HarshThakor
11th May 2013, 19:27
Maoism and Mao Tse Tung Thought-one and the same thing
Today in the International Communist Movement there is a trend that analyzes ‘Maoism’ and ‘Mao Tse Tung Thought’ as something counter to each other.’The term Mao Zedong thought originated after the C.P.C.had led the New Democratic Revolution in 1949 while in 1966 the C.P.C acknowledged ‘Mao Tse Tung thought’ as a Universal law during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in 1966 and 1969.Mao ‘s concept of ‘continuous revolution under the dictatorship of the Proletariat’ which was implemented in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution .The C.P.C still called it ‘Mao Tse Tung Though’ in 1973 and 1976 before Mao’s death.The term ‘Maoism’ was introduced first by the Peruvian Communist Party y Com Gonzalo in 1980 when he acknowledged it as the official ideology of the Peruvian Communist Party.Later the R.C.P.,U.S A accepted the terminology and in 1993 it was universally acknowledged by the R.I.M. that replaced the term ‘Mao Zedong thought’ with ‘Maoism.’ With the using of Maoism ideological rivalry came into the Communist revolutionary camp on one hand between forces like the N.C.P.(Mashal),C.P.I.(M.L.) Red Flag,Central Team C.P.I.(M.L.) who insisted on Mao Tse Tung Thought as against the Peruvian Communist Party,the C.P.I.(M.L.) Naxalbari ,the Nepalese Communist party(Maoist)and the R.C.P.(U.S.A.) who insisted on Maoism. The camp upholding ‘Maoism’s slandered those who upheld ‘Mao Thought’ as revisionists while the upholders of ‘Mao Thought’ accused the upholders of Maoism as opportunists.In some of my previous essays I strongly stood for ‘Mao Tse Tung Thought’ but later I analyzed that ‘Maoism’ may well more profoundly recognize the ideology of Comrade Mao Tse Tung.The main argument of those combating ‘Maoism’ is that since we are still in the era of ‘imperialism and proletarian revolution’ calling the ideology ‘Maoism ‘would be making a formulation for an era as something different from the era of “Imperialism and Proletarian Revolution.’ Erroneously Lin Biao in 1969 termed Mao Tse Tung higher stage of Marxism –Leninism in the era of total collapse of Imperialism and world –wide victory of proletarian revolution.’ This very formulation maligned Mao Thought in the era of ‘Imperialism and Proletarian Revolution as discovered by Com.Lenin.Com Mao made a remarkable contribution through discovering the revolutionary united front with the friendly classes including the national bourgeoisie and the people’s army.
Quoting the N.C.P.(Mashal) in 1992
“At the end, it is worthwhile to mention a few more words on Mao-Tse-Tung Though and the question of a new era. Imperialism is the highest morbid and final stage of capitalism. The history of capitalism suggests that there is no universal ladder of capitalism to imperialism though many new stages or sub-stages may emerge within it. Because Leninism is the Marxism darning the whole period of imperialism and socialist revolution, the idea of having the third stage within Marxism-Leninism or any is parallel to Leninism is simpley a misnomer. Therrfore, Mao-Tse-Tung does not represent a new ara or stage outside Lenin's era but he represents a stag within it. Because Leninism represents Marxism durnig the whole period of imperialism and socialist revolution _the socialist period _,the socialist period itself is automatically included in it. It means that the principle of continuing revolution and the class struggle during the socialist period under GPCR are parts of the Lenin era. Therefore, it is a great mistake to push back Leninism to a secondary position.”
Countering this the NCP(Maoist)stated : "Theory of the era": Some people say, to constitute an "ism" it should represent a whole era. According to them, Marxism is the product of the era of capitalism. Leninism is the product of the era of imperialism. But Mao has no era, and hence there cannot be any Maoism, etc.
The people who argue this way have neither understood the simple law and development process of science, nor grasped Marxism as a science. To attempt to confine the development of science to the speed of development of an era is absolutely unscientific and ridiculous. In a single era science can develop into many stages. If one really talks of an era, from the point of view of development of society imperialism, too, is not any new era but only the highest and moribund state of capitalism. Therefore it is not proper to say 'Leninism'. Bankruptcy of those advancing the argument of an era is thus, clear.”
Formulation of ‘Mao Tse Tung Thought’ does not deny the Universal application of Mao’s theories advocated on peoples War or at a higher level in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.Mao developed Lenin’s colonial thesis when formulating ‘new democratic Revolution ‘and developed a military line of protracted people’s war applicable to all third world semi-colonial countries. Even if protracted peoples war cannot be applied in capitalist or developed countries the laws Com Mao discovered on the military line had universal significance .In the peoples War of Peru from 1980 Com Gonzalo applied Mao’s military line and so did the Communist Party of Phillipines.Mao’s theory of protracted peoples War did not deny the ‘vanguard party’ whose concept was developed by Lenin.In the G.P.C.R. Mao infact developed the Leninist concept of the proletarian party and the dictatorship of the proletariat to a higher level when he discovered how a bourgeoisie could develop within a communist party itself and the need for revolution within a Socialist Society itself .True Mao did not discover a new era but without recognizing his universal contribution we would be denying Marxsim Leninism.Mao also took Marxist philosophy to a higher stage in his writings on’ law of contradictions’.Let us remember that just because Marx did not formulate imperialism we cannot deny Marx’s ideology as an ism.Advocating ‘Maoism’ does not mean that we are denying the principal contradiction discovered by Lenin at the International level between the people of the third world and the Imperialist countries.Lenin’s discovering the era of ‘Imperialism’ does not advocate that Lenin owns the era.Just as Leninism was the Marxism of the era of Imperialism and Proletarian Revolution,Mao-Tse Tung Thought is the Marxism –Leninism of the same era.Without recognizing ‘Mao Tse Tung Thought’ we would be denying Marxism-Leninsm today and thus it can be an ism.The principal contradiction remains the same but the ideology has been taken to a higher stage.The most important criteria is the relationship between era and ism.Was ‘Leninism’ only derivated from the the fact that we exist in the era of ‘Imperialism and proletarian revolution?
The advocates of this trend slander those who uphold Mao Tse Tung thought as revisionists and claim to be defending Mao’s mass line. Some of the greatest peoples wars have been led by parties deploying the use of the term ‘Maoism’like the Peruvian Communist Party and more recently the C.P.I.(Maoist) and the Communist Party of Phillipines.It is worth recounting how using this ideology the P.C.P.under chairman Gonzalo staged the greatest peoples war since the Chinese revolutionary war which morally implemented the mass line from 1980-1992 more than any post war armed movement. However inspite of making historic strides the P.C.P revealed it’s weakness in assessment and practice of work in urban areas .Above all adopting ‘Maoism’ as principal affected their international line, which underestimated the forces of imperialism and overestimated third world war.The reference to ‘militarization of the party’ in Comrade Gonzalo’s interview revealed the confusion of mass line with military line.The ultimate adoption of ‘Gonzalo Thought’ in the 1st Congress in 1988 denigrated Marxism –Leninism-Maoism.
The main criteria was not the formulation of ‘Maoism’ but the erroneous interpretation and application.The R.C.P.,(U.S.A.) created the ideology of the ‘New Synthesis.’Further divergences from the R.C.P were developed like the Kasama project of Mike Ely that virtually delinks Mao’s ideology from that of Marx and Lenin. Maoism-third worldsim denies the role of the proletariat in the advanced capitalist countries.. Inspite of leading a massive armed movement and innumerable sacrifices the C.P.I.(Maoist) is vitiated by a defective military line. However we cannot attribute ‘Maoism’ to this. Infact although leading a huge armed movement the inclination of left sectarian military lines was displayed in the erstwhile Maoist Communist Centre and the Peoples War Group for over 2 decades, when upholding ‘Mao Tse Tung Thought’. This had it’s origins in the era of Charu Mazumdar era which called for the disbanding of mass organizations and movements and pure military actions. There is also an erroneous tendency of the C.P.I(M.L.)Naxalbari that equates Maoism with the military line with particular reference to Charu Mazumdar’s line.It fails to properly recognize the errors of Charu Mazumdar.
Quoting the C.P.I(Maoist) document adopted on the accepting of Maoism in 2004( on the merger of the Peoples war group and the Maoist Communist Centre)
“Although later the revolutionary movement suffered a setback for thetime being, the bright red banner of MLM Thought and the flames of Naxalbaricontinue to shine in various parts of the country. In fact the seeds of MLMThought were sown very deep in the Indian landscape.The history of the emergence and development of our two Parties isinseparably linked with this stormy period. During the last 30 years and moreof history we not only continue to uphold the shining red banner of MLMThought, but also continue to apply it in our revolutionary practice in theconcrete conditions of India. During this practice we have forged and developed
a revolutionary line by analyzing and synthesizing the positive and negativeexperiences of our movements no doubt on the basis of MLM Thought. Inthis light we have achieved many remarkable successes in continuing anddeveloping the protracted people’s war through developing agrarianrevolutionary guerilla struggle in the countryside by mobilizing and relyingon the peasant masses, especially the poor and landless peasants. We continuedthis struggle by resisting the continuous severe repression and manysuppression campaigns unleashed by the reactionary ruling classes. We havesucceeded in developing several guerilla zones and guerrilla army-the PLGA-
directed towards establishing full-fledged PLA and Base Areas in the vastcountryside of Andhra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Dandakaranya and the adjoiningparts of these states. This protracted people’s war led by our two Parties isdirected towards completing the New Democratic Revolution through thestrategy of encircling the cities from the countryside. The content of thisrevolution is agrarian revolution.
“During the course of this protracted people’s war and fighting againstvarious “Left” and Right Opportunist tendencies that emerged from within oroutside apart from the revisionism of CPI and CPI (M), we have learnt thatany attempt to belittle the importance of MLM Thought and its concreteapplication to the concrete conditions will prove to be very disastrous. Allthese tendencies undermined the Maoist conception that in all the backwardcountries dominated by imperialism and feudalism the objective conditionfor initiating and developing protracted people’s war from the very beginningare already mature. In the very light of our bitter experience of the last 30
years achieved at the cost of heavy bloodshed along with the experiences ofthe International Communist Movement,our understanding regarding our ideology deepened further.”
The above document fascinatingly refers to the ideology of Marxism –Leninism Mao Tse Tung Thought when Maoism was accepted in 2004.(being referred as ‘MLMT’.) This depicts how both Marxism-Leninsim Mao thought and Maoism are morally one and the same.
Today in the International Communist Movement there is a trend that analyzes ‘Maoism’ and ‘Mao Tse Tung Thought’ as something counter to each other.’The term Mao Zedong thought originated after the C.P.C.had led the New Democratic Revolution in 1949 while in 1966 the C.P.C acknowledged ‘Mao Tse Tung thought’ as a Universal law during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in 1966 and 1969.Mao ‘s concept of ‘continuous revolution under the dictatorship of the Proletariat’ which was implemented in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution .The C.P.C still called it ‘Mao Tse Tung Though’ in 1973 and 1976 before Mao’s death.The term ‘Maoism’ was introduced first by the Peruvian Communist Party y Com Gonzalo in 1980 when he acknowledged it as the official ideology of the Peruvian Communist Party.Later the R.C.P.,U.S A accepted the terminology and in 1993 it was universally acknowledged by the R.I.M. that replaced the term ‘Mao Zedong thought’ with ‘Maoism.’ With the using of Maoism ideological rivalry came into the Communist revolutionary camp on one hand between forces like the N.C.P.(Mashal),C.P.I.(M.L.) Red Flag,Central Team C.P.I.(M.L.) who insisted on Mao Tse Tung Thought as against the Peruvian Communist Party,the C.P.I.(M.L.) Naxalbari ,the Nepalese Communist party(Maoist)and the R.C.P.(U.S.A.) who insisted on Maoism. The camp upholding ‘Maoism’s slandered those who upheld ‘Mao Thought’ as revisionists while the upholders of ‘Mao Thought’ accused the upholders of Maoism as opportunists.In some of my previous essays I strongly stood for ‘Mao Tse Tung Thought’ but later I analyzed that ‘Maoism’ may well more profoundly recognize the ideology of Comrade Mao Tse Tung.The main argument of those combating ‘Maoism’ is that since we are still in the era of ‘imperialism and proletarian revolution’ calling the ideology ‘Maoism ‘would be making a formulation for an era as something different from the era of “Imperialism and Proletarian Revolution.’ Erroneously Lin Biao in 1969 termed Mao Tse Tung higher stage of Marxism –Leninism in the era of total collapse of Imperialism and world –wide victory of proletarian revolution.’ This very formulation maligned Mao Thought in the era of ‘Imperialism and Proletarian Revolution as discovered by Com.Lenin.Com Mao made a remarkable contribution through discovering the revolutionary united front with the friendly classes including the national bourgeoisie and the people’s army.
Quoting the N.C.P.(Mashal) in 1992
“At the end, it is worthwhile to mention a few more words on Mao-Tse-Tung Though and the question of a new era. Imperialism is the highest morbid and final stage of capitalism. The history of capitalism suggests that there is no universal ladder of capitalism to imperialism though many new stages or sub-stages may emerge within it. Because Leninism is the Marxism darning the whole period of imperialism and socialist revolution, the idea of having the third stage within Marxism-Leninism or any is parallel to Leninism is simpley a misnomer. Therrfore, Mao-Tse-Tung does not represent a new ara or stage outside Lenin's era but he represents a stag within it. Because Leninism represents Marxism durnig the whole period of imperialism and socialist revolution _the socialist period _,the socialist period itself is automatically included in it. It means that the principle of continuing revolution and the class struggle during the socialist period under GPCR are parts of the Lenin era. Therefore, it is a great mistake to push back Leninism to a secondary position.”
Countering this the NCP(Maoist)stated : "Theory of the era": Some people say, to constitute an "ism" it should represent a whole era. According to them, Marxism is the product of the era of capitalism. Leninism is the product of the era of imperialism. But Mao has no era, and hence there cannot be any Maoism, etc.
The people who argue this way have neither understood the simple law and development process of science, nor grasped Marxism as a science. To attempt to confine the development of science to the speed of development of an era is absolutely unscientific and ridiculous. In a single era science can develop into many stages. If one really talks of an era, from the point of view of development of society imperialism, too, is not any new era but only the highest and moribund state of capitalism. Therefore it is not proper to say 'Leninism'. Bankruptcy of those advancing the argument of an era is thus, clear.”
Formulation of ‘Mao Tse Tung Thought’ does not deny the Universal application of Mao’s theories advocated on peoples War or at a higher level in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.Mao developed Lenin’s colonial thesis when formulating ‘new democratic Revolution ‘and developed a military line of protracted people’s war applicable to all third world semi-colonial countries. Even if protracted peoples war cannot be applied in capitalist or developed countries the laws Com Mao discovered on the military line had universal significance .In the peoples War of Peru from 1980 Com Gonzalo applied Mao’s military line and so did the Communist Party of Phillipines.Mao’s theory of protracted peoples War did not deny the ‘vanguard party’ whose concept was developed by Lenin.In the G.P.C.R. Mao infact developed the Leninist concept of the proletarian party and the dictatorship of the proletariat to a higher level when he discovered how a bourgeoisie could develop within a communist party itself and the need for revolution within a Socialist Society itself .True Mao did not discover a new era but without recognizing his universal contribution we would be denying Marxsim Leninism.Mao also took Marxist philosophy to a higher stage in his writings on’ law of contradictions’.Let us remember that just because Marx did not formulate imperialism we cannot deny Marx’s ideology as an ism.Advocating ‘Maoism’ does not mean that we are denying the principal contradiction discovered by Lenin at the International level between the people of the third world and the Imperialist countries.Lenin’s discovering the era of ‘Imperialism’ does not advocate that Lenin owns the era.Just as Leninism was the Marxism of the era of Imperialism and Proletarian Revolution,Mao-Tse Tung Thought is the Marxism –Leninism of the same era.Without recognizing ‘Mao Tse Tung Thought’ we would be denying Marxism-Leninsm today and thus it can be an ism.The principal contradiction remains the same but the ideology has been taken to a higher stage.The most important criteria is the relationship between era and ism.Was ‘Leninism’ only derivated from the the fact that we exist in the era of ‘Imperialism and proletarian revolution?
The advocates of this trend slander those who uphold Mao Tse Tung thought as revisionists and claim to be defending Mao’s mass line. Some of the greatest peoples wars have been led by parties deploying the use of the term ‘Maoism’like the Peruvian Communist Party and more recently the C.P.I.(Maoist) and the Communist Party of Phillipines.It is worth recounting how using this ideology the P.C.P.under chairman Gonzalo staged the greatest peoples war since the Chinese revolutionary war which morally implemented the mass line from 1980-1992 more than any post war armed movement. However inspite of making historic strides the P.C.P revealed it’s weakness in assessment and practice of work in urban areas .Above all adopting ‘Maoism’ as principal affected their international line, which underestimated the forces of imperialism and overestimated third world war.The reference to ‘militarization of the party’ in Comrade Gonzalo’s interview revealed the confusion of mass line with military line.The ultimate adoption of ‘Gonzalo Thought’ in the 1st Congress in 1988 denigrated Marxism –Leninism-Maoism.
The main criteria was not the formulation of ‘Maoism’ but the erroneous interpretation and application.The R.C.P.,(U.S.A.) created the ideology of the ‘New Synthesis.’Further divergences from the R.C.P were developed like the Kasama project of Mike Ely that virtually delinks Mao’s ideology from that of Marx and Lenin. Maoism-third worldsim denies the role of the proletariat in the advanced capitalist countries.. Inspite of leading a massive armed movement and innumerable sacrifices the C.P.I.(Maoist) is vitiated by a defective military line. However we cannot attribute ‘Maoism’ to this. Infact although leading a huge armed movement the inclination of left sectarian military lines was displayed in the erstwhile Maoist Communist Centre and the Peoples War Group for over 2 decades, when upholding ‘Mao Tse Tung Thought’. This had it’s origins in the era of Charu Mazumdar era which called for the disbanding of mass organizations and movements and pure military actions. There is also an erroneous tendency of the C.P.I(M.L.)Naxalbari that equates Maoism with the military line with particular reference to Charu Mazumdar’s line.It fails to properly recognize the errors of Charu Mazumdar.
Quoting the C.P.I(Maoist) document adopted on the accepting of Maoism in 2004( on the merger of the Peoples war group and the Maoist Communist Centre)
“Although later the revolutionary movement suffered a setback for thetime being, the bright red banner of MLM Thought and the flames of Naxalbaricontinue to shine in various parts of the country. In fact the seeds of MLMThought were sown very deep in the Indian landscape.The history of the emergence and development of our two Parties isinseparably linked with this stormy period. During the last 30 years and moreof history we not only continue to uphold the shining red banner of MLMThought, but also continue to apply it in our revolutionary practice in theconcrete conditions of India. During this practice we have forged and developed
a revolutionary line by analyzing and synthesizing the positive and negativeexperiences of our movements no doubt on the basis of MLM Thought. Inthis light we have achieved many remarkable successes in continuing anddeveloping the protracted people’s war through developing agrarianrevolutionary guerilla struggle in the countryside by mobilizing and relyingon the peasant masses, especially the poor and landless peasants. We continuedthis struggle by resisting the continuous severe repression and manysuppression campaigns unleashed by the reactionary ruling classes. We havesucceeded in developing several guerilla zones and guerrilla army-the PLGA-
directed towards establishing full-fledged PLA and Base Areas in the vastcountryside of Andhra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Dandakaranya and the adjoiningparts of these states. This protracted people’s war led by our two Parties isdirected towards completing the New Democratic Revolution through thestrategy of encircling the cities from the countryside. The content of thisrevolution is agrarian revolution.
“During the course of this protracted people’s war and fighting againstvarious “Left” and Right Opportunist tendencies that emerged from within oroutside apart from the revisionism of CPI and CPI (M), we have learnt thatany attempt to belittle the importance of MLM Thought and its concreteapplication to the concrete conditions will prove to be very disastrous. Allthese tendencies undermined the Maoist conception that in all the backwardcountries dominated by imperialism and feudalism the objective conditionfor initiating and developing protracted people’s war from the very beginningare already mature. In the very light of our bitter experience of the last 30
years achieved at the cost of heavy bloodshed along with the experiences ofthe International Communist Movement,our understanding regarding our ideology deepened further.”
The above document fascinatingly refers to the ideology of Marxism –Leninism Mao Tse Tung Thought when Maoism was accepted in 2004.(being referred as ‘MLMT’.) This depicts how both Marxism-Leninsim Mao thought and Maoism are morally one and the same.