Difference between revisions of "Maoism"
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| − | '''Maoism''' is the [[Communist]] ideology of [[Mao Zedong]]. Maoism | + | '''Maoism''' is the [[Communist]] ideology of [[Mao Zedong]], which dominated [[China]] from 1949 until Mao's death in 1976. Maoism differed at the start from standard [[Marxism-Leninism]] in that it looked to the masses of rural peasants rather than to the urban industrial proletariat as the driving force (along with the Communist Party) of the revolution. Maoism began as a form of [[Stalinism]], but in the mid-1950s Mao became distrustful of the Soviet-style concentration of power in the hands of the Party bureaucracy and its "managerial and technocratic elites",<ref>http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363444/Maoism</ref> which led him to promote the continuous revolutionary mobilization of the masses. These divergences from Stalinism were elaborated in Mao's writings on [[guerrilla]] warfare and his "Red Book" and carried out through programs such as the [[Great Leap Forward]] of the late 1950s and the [[Cultural Revolution]] of the late 1960s. |
Maoism became a trendy ideology among [[leftist]] extremists starting in the 1960s, who saw the poor of the [[Third World]], rather than the white [[proletariat]] of the industrialized West, as having the most "revolutionary" potential. Maoism with its origins in China rather than Europe was thus deemed by these radicals to be more credible an ideology than the Soviet-line Old Left. The Maosists fought against the Soviet backed leftists in most countries around the world, with the usual result of two Communist parties that fought each other. | Maoism became a trendy ideology among [[leftist]] extremists starting in the 1960s, who saw the poor of the [[Third World]], rather than the white [[proletariat]] of the industrialized West, as having the most "revolutionary" potential. Maoism with its origins in China rather than Europe was thus deemed by these radicals to be more credible an ideology than the Soviet-line Old Left. The Maosists fought against the Soviet backed leftists in most countries around the world, with the usual result of two Communist parties that fought each other. | ||
| − | China gave up Maoism in the 1980s, and today no country is under its control. However, in recent years Maoists have been especially powerful as an insurgent movement in Nepal. | + | China effectively (though not officially) gave up Maoism in the 1980s, and today no country is under its control. However, in recent years Maoists have been especially powerful as an insurgent movement in Nepal. |
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| + | ==References== | ||
| + | {{reflist}} | ||
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==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* [[Khmer Rouge]] | * [[Khmer Rouge]] | ||
* [[New Left]] | * [[New Left]] | ||
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==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
* Alexander, Robert J. ''Maoism in the Developed World'' (2001) [http://www.questia.com/read/113105320?title=Maoism%20in%20the%20Developed%20World online edition] | * Alexander, Robert J. ''Maoism in the Developed World'' (2001) [http://www.questia.com/read/113105320?title=Maoism%20in%20the%20Developed%20World online edition] | ||
Revision as of 15:38, November 2, 2009
Maoism is the Communist ideology of Mao Zedong, which dominated China from 1949 until Mao's death in 1976. Maoism differed at the start from standard Marxism-Leninism in that it looked to the masses of rural peasants rather than to the urban industrial proletariat as the driving force (along with the Communist Party) of the revolution. Maoism began as a form of Stalinism, but in the mid-1950s Mao became distrustful of the Soviet-style concentration of power in the hands of the Party bureaucracy and its "managerial and technocratic elites",[1] which led him to promote the continuous revolutionary mobilization of the masses. These divergences from Stalinism were elaborated in Mao's writings on guerrilla warfare and his "Red Book" and carried out through programs such as the Great Leap Forward of the late 1950s and the Cultural Revolution of the late 1960s.
Maoism became a trendy ideology among leftist extremists starting in the 1960s, who saw the poor of the Third World, rather than the white proletariat of the industrialized West, as having the most "revolutionary" potential. Maoism with its origins in China rather than Europe was thus deemed by these radicals to be more credible an ideology than the Soviet-line Old Left. The Maosists fought against the Soviet backed leftists in most countries around the world, with the usual result of two Communist parties that fought each other.
China effectively (though not officially) gave up Maoism in the 1980s, and today no country is under its control. However, in recent years Maoists have been especially powerful as an insurgent movement in Nepal.
References
See also
Further reading
- Alexander, Robert J. Maoism in the Developed World (2001) online edition
- Alexander, Robert J. International Maoism in the Developing World (1999) online edition