critical to spreading message to peasants

Japanese Invasion

• 1937: Japan invades southern China
  
  • Occupies most of the coast
• Nationalists and Communists declare a truce to fight Japan
  
  • Communists were much more effective at doing so
  • Truce lasts through end of WWII in 1945

Final Phase of the Civil War

• Truce ends with the defeat of Japan in 1945
• Communists drive Nationalists out of mainland China
  
  • People’s Republic of China (1949)
  • Republic of China (Taiwan)
• United States did not officially acknowledge People’s Republic of China until 1972 (or 1979)

Mao, U. S. Imperialism is a Paper Tiger (1956)

• What does he think the US is doing around the world?
  
  • Mao says the US is being aggressive against other countries
    
    • Fighting wars and occupying countries
  • The US is trying to spread it’s ideas and oppose Communist ideas
• Why is this imperialism?
  
  • Mao sees this as direct imperialism (occupation and wars) or indirect imperialism (spreading US ideas)
• How was this similar to the 1911 revolution, the civil war, and the Japanese invasion?
  
  • All of these conflicts pitted small vs. big, small won
• What are the US strengths?
  
  • Big and powerful military (technology)
    
    • Supported by a highly productive industrial economy
  • This allows the US to “hit out everywhere”
• What are the US weaknesses?
  
  • They “divorced from the people:” everybody hates them, they have no popular support
    
    • No other countries like them: they have enemies throughout Asia, Africa, Latin America
    • American people themselves are “dissatisfied” with their government
      
      • They are exploited and oppressed by race and by class
  • Vulnerable to all their enemies cooperating and striking them piecemeal
• What’s the strategy for defeating the paper tiger?
  
  • Take it one step at a time: hit the US piecemeal
  • Guerilla warfare: don’t fight head-on
    
    • Being sneaky: behind enemy lines, ambushes, unfair fights, etc.
    • This requires the support of the people

People’s War

• What Mao described was also called a “People’s War”
  
  • Contrast to Total War
• Gain popular support through economics (Communism) and nationalism (anti-imperialism)
• Fight a guerilla war to neutralize opponent’s superior technology
  
  • Create a slog in which superior morale and local support are decisive
• This has been a successful strategy
  
  • United States in Vietnam
  • Soviet Union in Afghanista