So I am not a Maoist, but I feel that Mao had some good theories on how to fight a guerrilla war (of course, these ideas would need to be revised for a country like the United States). One thing I have noticed is that Mao (and if not Mao, then his comrades) supported the use of "human wave" attacks against the enemy. I will not get into the morality of such attacks, but it seems that, while sometimes successful, they can lead to great military blunders as well. For example, Vo Nguyen Giap (North Vietnam's military leader during most of the war with the U.S.) tried these tactics during the Tet Offensive and, in my opinion, caused the great loss that was the Tet Offensive. Giap initiated these tactics from pressure within the Maoist section of the party and from Chinese advisors who told him these tactics worked in North Korea. Also it seems these types of attacks waste resources and men more than they gain ground and victory. I also believe that Mao was wrong that guerrilla warfare could only take place in rural areas and the political struggle would happen in the cities. It seems that this has been proven wrong. I could understand if Mao was saying this was true for China, but he claimed this for all underdeveloped nations. I think Mao was extremely correct in the belief of establishing base and rear areas, the value of taking the offensive and not being defensive, and the importance of the human factor. Thoughts?
