Chinese Politics: The Maoist Era and Its Legacy Essay

Introduction

For the most part of the 20^th century, China was considered a sleeping dragon. It was once a mighty empire and certainly full of potential. For the most part of that century, the Chinese economy was unable to break free from its bloody past and the limitations imposed by communism. But this is not the case in China today. Finally, after a long time of struggle, the Chinese people were able to create long-lasting change, the kind that puts China on the world map in terms of economic power.

There is therefore a need to find out the forces that for many decades forced China to move backward instead of forward. The major influencing factor is none other than Mao Zedong who transformed the Empire of China into Maoist China. Mao Zedong did not have a specific plan but his visions were grand and the peasantry was inspired to follow him. His interpretation of Leninism-Marxism caused the Chinese masses to both experience glory as well as great suffering as seen in the Civil War, Great Leap Forward, and Cultural Revolution.

Background

At the turn of the 20^th century, China’s population grew uneasy with the old system. By this time China is already a decrepit empire as characterized by the old wooden structures of its palaces and simple-looking houses scattered all over the one mighty nation. The people were clamoring for change but they need a leader and a revolution for that to happen. They got their wish in the form of an activist named Sun Yat-sen. But Sun Yat-sen was more of an intellectual than a military leader and so when the revolution succeeded in forcing the last emperor of china to abdicate the vacuum in leadership was immediately filled up by a warlord named Yuan Shikai and not Sun Yat-sen.

After Yuan Shikai’s death, China was again divided and vulnerable to external threats. When the First World War came, Japan invaded Shandong and seized the said territory. China’s divided government sensed that it is futile to resist Japan so the two governments made a secret decision that would pave the way for Japan to keep Shandong. This unpatriotic action drew the ire of young men and women. One of them was Mao Zedong.

The incident inspired Mao Zedong to hold on to socialist principles that he learned earlier. He used this to start a movement in the provinces of China that later became the Communist Party of China. Due to the corruption, political incompetence of the Nationalist government, the Communist Party organized by Mao began to swell in ranks.

Civil War

The Nationalist government headed by Chiang Kai Shek correctly saw the Communist Party as a threat. Both leaders went to battle and China was plunged into a Civil War. But the Nationalist government, already weakened by internal turmoil and with the incessant fighting with the Japanese forces, could no longer offer resistance against an overwhelming communist army created by Mao Zedong. Thus, in 1949 Mao seized control of Beijing while Chiang Kai Shek and his followers were forced to flee mainland China and settled in Taipei which they later renamed Taiwan. In the same year, the Union Soviet Socialist Republic acknowledged the new government thereby securing the place of Mao Zedong in world history.

Great Leap Forward

Due to Mao’s experience in building the Communist Party from the ground up as well as his experience in leading an army in a successful campaign, Mao Zedong was able to capitalize on those experiences and created a very effective government. But Mao is very ambitious. He wanted not only to govern a continent with half a billion people but he also has dreams of changing China from the inside out.

There is a need to increase the wealth of China in order for it to achieve a more elevated status in the eyes of the world. In this regard, Mao reasoned that every good thing about communism, its ideology, its principles, and its values must be put to good use in campaigns. In one of the most significant campaigns that he initiated, The Great Leap Forward the Chinese people saw how determined is the young leader in securing the future of China.

The Great Leap Forward was patterned after the way the Soviets encouraged or forced the peasantry to join in the revolution. The former USSR designed a system where communes in the rural areas will produce food for the industrialized centers. Mao copies this formula with only one exception and it is to abolish the harsh quota so that the peasant farmers will not feel overburdened. In the first few years, and with a bumper harvest the system seemed to work increasing the level of satisfaction of the masses when it comes to the performance of the Communist Party. But it did not last long and the peasants began to express their frustration with the program.

The Great Leap Forward made life hell for the peasants. The same people that Mao promised to protect. The negative effects of this campaign are high death rates and famine (Bernstein, 339). In an attempt to overtake Britain and in pursuit of its industrialization goals, “…the government executed people who did not agree with the pace of radical change. The crackdown led to the deaths of 550,000 people by 1958” (Harms, par. 11). In the coming Cultural, Revolution Mao will make life more miserable for many Chinese people.

Cultural Revolution

Mao was convinced that what made China vulnerable to internal and external threats is its inherent weakness. He traced this weakness to the prevalence of Confucianism in the country. He, therefore, sought to replace Confucianism with a new ideology, and the steps required to achieve this goal can be considered as the Maoist system or the eight-core features of Maoist thought. This will be expounded on in the following pages.

• Ideology – Mao was not the first to discover the power of right thinking to create right actions. From Socrates to kings and emperors, great leaders fully understood the value of education and its impact on the population. Mao’s view on ideology on the other hand is the typical mindset of a tyrant, which means that the rest of the population has wrong ideas and that he alone possesses correct knowledge. Therefore, the masses should study, learn, and master what he has to say. Thus, at the height of the Cultural Revolution Mao’s Red Book was required reading. From a traditional Chinese point of view, the results were disastrous because Mao advocated the idea of destroying the old – particularly Confucianism – and establish a new order. Mao even believed that the youth should go against their elders. This idea would result in much violence and bloodletting later on.
• Voluntarism – Mao believed that if the people will unite and move together as one, then they can overcome great odds. This is made possible by shaping the will, minds, and emotions of the masses so that they will participate in Mao’s programs. This is also made possible by applying the other core features of the Maoist systems such as the prominence of ideology, campaigns, struggle, the mass line, and egalitarianism.
• Mass Line – Mao Zedong will never forget how much he suffered from the elitism of the old system. In the old order, poor people do not have the chance to rise up and secure for themselves a better future. So when he rose to power he was determined to include the masses in his plan for a better China. His solution was to bring leadership to the people. This distinctly communist doctrine instructed local leaders to be sensitive to the needs of the people and they will, in turn, report the feedback they received from the people – regarding their reactions to proposed and current programs – to the leaders in the higher echelons of the communist party.
• Campaigns –This tool was used by Mao to achieve sociopolitical transformation and economic development. The Great Leap Forward is an example of a campaign; the objective is to initiate economic development. The Cultural Revolution is another example of a campaign; the objective is to initiate sociopolitical transformation.
• Struggle – Confucianism adheres to harmony. Social order according to Confucius is achieved through a hierarchical society. Mao Zedong also believes in the value of harmony but he believes that too much of this thinking will result in weaknesses and passivity. Mao, therefore, prescribed a better path – confrontation and if needed violence.
• Egalitarianism – This term is supposed to mean equality. But Mao Zedong used it to mean something else. He desired equality alright but he wanted everyone to be equally poor. This was a political solution to an extremely difficult problem – how to raise the standard of living for the majority of Chinese peasants. Since Mao could not solve this problem, he simply ordered his leaders that it is better for them to live like the peasants, which is to say to live in poverty.
• Anti-Intellectualism – Mao Zedong used to work in a university. But he was not a professor, he was a librarian. He was constantly reminded of his inferiority when compared to scientists, creative writers, engineers, scholars, doctors, etc. His anger with this class was so intense not only because he was an outsider looking in but also because he believed that they violated three key principles according to the world of Mao Zedong: 1) they did not dirty their hands and distance themselves from people; 2) they did not believe that the masses can do great things, and 3) they reinforce social inequality. Mao was quoted as making the boastful claim that his party was responsible for the deaths of thousands of scholars.
• Self-Reliance – Mao Zedong was extremely proud of his party, his accomplishments, and his country. He will not be dependent on others. Although China and the USSR had an agreement to help each other Mao wanted China to be self-reliant as much as possible.

Legacy

Based on the preceding discussion it is easy to understand the legacy left behind by Mao Zedong in China. First of all, the Chinese government, even in a state of rapid economic growth still considers itself a communist state. That is a tribute to Mao Zedong’s vision and perseverance. Secondly, Mao was instrumental in encouraging the Chinese to become the best that they could be and not be passive. This could explain the reason behind China’s economic miracle.

This year China hosted the 2008 Olympics that is quite a feat for a country that used to experience instability. But for outsiders and critics, his legacy also includes fear, murder, lack of transparency, and decades of poverty in China. His interpretation of Marxism-Leninism contributed to the backward growth of the country. And this is the reason why even if China is a huge country it is not as powerful and as wealthy as other industrialized nations in the world.

Conclusion

Mao Zedong is without a doubt a great leader. He was able to transform a decrepit Chinese Empire, in a way that Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek could not accomplish. He was able to inspire the peasantry and made them believe that even without education they are important to the Communist Party. In fact, he proved this point by rewarding the peasants while severely punishing the intellectuals of China. As a result, he was able to consolidate his power and ability to rule China with an iron hand.

China was secured against Japanese incursions while at the same time strengthened by aid coming in via the USSR. In the long run however the harsh political climate in China that was exacerbated by the tyrannical rule of Mao Zedong plunged the nation into poverty and limited its development especially in the field of science and technology. This should be expected after Mao murdered many scholars at the height of the Cultural Revolution.

Still, Mao Zedong gave a new identity to China, which at present the Chinese people are trying to capitalize in creating a nation that will be able to compete in the international arena, a vision that was in the heart of the late Mao Zedong.

Works Cited

Bernstein, Thomas. “Stalinism, Famine, and Chinese Peasants: Grain Procurement During the Great Leap Forward.” East Asian Institute. 1984.

Dutton, Michael. “The Mao Industry.” Current History. 2004, 103 (674): 268-272.

Harms, William. “China’s Great Leap Forward.” The University of Chicago Chronicle. (1996). Web.

Spence, Jonathan. “A Road is Made: Communism in Shanghai, 1920-1927.” The English Historical Review. 2004: 736-738.