Mao Zedong was born into a well-to-do peasant family in Hunan Province and as a university student participated in the anti-Qing revolution of 1911. During the next several years, while serving as a library assistant at Beijing University, he embraced Marxism and helped organize the Chinese Communist Party, which was officially founded in 1921. Originally given the task of organizing urban labor unions, Mao came to believe that the peasants, whose capacity for class revolution was discounted by orthodox Marxist-Leninists, were the force to lead China to socialism. He summarized his ideas in his “Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement of Hunan,” written in 1927.After the break from the Guomindang, the Communists took their small army to the remote and hilly region on the Hunan-Jiangxi border, where in 1931 they proclaimed the Chinese Soviet Republic. In 1934 Chiang Kai-shek’s troops surrounded the Communists’ forces, but as they moved in for the kill, more than 100,000 Communist troops and officials broke out of the Guomindang encirclement and embarked on the Long March. This legendary trek lasted more than a year and covered 6,000 miles before a remnant found safety in the remote mountains around Yan’an in northern Shaanxi province. It was here that Mao, now the party’s recognized leader, rebuilt his army and readied himself and his followers for what would be fourteen more years of struggle against the Japanese and the Guomindang.
Mao was a prolific writer who produced many hundreds of treatises, essays, and even works of poetry. The two documents I would like you to read are drawn form two of his most important writings (you can read them both by clicking here). The first, his “Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan,” was written in 1927 after he visited Hunan Province to study the activities and accomplishments of peasant associations, groups of peasants who with the help of Communist organizers, had seized land, humiliated or killed landlords, and taken control of their communities. In it Mao seeks to convince other party members that the peasants are the main source of revolution in China. The second document, from his “Strategic Problems of China’s Revolutionary War,” is based on a series of lectures presented at the Red Army College in late 1936. In it Mao assesses China’s military situation and outlines his strategy for victory over the Guomindang through guerrilla warfare.
After reading the documents, I would like you to think about and discuss the following: What specific developments in Hunan Province reinforced Mao’s convictions about the peasantry as a revolutionary force? What criticisms have been made of the Hunan peasant movement, and how does Mao attempt to counter these criticisms? What can be learned from these two writings about Mao’s views of the role of the Communist Party in China’s revolutionary struggle? According to Mao, what have been the sources of oppression of the Chinese people? Once these sources of oppression are removed what will China look like? According to Mao, what are the four unique characteristics of China’s revolutionary war, and how do they affect Mao’s military strategy? What are the characteristics of Mao’s “active defense” as opposed to “passive defense?” How do Mao’s ideas about revolution resemble and differ from those of Marx? How do they resemble and differ from those of Lenin? Your thoughts…
14 comments:
In the first document, it says "To put it bluntly, it is necessary
to create terror for a while in every rural
area, or otherwise it would be impossible to suppress
the activities of the counter-revolutionaries
in the countryside or overthrow the authority of
the gentry." Saying that it's a good idea to have a source of fear and terror around because it would be impossible to overthrow the chinese leader.
It also said that women needed to have more freedom and stop being oppressed by thier husbands. It said that women were rising in power and husbands had a shaky hold on things.
The second document said there are 4 characteristics of the Revolutionary War of China.
1. China is a vast semi-colonial country with an uneven political and economic system.
2. The enemy's army is getting stronger and stronger.
3. the Red Army is ery very weak and small.
4. The Communist Party's leadership is becoming more evident and the agrarian revolution started.
One thing i noticed alot was that mao was really kinda informal.. not the right word but it seemed like this wasnt a big deal to him.. the way he described what was going on and how the peasants were revolting and sort of doing to the gentry as they did to them was justifiable. the way he worded his writing sounded more like a letter of like " oh yeah well its okay because they did it too". honestly if i was in china then and read it, i would have sided with him.
mao zedong says that if the war lords hadn't abused the peasants, then the peasants would have no pent up aggression toward them. he thinks that chaotic uprisings will get the attention of the war lords and make them realize that this is a revolution, and that the peasants are rising up.
mao views the communist party as the uniting force among the peasants. because they are the majority, he knows that having them support the party and fight for their rights will be more beneficial in the end.
he views the sources of oppression to be the political authority of landlords, clan authorities, religious authorities, and patriarchal authorities are at the roots of china's oppressions.
the four unique things about china's revolutionary war are: china's uneven political and economic development. the strength of the guomindang as an enemy. the red army of the communist party is weak. and lastly, the communist party's leadership and the agrarian revolution.
In the Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan I clearly saw how Mao completely stood up for the peasants AND Women.
I thought it was interesting when I read the section where he made a reference to the revolution NOT being a "dinner party or sweet and kind"
wow. unique writing style. like Cameron said, it was unformal, like he was talking to a peer. he used blunt facts and din't add the pointless crap in to get to the point faster. i liked it. he also had some very, what seems like common sense points. 1. women need more freedoms or someday they will arise. 2. peasants aren't looking too happy. if we can get their support, life'll be way easier. 3. in order to look like the good guy, make it look like your solving a problem, just don't let too many know you started it. 4. the regional warlords are on their backs.
very blunt, and to the point. i can understand how he got followers in times of crisis.
Mao feels so strongly for the peasants because they are the ones who have been abused by the warlords. This is why he is insisting on Communism so that the peasants can gain equality and get land. He knows that if he gets the support of the peasants he will be able to control China because they make up the vast majority.
The peasants in the Hunan Province all had their landlords as a common enemy. Mao saw that and he knew he could bring the peasants together and that they were able to get along and think alike. The critisims made against the peasant's raids were completely justified according to Mao ecause the "enemies" did the same thing, if not worse, to the peasants. Mao believes the peasants, although the opposition's army is strong and China is having economical and political problems, are able to overthrow the government.
When I read this I could see that Mao is extremely confident in the Red Army's struggle. He knows that the peasants are angry with their lords and they will retaliate with violence. Even though he knows the Guomindang have the greater force he believes that the peasants will come to the cause of the Communists.
He also seemed to have this view of whoever has the greater numbers and does the most work should be in control. He was a big advocate for women's rights because he saw women doing as much work as the men if not more.
In the last paragraph of the second document he said,"In the civil war, when the Red Army surpasses the enemy in strength, there will no longer be any use for strategic denfense in general." He basically just said that the Communists will be victorius because they will gain more and more peasants. With the peasants' support, their rage, and their numbers the Red Army will have no need for tatics and will easily overpower their enemies.
The peasantry revolting against their landlords by arresting them and parading them in the streets to prove their point has reinforced his convictions of them as a military force and their building of an army with the communists. From these writings, it is obcious that Mao supports the communist movement. The sources of oppression to the Chinese people have been the local tyrants, evil gentry and lawless landlords. Once these sources of oppression are removed, China would be dominately made up of working class citizens.
The peasants revolt here in the first document as a source of good fear and terror.. the first document also says that women need more freedom and to not be completly in the hands of their husbands. This tells us also that the power of the woman is rising, so men ned to watch out..
The Second document talks about the four characteristics of the revolutionary war of China..The first states that china is a semi-colonial country with a frail political and economic system
The second is the great stength of the enemy.
Third, this idea of the Red Army..its fraglile, which usually isnt the best word accompanied with "army"..
and fourth, the Communist Partys leadership is shining through. Peasant support break through and sho political power.
The first document shows one good point of communism such as women's rights opening up. ANd the other good point is that if the lords didn't abuse their workers there would be no problem
The second doc gives four points of china's uneven political and economic development
This idea is an alteration of Karl Marx idea. The way taht he targeted peasants to join his cause was a smart thing, and once he got into power it should be hard to keep them loyal; considering the lack of education.
In this document, Mao uses simple terms to appeal to the illiterate peasant population. Some of his goals seemed to be improving the life of not only peasants but women as well by giving them more rights and freedoms.
According to Mao, the four unique characteristics of China's revolutionary war are as follows:
1. China is a vast semi-colonial country that is unevenly developed economically and politically.
2. The strength of the enemy (Guomindang)
3. The Red Army is weak and small.
4. Communist Party's leadership and the agrarian revolution
this whole thing to me seemed like Mao didnt really care what was going on and it wasnt aa big deal. i thought that it was cool how he stood up for the peasants and women also
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