For many of us this is a significant date in history. We have
both written many articles on Mao Tse Tung for this site and I feel this
article is a good summation of his life. -Steve Otto
CHAIRMAN MAO TSE TUNG DID MORE TO SHAPE THE DESTINY OF ANY
NATION EVER AND TOOK MARXISM LENINISM TO HEIGHTS UNEXPLORED. THE MOST IMPACTFUL
REVOLUTIONARY AND GREATEST MARXIST OF HIS TIME.
By
Harsh Thakor
On
December 26th we celebrate the 128th birthday of Chairman Mao Tse Tung. His
impact on the world people was like a red torch illuminating every sphere of
the globe. No revolutionary or Marxist of his time exhibited creativity in such
a magnitude or transcended such unexplored regions making path breaking
contributions. He shaped the destiny of nations or people more than any leader
in the last millennium. It was Mao Tse Tung who elevated Marxism Leninism to a
higher stage in every sphere, taking it to new height. No Marxist revolutionary
after V.I. Lenin applied Marxism so creatively, at every juncture faced, taking
mass line of Leninism to unexplored regions. From the days of 1927 in the
Chingkangshan mountains, the Long March in 1935, the anti-Japanese War of
1937-45, the 1942 rectification movement the 1945-49 civil war, the Socialist
Education Movement, the Great Leap Forward, the Socialist Education Movement
and finally the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution from 1966-76, he applied
Marxist-Leninist dialectics and mass line, at a scale unparalleled. Mao took
Marxist spirit of self-criticism, challenging conventional methods, spiritual
awakening and revolutionary democracy to Unprecedented Heights.
The great humility of Mao was illustrated throughout his life from submitting
to the majority from the 1930's under Wang Ming ,to accepting Liu Shao Chi as
head of state in 1956 and doing his utmost to eradicate his personality cult
which was greatly elevated by Lin Biao or rebuking even his own wife Chiang Ching
in the Cultural Revolution. The salary he received and most simple house he
resided in, is another ideal example. With utmost discipline Mao submitted to
the collective at every stage. At an international level he never displayed a
big brother attitude when addressing leaders of Africa, Latin America or their
parts of Asia.
The
salary he received and most simple house he resided in, is another ideal
example. With utmost discipline Mao submitted to the collective at every stage.
At an international level he never displayed a big brother attitude when
addressing leaders of Africa, Latin America or their parts of Asia.
One of Mao's remarkable contribution was probing into psychology by undertaking
thought transformation, which reformed landlords or reactionary intellectuals.
Even in the period of the Chinese revolutionary war, he delved into the psyche
of the red army soldiers, refuting feudal ideas or customs to the very core.
Sadly today his reputation is torn to pieces by the international bourgeoisies
who are leaving no stone unturned in projecting Mao as a demon It is part and
parcel of the conspiracy waged against Marxism, globally and patronising
globalization. Works on Chairman Mao. A very positive biography is also written
by Lee Fegion, where he sums up how Maoist China promoted decentralization and
revolutionary democracy, making unprecedented strides in literacy, agriculture
and health. Hugh Purcell has written a very illustrative pictorial biography
which projects how Mao practiced persuasion in place of force or coercion. In
Purcell’s view Mao was a progressive dictator. He is critical of excesses or
methods of terror but praises the creativity of the production methods.
Purcell
felt Mao took revolutionary democracy to a higher regions than in Russia.
Very judiciously he portrays ‘Mao and the People’s Communes” as well as ‘Mao
and the People’s Will.” William Hinton portrays the protracted resistance Mao launched
against the landlords from the 1940's itself and how genuine democratic
revolutionary power was built. In Fanshen he describes how land was distributed
to the peasantry while in 100 Days of War covers how political power is
captured in Tsinghua
University. Bob Avakian
most methodically explains how Mao enriched Leninism in every sphere. Charles
Bettlheim most elaborately reflected how democracy was elevated to a pinnacle
in production methods in the Cultural Revolution with revolutionary committees
supervising factories. Edgar Snow revealed Mao's most creative leadership to
steer famous victories against the enemy, having firsthand experience with the
Comrades and Mao. He vividly illustrates the democratic practices and heavy
penetration of the red army in the day to day lives of the people. Bob
Avakian's work ‘Mao Tse Tung’s Immortal Contributions” is classical, most
dialectically summarizing how Mao was the greatest Marxist of his era. He
projects Mao's contributions in philosophy and political theory It is reflected
how teachings of Mao are an integral part of those of Lenin and Karl Marx. The
book illustrates the very subtle aspects of all stages from the
pre-revolutionary period to the Cultural Revolution. He covers Revolution in
Colonial Countries, Revolutionary War and Military line, Political economy
Economic policy and Socialist Reconstruction, Philosophy, Culture and the
Superstructure, Continuing the Revolution under the dictatorship of the
proletariat and why Mao Tse Tung was the greatest revolutionary of his time.
The introduction in italics of all the Chapters are most lucid and methodical.
In
every chapter he dealt with how Marx and Lenin tackled all those aspects and
how Mao's teachings and practice crystallised them to a new height. in a most symmetrical
manner. To me of most importance is the chapters on Revolutionary war and
military line, Revolution under dictatorship of His notes are most insightful
on Fundamental principles of Mao’s military line, Economic policy in liberated
areas, Two Roads after Liberation, Learning from Negative experience of
Soviets, Theory of Knowledge Universality and particularity, Cultural
Revolution and he Continuous Struggle, Chinese analysis of Joseph Stalin,
Cultural Revolution, All –round dictatorship of the proletariat, Magnificent
achievements of the Cultural Revolution, Contribution of Mao Tse Tung. Avakian
feels that Mao towards the end was unable to check the trend that made the CCP
treat the Soviet Union as the greater danger
and treat the Chinese Revolution as a virtual prism for all nations to evaluate
revolutionary line. Arguably a ewkness of this book is inadequate respects to
mass line. In recent times most evaluative writings have come from Moba Gao,
Dang Hongpin, Joseph Ball, Pu Yo Ching and Jiang Honshing. Ball most
analytically refutes the lies of the Great Leap Forward killing millions. The
weaknesses of biographies by Stuart Schram
and Dick Wilson are that they appreciate only the nationalistic contribution of
Mao, and not in establishing proletarian democracy. They are harshly critical
of the Great Leap forward. Wilson
portrays Mao as a leader waging struggle for personal power. I credit Schram
for touching on Mao’s contribution towards undertaking thought reform to mould
thinking and crediting Mao for discovering an Asiatic form of Marxism .Wilson
most illustratively portrays Mao’s contribution in shaping the revolution in
the Long March and later periods like anti-Japanese and Civil War. He is also
critical of CPC looking at future of world revolution only through Chinese
experience. Nevertheless he praised the building of Communes, the methods of
undertaking land reforms the three antis and five antis campaign, confronting
corruption and the thought transformation campaigns. However he does not do
justice to as a Marxist in the Cultural Revolution or to the 2 line struggle
waged within the CPC, terming the red book as the equivalent of a ‘Koran.’ I
would love readers to study Transformation of China 1840-1969 by Amit
Bhattacharya. It most precisely and concisely summarizes history of China and
Contribution of Mao Tse Tung. It delves how in so many junctures Mao elevated
Marxism-Leninism to a new height whether during the Long March, the civil war,
the Socialist transformation, the Great Leap Forward or the Great Proletarian
Cultural Revolution. The distinct features of Mao 's theories and practice from
Stalin are projected. Bhattacharya does great justice to Mao's leadership in
the Long March to the Tsunyi conference, his pioneering formation of Communes
and initiating first ever Cultural Revolution.
To
be continued=>
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