The Barrel of a Gun

[RomuliousRevolution]

"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."-Mao

I have 2 questions;
A) What did Mao mean when he said this?
B) How did this effect his theories and practices?



Romulious

[Vendetta]

It's easy to become the leader if you shoot all the opposition.

[Il Medico]

Mao meant that the power to make change and oppose change can only effectively be realized through armed conflict. Or that is what I always took it to have meant. It may have also meant "ha ha, Tibetans don't have guns!!:laugh:" (I am not supporting the Tibetans mind you.)

[RomuliousRevolution]

Mao meant that the power to make change and oppose change can only effectively be realized through armed conflict. Or that is what I always took it to have meant. It may have also meant "ha ha, Tibetans don't have guns!!:laugh:" (I am not supporting the Tibetans mind you.)

:lol: lol.

[cb9's_unity]

That quote is very widely used when in debates about whether or not revolution must be violent. People seem to suggest that revolution can only be achieved through violence, and even though my minimal knowledge of pre-Mao china tells me it wasn't ready for socialist revolution at all, the only way for socialists to get power in a place like that would be through violent revolution. My main problem with the quote is that Mao is using what 'worked' for china as a universal statement. I personally like Marx's view on the issue, this is taken from a speech of his.

" We know that the institutions, the manners and the customs of the various countries must be considered, and we do not deny that there are countries like England and America, and, if I understood your arrangements better, I might even add Holland, where the worker may attain his object by peaceful means. But not in all countries is this the case. –Karl Marx"


However this quote doesn't seem to have the same stinging power as Mao's. And as to the original question: to my knowledge A) revolution must be gained through violence B) he used violence for revolution. Honestly the Chinese revolution is not my area of expertise but i thought i'd thrown in my 2 cents to see what people think.

[Kassad]

Mao's statement represented that ideology that armed struggle -- as advocated by Marx, Lenin and many other before him, is necessary for the liberation of the proletariat from capitalism. Without armed struggle, the workers movement will be diverted into utopian and surreal ideologies that infer that peaceful reform and social-democratic means can be used to liberate the working class. Of course, this is reformism and a blatant rejection of revolutionary socialism. Mao advocated armed struggle and a 'protracted people's war.' It's very obvious why he'd make that kind of statement. Some people are somehow managing to misenterpret this quote and it's honestly laughable to see how childish some people's political affiliations have degenerated into.

[ZeroNowhere]

As far as I can see, it just means that a revolution would be fairly impotent if it did not involve enforcement. Guns don't necessarily have to be used to shoot, it could be that he's saying that the dictatorship of the proletariat is the enforcement of the expropriation of the expropriators during revolution, when, of course, you couldn't enforce it with roses. Somewhat similar to Engels, "A revolution is certainly the most authoritarian thing there is; it is the act whereby one part of the population imposes its will upon the other part by means of rifles, bayonets and cannon — authoritarian means, if such there be at all".
Though, of course, Mao did support violent revolution, and probably "inevitable violent revolution" as supposedly propounded by Marx and Engels.

[The Douche]

It means whoever has (the most, or the most effective) force and is willing to use it has the political power, or will gain it.

It doesn't mean "you can only get communism by killing everyone". It doesn't mean "you have to use force to get communism".

[hammer and sickle]

I figure he meant the only way to revolutionize a nation is through a violent revolution I personally believe peacful revolutions can be attained through patience.

[el_chavista]

I figure he meant the only way to revolutionize a nation is through a violent revolution I personally believe peacful revolutions can be attained through patience.

No way. The ruling class won't give the power away that easy. And as a matter of fact, Mao's main contribution to the revolutionary theory is about the protracted popular war as a means of seizing power (some national specific, social and political conditions apply).

[scarletghoul]

it means if you have the force you have the power. it is a truism above all else.
what follows from this truism is that the people should have control of weapons and force

[piet11111]

it means you can only get things done if you can back it up with force.

political control will not be handed to us so we have to take it and we can only manage that by the threat or use of force.

[manic expression]

Kassad and scarletghoul outlined it very well. In regards to revolutionary politics, the quote touches upon the need for the workers' movement to use force against the bourgeoisie. In addition, the quote applies to all states, everywhere: political power goes hand-in-hand with force, the two are practically inseparable. The first time I heard the quote I was taken aback, but the more you bear it in mind as you study history, the more true and obvious and self-evident it becomes.

[Manifesto]

As far as I can see, it just means that a revolution would be fairly impotent if it did not involve enforcement. Guns don't necessarily have to be used to shoot, it could be that he's saying that the dictatorship of the proletariat is the enforcement of the expropriation of the expropriators during revolution, when, of course, you couldn't enforce it with roses. Somewhat similar to Engels, "A revolution is certainly the most authoritarian thing there is; it is the act whereby one part of the population imposes its will upon the other part by means of rifles, bayonets and cannon — authoritarian means, if such there be at all".
Though, of course, Mao did support violent revolution, and probably "inevitable violent revolution" as supposedly propounded by Marx and Engels.
This was proven with that hippie protest that failed horribly and they were killed. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi however proved that this was not completely impossible.

[Manifesto]

I am not referring these good men, Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi to hippies.

[ZhuxiWansui]

That is not what Chairman said. The quote is this: All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The Communist Party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party.

[rosie]

Mao meant that the power to make change and oppose change can only effectively be realized through armed conflict. Or that is what I always took it to have meant. It may have also meant "ha ha, Tibetans don't have guns!!:laugh:" (I am not supporting the Tibetans mind you.)
:laugh:

[scarletghoul]

. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi however proved that this was not completely impossible.
Not really. Sure, those 2 individuals did not advocate violence, but they were not the whole movement. The Indian independance movement involved a lot of violence, and people gave their lives for it. So it wasn't just Gandhi liberating India on his own by being all peacefull n shit. As for the USA civil rights movement, there was some violence there, but most significantly the threat of violence, which was huge. If it was just MLK standing there alone preaching peace, without millions of angry black people ready to fight for their rights, then the movement would not have been so successful

[scarletghoul]

The Tibetans did have guns, just not as much as the communists. That, and the serfs probably werent very willing to protect their feudal opressors with their lives

[ZhuxiWansui]

You guys are missing my point!
He said

" All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The Communist Party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party. "

The entire quote means that basically the communist party cannot be overthrown or the peoples welfare will be in toils.

he never said anything about it growing from a gun.

[x359594]

The fragmented mis-quote is open to ambiguity, but ZhuxiWansui has provided us with the original, and Mao's statement is straightforward without need of further gloss.

[originofopinion]

"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."-Mao

I have 2 questions;
A) What did Mao mean when he said this?
B) How did this effect his theories and practices?



Romulious

This line is in Civilization 4.

He ment that sometimes aggression has to take place in order for political situations to change, which is a true fact.