Mao Zedong's New Democratic Revolution Guide | Generated by AI
Question: Provide an introduction to the New Democratic Revolution (新民主主义革命), using English.
Answer:
Introduction to the New Democratic Revolution (新民主主义革命)
The New Democratic Revolution (Chinese: 新民主主义革命) is a core concept in modern Chinese Communist Party (CCP) theory, primarily developed and theorized by Mao Zedong in the 1930s and 1940s. It served as the guiding strategy for the Chinese revolution from approximately 1921 (founding of the CCP) until 1949 (foundation of the People’s Republic of China).
1. Historical Background
After the May Fourth Movement (1919) and the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (1921), China was still a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The old democratic revolution (led by Sun Yat-sen and the Kuomintang) had failed to thoroughly solve China’s problems of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism.
Mao Zedong argued that China needed a new type of democratic revolution — one that was led by the proletariat (working class) through the Communist Party, rather than by the bourgeoisie as in Western bourgeois democratic revolutions.
2. Main Characteristics of the New Democratic Revolution
Mao Zedong defined it with these key features:
- Leadership: Led by the proletariat (through the Communist Party), not by the bourgeoisie.
- Main Force: The peasantry was the main revolutionary force (because China was overwhelmingly rural and peasants made up ~90% of the population).
- United Front: A broad alliance that included:
- Working class (leadership)
- Peasants (main force)
- Urban petty bourgeoisie
- National bourgeoisie (patriotic part of the capitalists who opposed imperialism)
- Two Main Enemies:
- Imperialism (foreign powers controlling parts of China)
- Feudalism (landlord class and warlords)
- Later, bureaucratic capitalism (collaboration between big capitalists and the Kuomintang government) was also added as a target.
3. Two-Stage Theory of Chinese Revolution
Mao Zedong outlined that the Chinese revolution would proceed in two distinct but continuous stages:
- New Democratic Revolution (1949 and before)
- Goal: Overthrow imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism
- Establish a new-democratic republic (a joint dictatorship of several revolutionary classes under proletarian leadership)
- Not yet socialism
- Socialist Revolution (after 1949)
- After winning state power in 1949, gradually transition to socialist revolution and socialist construction
This two-stage, continuous revolution theory was a major innovation of Maoism.
4. Key Historical Periods of the New Democratic Revolution
| Period | Years | Main Events / Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| First United Front | 1924–1927 | CCP–KMT cooperation against warlords |
| Agrarian Revolutionary War | 1927–1937 | After KMT betrayal → Rural Soviet bases, Long March |
| War of Resistance Against Japan | 1937–1945 | Second United Front (CCP–KMT against Japan) |
| War of Liberation | 1945–1949 | Civil war → Defeat of Chiang Kai-shek → Founding of PRC |
5. Main Outcomes (1949)
- Overthrew the “three big mountains”:
- Imperialism
- Feudalism
- Bureaucratic capitalism
- Established the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949
- Implemented New Democracy in the early years (1949–1953/1956):
- Mixed economy (state, private, cooperative)
- Multi-class united front government
- Gradual transition toward socialism
6. Core Theoretical Works by Mao Zedong
- “On New Democracy” (1940) — the most important document
- “Analysis of the Classes in Chinese Society” (1926)
- “The Chinese Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party” (1939)
- “On Coalition Government” (1945)
- “On the People’s Democratic Dictatorship” (1949)
7. Significance
- Adapted Marxism-Leninism to China’s concrete conditions (a semi-colonial, semi-feudal agrarian society)
- Proved that revolutions in colonial and semi-colonial countries could be led by the proletariat rather than the bourgeoisie
- Became a model for many national liberation movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America during the 20th century
- Laid the theoretical foundation for the People’s Republic of China and its early policies
In summary, the New Democratic Revolution was Mao Zedong’s creative application of Marxism-Leninism to China’s specific national conditions, successfully guiding the Chinese people to national independence and the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
References:
- Mao Zedong, On New Democracy (1940)
https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-2/mswv2_26.htm - Mao Zedong, On the People’s Democratic Dictatorship (1949)
https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-4/mswv4_65.htm - Official CPC history documents (various)
http://www.idcpc.org.cn/english2023/tjzl/cxzl/