Maoism

What was Mao's ideology by 1949?

By the time of his death, Mao Zedong had developed a range of political, economic, social and military ideas that were known as 'Maoism'. They were largely shaped by his experience of the violence of the Chinese Civil War.

When did Mao develop his political ideology?

Mao Zedong developed his ideology between joining the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 and when he came to power in 1949.

What was the name of Mao's ideology?

Maoism was the brand of communism developed by Mao Zedong in his writings. It is also referred to as 'Mao Zedong Thought' in Chinese.

What political ideas did Mao have?

Mao Zedong adopted 6 important political ideas which he used to control the CCP after 1935 and to rule China after 1949:

• ❖ 'Democratic centralism' was the idea that differences of opinion could be debated within the Communist Party, but once a decision was made it was the duty of all communists to support and follow that decision without question.
• ❖ 'Revolutionary correctness' was the idea that Maoism was the only truth; any other form of idea was counter-revolutionary and therefore dangerous to the survival of the CCP and the PRC.
• ❖ The 'mass line' was a political idea developed by Mao that demanded the Communist Party should share the same struggles as the people and to listen to their ideas. Action could then be taken, completely controlled by the CCP.
• ❖ Mao was a strong nationalist and believed China would shape its own future and form of communism. He changed the basic Marxist idea that the working class was the revolutionary class to that of the peasants because it better suited the Chinese revolution. This would lead him to become suspicious of Russian communism.
• ❖ Mao believed in creating a single-party state under the control of the Communist Party. This original idea evolved into the ever stronger concentration of power into a personal dictatorship under Mao himself.
• ❖ Mao wrote a book in 1940 called New Democracy. In it he made a convincing argument that China could easily move on from Sun Yat-sen's revolution to a new socialist revolution led by the CCP.

What economic ideas did Mao have?

Mao Zedong adopted 6 important economic ideas which he used to control the CCP after 1935 and to rule China after 1949:

• ❖ Mao based his revolution on agrarian socialism. The Chinese peasants were to be used to lead the revolution as there were comparatively few urban workers.
• ❖ Agrarian socialism would require the seizure of land from landowners and the concentration of peasants into massive collective farms.
• ❖ Agrarian socialism would require the peasants to denounce their former landlords in 'speak bitterness' campaigns. In most cases, the landlords were executed to rid the countryside of class enemies.
• ❖ Agrarian socialism would take care of both the industrial and agricultural needs of China. Mao had seen this work at Jiangxi and Yanan, so the idea would be applied to the whole country.
• ❖ Mao realised industrialisation would be important as China was a backwards country. He would look to the Soviet 5 Year Plans as a model to speed up industrialisation in China.
• ❖ To achieve industrial targets, and due to his preference for peasants, Mao would employ large numbers of people over experienced workers, technology or machinery.

What social ideas did Mao have?

Mao Zedong adopted 3 important social ideas that he used to control the CCP after 1935 and to rule China after 1949.

• ❖ In 1937, Mao wrote about the idea of permanent revolution: 'Revolutions and revolutionary wars are inevitable in class society, and without them it is impossible to accomplish any leap in social development and to overthrow the reactionary ruling classes, and therefore impossible for the people to win political power.'.
• ❖ What Mao meant was that only a permanent state of revolution would change society. Therefore, he was determined to create continual revolutions to achieve his political, economic, social and military objectives.
• ❖ Mao recognised more than just the peasants would be needed to achieve his revolutionary aims. He declared the Communist Party could work with different classes, even its former enemies, to create a national communist movement.

What military ideas did Mao have?

Mao Zedong adopted 4 important military ideas which he used to control the CCP after 1935 and to rule China after 1949:

• ❖ Mao Zedong was heavily influenced by the military and the idea of conflict. The Red Army and its successor, the People's Liberation Army, would be used to win the civil war and, later, to build the Chinese communist state.
• ❖ Only by engaging in a 'People's War,' would a communist victory become possible. This meant ensuring the mass of society was mobilised against all enemies, be they the Japanese, GMD or class enemies. Everything could be changed through a process of conflict.
• ❖ 'Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun' was an idea that expressed Mao's attitude towards conflict.
• ❖ Mao believed in 'world revolution'. This was a struggle between imperialist powers and those who supported revolution. Mao supplied Chinese advisors, training, weapons and support to any peasant revolutionary movement fighting imperialist powers such as the USA and Britain.