The Basis of Maoism

During Chairman Mao's time, there existed an ideology that overthrew the ruling class in Russia. This ideology, as we know, is Marxism-Leninism. After forming the principles of Maoism after Chairman Mao's death, those principles came to be known as Maoist philosophy. Maoism can be said to be the continuation of Marxism-Leninism. The basis of Maoism can be divided into five different analyses: The New Democracy, the Cultural Revolution, the Law of Contradictions, the Mass Line, and the Protracted People's War. We will go over all of this later, in the meantime, we shall discuss them broadly.

The New Democracy is the first thing that must happen in order for Maoism to work. The New Democracy is the restructure of society to fit the needs of a socialist society. The means by this to happen is to first elect a vanguard party, the communist party, and have them lead the helm in creating a basis in which socialism can strive. This can be done by establishing new social policies in all sectors of government. This building of the New Democracy is the essence of a socialist revolution. The important thing to observe in this step is that the multiple classes of the society must work together in order to make this happen. Without the use of all the classes, there can be no basis in which all the people live in a socialist society. The problem that comes from this is the problem that all socialists want to solve; the oppressive ruling class. How can there be a socialist society in which the ruling class oppresses the working class? How is this New Democracy viable at all?

It is important to realize while establishing the New Democracy is the first step, the steps proceeding it are a part of building the New Democracy. By establishing the New Democracy, the ground work for socialism to strive is already present. The step that follows is to shut down the ruling class with a Cultural Revolution. Although a revolution destroys the government of the old regime and implements the New Democracy, the ruling bourgeoisie class exists. It should be noted, that through the labor of the working class, society as a whole is imaged after the demands and vision of the bourgeoisie. The demands of the people are still bourgeoisie, and the greed is still bourgeoisie. Even though a socialist revolution destroys the political ideology of the state, there still lies the social ideology of the masses. To destroy this bourgeoisie culture, a Cultural Revolution must engage in changing the priorities of the people. Unity only comes through the combined struggle of the working classes. Through this Cultural Revolution, the united people's struggle strives in destroying the dominating ideology of the bourgeoisie and replace it with the demands of the working class.

After the Cultural Revolution has destroyed the bourgeoisie ideology, there is still a struggle that exists and will keep existing no matter how socialist a state is. Even if the appearance of the state has evidence of socialist policies, the struggle still exists and will keep existing until the state has reached the Communist State. This concept is called the Law of Contradictions. Mao comments on this Law of Contradictions by saying "The other does not exist in the objective world, but the materials conditions to set it up exist". For example, we can use the common analogy of a waterfall. Say a society needs energy, but that energy does not exist in, but that does not mean that the conditions to achieve that goal do not exist. Say the society has a nearby waterfall near where they can build a dam. By building a dam, the energy now is able to exist. The energy is what does not exist in the objective world, and the materials to set it up is the dam. In socialist terms, unity is the objective material that does not exist yet, and the material to set it up is the struggle. By the struggle existing in the objective world, the possibility of unity is possible, but that unity is contradictory, as it may create more struggle. This cycle of struggle and unity will continue to exist until the goal is obtained; the goal of communism. This is not a step in building the New Democracy, but it is more of something that the vanguard party must recognize, and must enforce in order to reach the end goal.

During the vanguard party is building up the New Democracy, keeping in mind the Law of Contradictions, the party then holds a Mass Line. This Mass Line consists of all the criticisms and demands of the people. The communist party of the state must always keep in mind the Mass Line and not the interests of just the party. By holding a Mass Line, the people reach the vanguard party and list the problems and demands that the people want, and the vanguard party is merely the tool that is used by the people to meet these demands. Though these demands could be anything, the party exists to recognize what the demands are and to deliver them in a way that unity (and in turn struggle) is formed. This Mass Line emphasizes that the people are the most important aspect of the state. the Mass Line is a recognition that the people are above the party and not the other way around. The problem that then arises is many what if's. What if the Communist Party steps out of line? What if the party becomes too corrupt? Well, these questions are answered with the final, and on-going process of the Protracted People's War.

The way in which revolution happens, and continues to happen is referred to as waging the Protracted People's War. The usage of the Protracted People's War is to kick out an old regime that is undesirable by the people and established a New Democracy. It is important to recognize that the concept of revolution is on-going. As mentioned early, unity creates struggle, in which in turn creates unity. This unity and struggle is the continuation of the revolution, and so the revolution is a process that is on-going until the means of attaining the communist state is achieved. The way that the revolution is fought with is through Protracted People's War. The Protracted People's War is split up into three stages: Strategic defense, strategic equilibrium, and strategic offense. Essentially these stages are how the people's war should be going. At first, the state will be stronger with the military, but after much resistance, the people and the old regime are to be in equilibrium. Then after this happens, it is important to proceed on being on the offense. This eventual offense will lead to the defeat of the old regime. The means by which this is attained can be using three establishments: The Party, the United Front, and the People's Army. All three of these will lead the struggle against the ruling class. And so, by using Protracted People's War, the People can be used to usurp any regime that does not meet the needs of the people, for when the party drives away from the people, the party creates a new ruling class, and so a new struggle.

The struggle will continue after the People's War, establishing a New Democracy (following the Law of Contradictions), and so change the social ideology through Cultural Revolution, and following the ideals of the Mass Line, we can achieve a communist society. By using Maoism, any state can be transformed from being a capitalist society suited for the bourgeoisie, into an ideal society that is in the model and the demands of the people.