Maoism
Maoism Marches on: the revolutionary idea that still shapes the world
the people republic (PRC) today is still held together by the legacies of maoism
mao has left a heavy mark on politics and society
“mao’s invisible hand”: in the deep politicisation of its judiciary; the supremacy of the one-party state; the intolerance of dissident voices
2012 — xi jinping began — for the first time since mao zedong death, to publicly renormalise aspects of maoist political culture
personality cult
catchphrase “mass line” (encouraged criticism of officials from grassroots)
rectification (discipling of wayward party members)
2018 — february, xi and his central committee abolished the 1982 constitutional restriction that limited the president to only two consecutive terms
maoism — key to understanding one of the most surprisingly enduring organisations of the 20th and 21st centuries — the CCP
maoism not only unlocks the contemporary history of china, but is also a pivotal influence on global insubordination and intolerance across the last 80 years
one of the most significant and complicated forces of contemporary history
set of contradictory ideas that has distingushed itself from soviet guises of marxism in several important ways
declared to radicals in developing countries that russian-style communism should be adapted to loval, national conditions
voluntarism — sheer audacity of belief in china — and any other people with the necessary strength of will — could transform their country
like lenin and stalin, mao was determined to build a militarised one-party state
championed an anarchic insubordination, “it is right to rebel”
deployed his own cult to mobilse millions of chinese during the cultural revolution
throught the 1940s mao assembled a practical and theoretical toolkit for turning a fractious failing empire into a defiant global power
create a language that intellectuals and peasants could understand
a discipled army
system of propaganda and thought control that has been described as “one of the most ambitious attempts at human manipulation in history
ideas elicited extraordinary levels of fervour
millions entered marriages of political convenience and abandoned their children which lead to them being denounced, humiliated and killing their parents
maoism global impact began in the 1940s in asia:
chinas border breaking with european and japanese empires
first conflicts of the cold war — malaya, korea, vietnam
between 1940s and 1970s, malaya made medical and study pilgrimages to mainland china
during kim il-sungs attempt to unify korea, mao sent 3 million chinese personnel to kim’s rescue
rebuilt north korea with china’s aid
vietnamese communist — adversaries of the US in the hottest conflict of the cold war — were disciples of mao
ho chi minh fought for his rebellions against french and then US control — relied heavily on material aid and strategic blueprints from mao
mao zedong thought was sworn in as basic theory of vietnamese communism
north vietnamese communist would have never been able to defeat the french without maoist-chinese intervention
left heavy scars on vietnam with the support of importing china’s violent model of land reform in the 1950s
the indian government currently claims that 20 of the country’s 28 states are affected by the maoist insurgency
in the new millennium, the maoist gained further traction by linking their cause to environmental protest
nepal is the only country in the world where you can encounter self-avowed maoists in power
under communism, china has become a world economic and political force
the CCP — its practice and legitimacy still dominated by mao has recast itself as a champion of the mark economy
still fundamental to the PRCs politcal and instituional framework
xi’s china is different from mao’s:
tied to global finance
political equalibrium and legitimacy bound to economic performance rather than ideological purity
media too diversified for a single official message to convince its well-traveled ambitious citizens
large and unstable parts of the mao cult continue to flourish beyond party control
1990s — CCP dismantled urban welfare and job security
neo-maoist rebelled against the state out of anger