Mao Zedong v. Joseph Stalin / Korean War & Vietnam War

• Comparison of leadership styles: Mao promoted the concept of continuous revolution, while Stalin emphasized rapid industrialization and centralization of power.

MAO: Main political ideas was maoism which essentially was the leninist/marxsit idealogy of socialist revolution however, shifted specifically for China. Instead of an uprising from the working class it was from the peasants.

• Conditions prior to taking power

  • System of feudalism where peasants farmed for warlords

  • Initially China saw itself as the “center of the world” belief collapsed by 1890s as they were industrially behind still relying on medieval farming methods. Moreover, China was exploited by foreign powers

  • The collapse of the last empire was accelerated by internal strife, leading to the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912, which struggled with warlordism and foreign interference. Peasants were taxed heavily.

  • Created a perfect environment for Mao to rise. Peasants were susceptible to leaders that promised better life.

• Rise to power:

  • Japan invades China

  • Nationalists fought head on with Japan while, Mao utilized guerilla war tactics to fight them

  • The Red army won over peasants by treating them well and redistributing land from owners, saw them as saviors, appealed to communist ideas.

• Establishment of Authoritarian State:

  • China won the civil war over nationalists driving them to Taiwan. Established CCP in 1959.

  • Redistributed land to the 300 million peasants, tying them to communist party

  • This consolidation of power allowed Mao to strengthen his control over the country, as he implemented policies that suppressed dissent and promoted a cult of personality, similar to Stalin's regime in the Soviet Union.

• Maintenance of Power:

  • 100 flowers campaign where mao encouraged criticism of the government “let 100 flowers bloom, and 100 schools of thought contend,” shifted policy called them rightists

  • Encouraged public humiliation (anti-rightist movement)

  • First legislation made women equal to men. Abolished child marriage, concubinage, and arranged marriage. Gained more rights even held position of power within the party. Women encouraged to work in factories and farms.

  • Cult of personality, Mao became revered god-like persona. any criticism seen as blasphemy. propaganda of little red book quotes of Mao were seen as sacred text.

  • Encouraged public to participate in attacks of people deemed subversives.

  • Red army targeted political enemies

  • Subversives sent to Laogai

• Domestic Policies:

  • Cultural revolution, Mao sought to enforce communist ideology by attacking the "Four Olds" — old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas — aiming to transform society and reinforce his authority.

  • Purges of people

  • 100 flowers campaign

  • Great Leap Forward & Five Year Plan. people encouraged to work day and night. Collectives formed to increase productivity, move towards socialism. Unreasonable quotas led to Great famine killing an upwards of 45 million

• Foreign Policies

  • Move away from ties to soviet union due to lenient policies with the west

  • ping pong policy domestic ties with the u.s.

JOSEPH STALIN: Traditional marxist/leninist communism which was belief revolution would begin from the working class. Central democracy that true democracy was trust in one government. Socialism in one country focus on development of county over spreading belief worldwide.

• Conditions prior to taking power

  • Prior to Stalin's rise, Russians were accustomed to authoritarianism under Lenin, which Stalin continued by suppressing all opposition. The country faced a civil war and economic crisis leading to the New Economic Policy (NEP), which introduced limited capitalism and caused party divisions. Stalin took a neutral stance and ultimately crushed dissenters, consolidating power by placing allies in key positions within the bureaucratic state.

  • The U.S.S.R. faced a civil war and economic crisis, leading to the New Economic Policy (NEP) that caused party divisions. Stalin took a neutral stance, ultimately suppressing dissenting sides. He consolidated control by placing allies in government positions through patronage, benefiting from the bureaucratic nature of the state. The isolated U.S.S.R. was surrounded by enemies, enhancing Stalin's appeal to state growth. Between 1923 and 1925, he established a patronage system within the party, securing loyalty from hundreds of thousands of members.

    • The U.S.S.R. was a bureaucratic state and it had many departments. Stalin would use this to his advantage by placing allies within the system through patronage giving him consolidated control. 

    • The U.S.S.R. was isolated as a Marxist, revolutionary state. This also meant that they were surround by political enemies creating a constant fear of invasion from capitalists. Stalin’s state-growth idea subsequently was more appealing.

    • Between 1923 to 1925 hundreds of thousands of workers were put in place within the party. The Secretariat of Stalin was in charge of this which created a patronage system where the members felt like they owed him.

• Rise to power:

  • After Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin positioned himself as his heir, using his past party roles and being the lead orator at Lenin's funeral to solidify his image. Trotsky, as his main rival, was undermined through propaganda, and Stalin remained neutral in political divisions, which made Trotsky unpopular. Stalin's ideology of 'Socialism in One Country' gained favor over Trotsky's 'Permanent Revolution.' Additionally, Stalin's patronage system allowed him to rally the support of hundreds of thousands of party members, securing the necessary votes for his consolidation of power.

    • Trotsky would continue to be Stalin’s main obstacle to power. To combat him Stalin would utilize propaganda to his advantage. In the Left-Right division instead of choosing a side Stalin would be neutral. Trotsky however, was an outright leftist which was made unpopular as a result of capitalist fears. This failure then led to votes against him stripping his position as Commissar of war. Then he also defeated the right over economic policy by adopting collectivization making the right appear weak.

    • Stalin’s ideology of “Socialism in One Country” was more popular than “Permanent Revolution” appealing to national security and pride.

    • Patronage in many positions was a decisive factor that allowed for Stalin to gain the necessary votes. He headed the enrollment of hundreds of thousands of workers in giving him a mass of people that would vote for him.

• Establishment of Authoritarian State:

  • Set himself up as the lead mourner and gave Trotsky the wrong date to miss it.

  • Utilized patronage by appointing officials in key roles.

  • His ideological belief of “Socialism in One Country” was more popular than Trotsky’s “Permanent Revolution”

  • Stalin initially sided with Kamenev and Zinoviev isolating Trotsky, then turning on all of them.

  • He would attack and defeat the right for supporting the NEP.

  • His policy of modernization led to collectivization and state procurements gave control to the food supply and industry making the entire population reliant on the state. 

  • He solidified himself as the Vozhd through bureaucratization.

• Maintenance of Power:

  • Stalin used purges, particularly during the Great Terror, to eliminate rivals like Bukharin and Zinoviev, instilling widespread fear. This ensured loyalty and created a perception that no one was safe. He controlled the economy, enforcing collectivization that forced peasants into state-run farms, and implemented a harsh five-year plan with strict labor laws and internal restrictions.

  • The economy was controlled by Stalin creating a dependency on Stalin and the state. Through collectivization peasants were forced to work in state-run farms. Then with his five-year plan a harsh plan was made creating labor laws, internal passports, and other restrictions.

  • Stalin painted himself as a god, the “Great Helmsman” and the only successor to Lenin. To solidify his cult of personality artists and writers were forced to dedicate works toward promoting socialist values, those that did not adhere were sent to the Gulag or executed. Another outlet was the Komsomol where 10 million youth were made to support him. 

  • Through the nomenklatura and patronage, loyalty and corruption allowed for Stalin to stay in power. He recruited puppets to become members ensuring his decision was ultimate. Top spots within universities were also reserved for the children of nomenklatura creating more incentive to stay loyal to Stalin.

• Domestic Policies:

  • Economically the two key policies were collectivization and the Five-Year Plan. Collectivization was the forcefull working of peasants in farms. The idea of rich peasants was used to justify anyone who resisted. This created a massive famine killing 6-8 million people. The five-year plan sought to make the U.S.S.R. an industrial power. This led to harsh living conditions and an unbalanced economy with the neglected consumer aspect.

  • Politically public executions were utilized to control and instill fear against political enemies. A military purge was also conducted with the execution of 35,000 officers which meant the army could not stage a coup, but left with a weak military. Then the Yezhovshchina arrested 8 million people and put them into the Gulag. 

  • Socially the Great Retreat was a movement to promote traditional family values. This was done through restricted abortion, impossible divorces, and taxes on families with less than two kids.

  • Women’s rights were significantly restricted with abortion being made illegal. Divorce became more expensive and difficult to attain. Families were seen as the basis of Soviet society and women were honored for having multiple children through motherhood medals. 

  • Women were also expected to participate in the industrial movement with 3 million in the workforce at a high of 15 million by 1945. Even though propaganda stated they were equal women still received less pay. 

  • In WW11 women joined the armed forces with half a million. In Factories as well they were responsible for manufacturing armaments with half being female. 

  • National leaders of the multiple states of the Soviet Republic were purged during the Great Terror. Stalin would target the leaderships of Soviet Republics to make sure they were loyal. Local leaders were replaced by Stalin loyalists.

  • Russian ethnics were shown as the elder brother amongst the Soviet nations leading to a policy in favor of their culture, language, and history. Many religious identities were also dwarfed by closing churches and mosques.

  • Notably towards the end he would lead an anti-Semitic campaign or the “Doctor’s Plot” of 1953.

• Foreign Policies:

  • The Trotsky idea of “Permanent Revolution” was abandoned and put into effect was Stalin’s “Socialism in One Country.” The U.S.S.R. initially became isolated from other countries in order to grow industrially, economically, and militarily.

  • The U.S.S.R would then join forces with the Allies as a result of growing Nazi Germany. He would work with both Churchill and Roosevelt to defeat the Axis powers. 

  • After the world war Stalin focused on creating an Iron Curtain of nations by putting in place communist regimes across Eastern Europe. This was put in place to ensure control and safety from opposition. Then later the Berlin Blockade was an issue that arose when he forced out Western Allies from West Berlin.

VIETNAM WAR:

• Causes:

  • Vietnam was divided into two sides where north was supported by USSR led by Ho Chi Minh. South was led by Ngo Dinh Diem supported by the U.S.

  • Rejected the geneva accord which would hold democratic election. u.s and south refused due to belief that they would lose.

  • Temporary division turned permanent since Eisenhower interpreted it as a permanent division

  • Divided like korea

  • due to cold war

  • Several interpretations to moties of joining war, orthodox believed it was to contain communism, revisionist believed it was economic, post-revisionist several reason geo-political

• Strategies (U.S.)

  • Initially war of attrition

  • Operation rolling thunder massive bombing

  • Agent orange use of herbicides

  • Burning of villages

• Strategies (North Vietnam)

  • Guerilla war tactics

  • Employing power of the people

• Causes:
    - Colonial Background: Vietnam was under French colonial rule, leading to nationalist movements.
    - Japanese Occupation: Japan occupied Vietnam during WWII, weakening French control.
    - Rise of Nationalism: Nationalist leaders like Ho Chi Minh advocated for independence and communism.
    - Cold War Context: U.S. aimed to contain communism, seeing Vietnam as crucial in the struggle against Soviet influence.
    - Division of Vietnam: The 1954 Geneva Accords split Vietnam into North (communist) and South (anti-communist).
    - U.S. Involvement: The U.S. supported South Vietnam through military and economic aid to prevent the spread of communism.
    - Gulf of Tonkin Incident: Alleged attacks on U.S. naval vessels led to increased military engagement in Vietnam.

• Strategies:
    - U.S. employed a war of attrition, massive bombing campaigns (Operation Rolling Thunder), and used Agent Orange.
    - North Vietnam utilized guerilla tactics and popular support.

• Effects:
    - Significant loss of life, widespread destruction in Vietnam, and lasting impacts on U.S. foreign policy and military engagement.

KOREAN WAR:In contrast to Vietnam, the Korean War saw a more traditional military confrontation, characterized by large-scale battles and the involvement of U.S. and UN forces against North Korean and Chinese troops. This conflict highlighted the geopolitical struggle between communism and democracy, as well as the importance of military alliances in the Cold War era.

• Causes:
    - After WWII, Korea was divided into North (communist) and South (anti-communist) at the 38th parallel.
    - Cold War tensions heightened as both superpowers (U.S. and USSR) supported opposing sides.
    - North Korea, backed by the USSR and China, invaded South Korea in June 1950, seeking unification under communist rule.

• Major Phases:
    - Initial Invasion (1950): North Korea rapidly advanced, capturing Seoul.
    - U.N. Response: The U.N. (primarily U.S.) intervened to defend South Korea, launching a counter-offensive at Inchon.
    - Chinese Intervention: In late 1950, China entered the war on North Korea's side, pushing U.N. forces back.
  

• Stalemate and Armistice (1953):
    - Fighting settled into a stalemate around the 38th parallel, leading to peace talks.
    - An armistice was signed in July 1953, but no formal peace treaty was established, leaving Korea divided.

• Effects:
    - Massive casualties and destruction, with millions of Korean civilians dead.
    - Long-term division of Korea and ongoing tensions between North and South.
    - Established U.S. military presence in South Korea and fortified Cold War dynamics in Asia.