Notes on Socialism, Marxism, and Maoism

From Marx to Mao

Socialism, Capitalism, Marxism and Maoism

• Socialism is presented as a reaction to capitalism.

• Different types of socialism are mentioned, including Marxism and Fabianism.

• Different types of Marxism are mentioned, including Maoism and the Frankfurt School.

The Origin of Socialism

• The original meaning of "Utopia" is described as both "no place" and "good place."

• The term "utopia" was first used by Thomas More in his book Utopia (1516).

• More's Utopia depicts a communist society where men and women live equally and peacefully, with common ownership and state-provided education.

Utopianism vs. Anarchism

• Utopianism

  • Aims for a perfect society.

  • Seeks equality.

  • Believes humans can transcend self-interest.

• Anarchism

  • Advocates for a society without government.

  • Prioritizes liberty.

  • Maintains that humans are capable of self-regulation.

Liberalism vs. Socialism

• John Locke argued that individuals are granted three basic, inalienable rights by God: the right to life, liberty, and property.

• John Stuart Mill advocated for freedom to act as long as one does not harm others and fought for equality for women.

• Mill was later attracted to socialism due to its emphasis on equality.

Main Components of Socialism

• Community

• Fraternity

• Equality

• Common ownership

Capitalism

• Capitalism is defined as an economic system where private property is fundamental.

• Capital is money invested to generate more money.

• The primary goal of capitalism is to maximize profit.

Main Components of Capitalism

• Private property

• Companies

• Profit motive

• Competition

• Capitalism is said to create jobs and wealth.

Shareholder Model vs. Stakeholder Model

• Shareholder Model

  • The only responsibility of a corporation is to maximize shareholder interests.

  • No need to take up any social responsibility

• Stakeholder Model

  • A corporation needs to consider the interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders.

  • Needs to take up some social responsibility

Competition as a Regulator

• A person sells a product at 100 and makes a profit.

• Others enter the market selling the same product at a cheaper price.

• As the number of products increases, supply overtakes demand, and the price drops.

• Inefficient manufacturers lose money and exit the market.

• Eventually, a balance is achieved between supply and demand.

Arguments for Capitalism

• Natural right to property.

• Economic benefits.

Criticisms of Capitalism

• Inequality.

• Questionable assumption about human nature.

• Competition is not good

• Exploitation and alienation.

Capitalism vs. Socialism

• A major point of contention between capitalism and socialism is private property.

• Plato’s Republic: one country two systems.

Comparison Between Capitalism and Socialism

Justification of Right to Property

• Locke argued that the right to property is a basic right granted by God.

• The question is posed: How can one own something that initially belongs to no one, such as land?

• Locke's answer: mixing labor with the land legitimizes ownership.

• John Rawls argued that it is based on agreement of people in the original position.

Objection to Private Property

• Marx rejected private property, arguing that capitalists exploit workers through capitalism, keeping them in a state of slavery.

• Wealth and power become concentrated in the hands of capitalists.

• The question is posed: What is Marx's proposed solution to this problem?

Marxism

• Marxism is defined as a social and political theory developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the late 19th century.

• Marxism provided the foundation for communist revolutions in the 20th century.

• The sources of Marxism are identified as German philosophy, French politics, and English economics.

Change the World

• Marx: "The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to change it."

Major Works of Marx

• 1845: The German Ideology (co-written with Engels).

• 1848: The Communist Manifesto (co-written with Engels).

• 1867: Capital Volume I.

• 1885: Capital Volume II.

• 1894: Capital Volume III.

Main Components of Marxism

• Laws of dialectics.

• Historical materialism.

• Class struggle.

• Exploitation.

• Alienation.

• Revolution.

Laws of Dialectics

• Everything develops dialectically.

  • The first law: The unity and conflict of opposites.

  • The second law: The transformation of quantity to quality.

  • The third law: The negation of negation.

Historical Materialism

• The economic base (including production force and mode of production) determines the superstructure (including legal system and political system ) and the historical development.

Class Struggle and Social Development

• The progression of societies is illustrated: primitive society → slavery society → feudal society → capitalist society → communist society influenced by production force.

Exploitation

• Marx argued that properties and means of production become concentrated in the hands of a few.

• Workers only have their labor to sell, allowing capitalists to exploit them by paying less than the true value of their labor.

Alienation

• Alienation from the product.

• Alienation from the work.

• Alienation from other people.

• Alienation from himself.

Revolution

• Marx predicted that workers would initiate a class revolution to establish communism: a classless society benefiting all people, free from exploitation.

• In 1848, Marx and Engels published The Communist Manifesto.

The Communist Manifesto

• The first section covers historical materialism, class struggle, and revolution.

• The second section advocates for nationalization of all property, graduated income tax, and free education, etc.

• The third section differentiates communism from other types of socialism.

Suggestions Made by Marx Have Been Implemented in Capitalist Countries

• Minimum wage.

• Safer and more healthful work environment.

• Graduated income tax.

• Free education for all children in public schools.

Communist Countries

• Russia: Lenin (1917-1924), chairman of the Council of the People’s Commissars.

• China: Mao Zedong (1949-1976), chairman of the Communist Party.

• Cuba: Fidel Castro (1961-2011), first secretary of the Communist Party.

• Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh (1945-1969), chairman of the Communist Party.

Marxism After Marx

• Orthodox communism.

• Western Marxism.

Background of Lenin

• Lenin was born in Russia in 1870, coming from a middle-class family.

• He became the leader of the major fraction within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1903.

• The first socialist country was established in Russia under Lenin's leadership in 1922.

Theory & Revolution

• Lenin : “Without Revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary movement.”

Leninism

• Lenin contributed to Marxism with ideas on capitalistic imperialism and the elite party.

• 1916: Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism.

• 1917: The State and Revolution.

Maoism

• Mao modified Marxism-Leninism to address the realities of China.

• Traditional Marxist-Leninist viewed peasants only as support for worker-led revolutions.

• Mao recognized the potential power of the large peasant population and argued they could be mobilized with proper guidance.

Background of Mao

• 1893: Mao Zedong was born in China; he received a good education.

• 1919: Mao supported the revolution overturning the monarchy and became a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party.

• 1945: A civil war erupted between communists and nationalists, with the communists eventually winning.

• 1949: Mao established the People’s Republic of China.

Some Major Works of Mao

• 1926: Analysis of the Classes in Chinese Society.

• 1927: Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan.

• 1937: On Contradiction.

• 1937: On Practice.

• 1937: Combat Liberalism.

Main Components of Maoism

• The combination of theory and objective Chinese realities.

• The transformation of the laws of dialectics.

• The Revolutionary Strategy of the United Front.

• Permanent revolution.

The Combination of Theory and Objective Chinese Realities

• Emphasis on the importance of peasants in the Chinese revolution and socialist construction.

• Developed strategies and tactics like "countryside surrounding city."

• Criticized "book-worshippers."

The Transformation of the Laws of Dialectics

• Mao rejected the principle of the negation of negation.

• Interpreted the transformation of quantity to quality in terms of the unity and conflict of opposites.

• According to Mao, the unity and conflict of opposites is the only one basic law of dialectics, and he developed the principle of “dividing one into two” from it.

The Revolutionary Strategy of the United Front

• “Using contradictions, strive to secure the majority, oppose the minority, and break them up one by one. It is necessary to rally and to fight. To fight while rallying, and vice versa. We should develop progressive forces, strive to win over middle-of-the-road forces, and isolate the die-hard forces.” (Mao, “Highlights of Forum on Central Committee Work”, p.583)

Three Principles

• First principle: The principle of self-defense: to fight on grounds.

• Second principle: The principle of victory: to fight to one's advantage.

• Third principle: The principle of a truce: to fight with restraint.

Permanent Revolution

• In 1965, Mao implemented the Cultural Revolution.

• He sent workers, intellectuals, and middle-class people to rural areas to be re-educated through agricultural labor, believing they were being corrupted in big cities.

Examples of Different Types of Contradictions

Criteria to Judge Whether it is Antagonistic

1. Words and actions should help to unite, and not divide, the people of our various nationalities.

2. They should be beneficial, and not harmful, to socialist transformation and socialist construction.

3. They should help to consolidate, and not to undermine or weaken, the people’s democratic dictatorship.

4. They should help to consolidate, and not to undermine or weaken democratic centralism.

5. They should help to strengthen, and not to discard or weaken, the leadership of the Communist Party.

6. They should be beneficial, and not harmful, to international socialist unity and the unity of the peace-loving people of the world.

Influence of Maoism in 1960s

• Asia and the Third World: Followers engaged in warfare using tactics such as “surrounding the cities”.

• Well-developed countries: Attractive to young people for its seeming purity and populist nature.

Criticised Confucianism

• Mao: “There is absolutely no such thing in the world as love or hatred without reason or cause.”