Maoism confuses me.

[thinkerOFthoughts]

Why do I get the feeling that Maoism is very... Militaristic? I probably got it all wrong tho.

[Kassad]

Well, sure. Many revolutionary socialist movements are militaristic, in a sense. It's utopian and surreal to assume that the revolution will just be a walk in the park where the bourgeoisie elite shake the hands of the proletariat and gladly step aside. Maoism focuses on the peasant class, as well as the industrial proletariat. Basically, it focuses on whoever has the greatest potential for liberation from the bourgeoisie state.

Education, activism and community organization are required to spread our ideology and advocate revolution, but I can't think of where Maoism stands out as a 'militaristic' ideology, in the sense that it advocates any kind of military takeover or coup.

[turquino]

You probably get the idea that Maoism is militaristic because it follows the doctrine of people's war. Dual-power is exercised where state control is weakest, typically in rural areas or urban slums. Socialist politics and culture are practiced in the liberated zones, while at the same they serve as base areas for the people's army. The base areas are like stepping stones on the path to seizing state power.

[Black Dagger]

Why do I get the feeling that Maoism is very... Militaristic? I probably got it all wrong tho.

I guess it depends what you mean by 'militaristic'?

[scarletghoul]

"political power comes from the barrel of a gun"
"communism is not love, it is the hammer we use to smash our enemies"
etc

Significant maoist movements usually involve a peoples war, because military takeover is the traditional way for maoists to take power
because peoples war is such a big part of it, most of the history of Maoism is military

but there is much more to maoism than peoples war, so you should look into it

[Rawthentic]

Communist revolutions come to power by means of force. The same has been true of every social revolution in human history.

I don't see what the big discussion is here.

[RebelDog]

Communist revolutions come to power by means of force. The same has been true of every social revolution in human history.

I don't see what the big discussion is here.

So what role do ideas play?

[Charles Xavier]

The problem with Mao is that he was a Chinese nationalist, and the cultural revolution was an ultra-left murder fest and the great leap forward was a great overestimation

[Vendetta]

The problem with Mao is that he was a Chinese nationalist

I don't really think you can simplify all the problems with Mao away to 'he was a Chinese nationalist.' That seems just a bit too far-fetched to be the root cause of everything he did wrong.

[RebelDog]

I don't really think you can simplify all the problems with Mao away to 'he was a Chinese nationalist.' That seems just a bit too far-fetched to be the root cause of everything he did wrong.

But all these movements are essentially nationalist movements. That is a valid point.

[Saorsa]

So what role do ideas play?

Nobodies downplaying the role of ideas, but without violence it is impossible to realise the communist idea.

[Charles Xavier]

I don't really think you can simplify all the problems with Mao away to 'he was a Chinese nationalist.' That seems just a bit too far-fetched to be the root cause of everything he did wrong.
No but the border war with India(which at the time had a coalition government with communists) and Vietnam(which was a disgusting act on behalf of the Chinese) and their lack of an answer to the National Question in Chinese, further their division of the international communist movement into chinese and soviet camps did cause a lot of harm.

[RebelDog]

Nobodies downplaying the role of ideas, but without violence it is impossible to realise the communist idea.

Without ideas it is impossible to have any resort to meaningful violence.