Maoism
 Poster from the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement. | |
| Class represented | Proletariat |
|---|---|
| Position | Revolutionary communist |
| Major figures | Abimael Guzmán[a] |
| Related tendencies |
Marxism–Leninism Mao Zedong Thought |
| Organizations |
 International Communist League Revolutionary Internationalist Movement |
| Part of a series on |
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Maoism, known fully as Marxism–Leninism–Maoism,[b] is a communist framework which upholds the theoretical developments of Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a new stage in Marxist thought. Maoism differs from Mao Zedong Thought in that its followers regard its theory as holding a universally-applicable (or near-universal) character as opposed to its progenitor, which was largely developed to account for the conditions of agrarian and semi-feudal countries as China was in the mid-20th century.
Maoism carries over the developments of Mao Zedong into its doctrine, which maintains his theories such as protracted people's war, New Democracy, etc. Maoism as a modern tendency was partially founded and synthesized by Abimael Guzmán, leader of the Communist Party of Peru — Shining Path, whom many Maoists regard as being a foundational theorist of Marxism alongside Mao Zedong.[1] Maoism is upheld by several major communist formations across the globe, including the Communist Party of the Philippines, Communist Party of India (Maoist), and Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist–Leninist.
Ideology
Maoism as a qualitative development
propagating Maoism. The essential justification for Maoist theory lies in its alleged role as a third and higher stage of Marxism; a creative development of it whose contributions are suitable to all the peoples of the world. Maoists posit that through the “masterful” theoretical advancements of Mao Zedong and Abimael Guzmán, Marxism underwent a great qualitative leap from both Marxism and Leninism, spawning a universalized augmentation of Mao Zedong Thought known as Marxism–Leninism–Maoism.[2]
New Democracy
As with Mao Zedong Thought, Maoism upholds New Democracy as a transitional period prior to the implementation of the traditional dictatorship of the proletariat. It is understood by Maoists to be the rule and hegemony of the proletariat in alliance with the peasantry, petite-bourgeoisie, and national bourgeoisie.[3]
Bureaucratic capitalism
Maoists expand the Marxist understanding of political economy with an analysis of the manifestation of capitalism which emerges in imperialized and dependent countries — bureaucratic capitalism. Bureaucratic capitalism creates dependency on foreign capital from imperialist states in countries which are semi-colonial or semi-feudal as opposed to developing capitalist relations domestically. Bureaucratic capitalism is also a form of state-monopoly capitalism under which there exists a class alliance of the comprador bourgeoisie, state capitalists, and decaying feudal landlords.[4]
Cultural revolution
Maoism holds that the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China is universally applicable and must be practiced to maintain and strengthen the workers' state. Maoism believe that a socialist state must have multiple cultural revolutions during its existence to excise bourgeois elements from the party.[3]
Protracted people's war
Maoists generally uphold protracted people’s war (to varying degrees of applicability). People's war was first developed as a military theory within the context of the Chinese revolution led by Mao Zedong of the Communist Party of China. With people's war, the revolutionary forces slowly develop from defensive guerilla actions to offensive actions and positional warfare against the bourgeois state.[5] Maoists debate the extent to which people's war is applicable, many arguing it is universal while some holding that its scope is limited to agrarian countries.
Mass line
Maoism upholds the mass line as a method for interacting with, and meeting the needs of, the people. The mass line is premised on the party communicating with the masses, understanding their grievances and desires, and adjusting party practice accordingly. Mao summarized the mass line as being "from the masses, to the masses".[6]
See also
References
- ↑ "Maoist Group, China: Chairman Gonzalo is immortal in the flames of revolution!" (September 30, 2021). ci-ic.org. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ↑ "Historical News of the successful Holding of the Unified Maoist International Conference: the International Communist League was founded!" (December 26, 2022). ci-ic.org. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Interview with Chairman Gonzalo (1988). Abimael Guzmán.
“The problem of revolutionary violence is an issue that is more and more being put on the table for discussion, and therefore we communists and revolutionaries must reaffirm our principles. The problem of revolutionary violence is how to actually carry it out with people's war. The way we see this question is that when Chairman Mao Tsetung established the theory of people's war and put it into practice, he provided the proletariat with its military line, with a military theory and practice that is universally valid and therefore applicable everywhere in accordance with the concrete conditions.”
- ↑ Mao Zedong (1947). The Present Situation and Our Tasks.
- ↑ Mao Zedong (1938). On Protracted War. Available on the Marxists Internet Archive.
- ↑ “Decision of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution”
“Party committees at all levels must abide by the directions given by Chairman Mao over the years, namely that they should thoroughly apply the mass line of ‘from the masses and to the masses’ and that they should be pupils before they become teachers. They should try to avoid being one-sided or narrow. They should foster materialist dialectics and oppose metaphysics and scholasticism.”
Notes
- ↑ Synthesized Maoism from the contributions of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong.
- ↑ Abbreviated as MLM.