Mao's Case for Chinese Red Power | Generated by AI
Question: What is the historical context and core argument of Mao Zedong’s 1928 work, “Why Is It That Red Political Power Can Exist in China?”
Answer:
Overview
Written in October 1928, this is one of Mao Zedong’s most foundational theoretical works. It was drafted as a resolution for the Second Party Congress of the Border Area during the Jinggang Mountains period. At its heart, the essay addresses a desperate question: How can a small, communist “Red” enclave survive while being surrounded by hostile Nationalist (Kuomintang) forces?
Core Arguments: The Five Conditions
Mao argued that the existence of “Red Political Power” (revolutionary base areas) was not a fluke, but a result of specific conditions unique to China:
- A Divided Ruling Class: China was a semi-colonial country where various white-regime warlords were backed by different foreign powers. Their localized, “internecine” warfare created “fissures” or gaps in their control, allowing the Red Army to find breathing room.
- The Influence of the First Revolution: The areas where the Red Army thrived were generally those where the masses had already been politically “awakened” during the Northern Expedition (1926–1927).
- A Prolonged Revolutionary Situation: Mao believed the national crisis was deep enough that the revolution wasn’t just a flash in the pan; the “simmering” discontent of the peasantry provided a constant source of recruits and support.
- A Strong Red Army: Without a formal, disciplined military force, a political movement would be crushed. Survival depended on the military’s ability to protect the “Soviets” (local governments).
- Communist Party Leadership: Mao emphasized that for the base to survive, the Communist Party had to be organized, unified, and capable of correcting “Left” or “Right” deviations in policy.
Historical Significance
- Shift to the Countryside: This work marked a definitive shift away from the Soviet model of urban-centered worker uprisings. It laid the groundwork for “Encircle the cities from the countryside.”
- The Concept of “Dual Power”: It theorized a state of “protracted war” where two different political powers (the White and the Red) existed simultaneously within one country for a long period.
- Morale Booster: At a time when the Red Army was suffering heavy losses and isolation, Mao’s analysis provided a “scientific” justification for why they should keep fighting rather than disbanding.
Key Takeaway
Mao’s central thesis was that China’s fragmented, warlord-dominated landscape was actually its greatest weakness—and the revolution’s greatest opportunity. By hiding in the “cracks” between warlord territories, the Red Power could slowly grow until it was strong enough to challenge the center.
Would you like me to summarize the specific “Agrarian Revolution” policies Mao recommended in this text for maintaining peasant loyalty?