Mao’s Ideology

Mao’s key political objective was to consolidate and strengthen the communist revolution. He wanted to create a strong central government and ensure that the communists have a monopoly on power. He created the CPCG and appointed himself as chairman. Regional governors were appointed and each of the six regions of China was governed by a committee of four people appointed from the centre. Mao asked for the cleaning up of Chinese society and called for a moral purge against organised crime, drug dealing and prostitution. Mao also destroyed the landlord class which helped his aim to transfer land from the upper to middle and lower class peasants. Mao also made sure the whole nation would support the CCP by sending the PLA to enforce the new communist rules; all capitalists were wiped out from China, with the KMT national base finally being brought under communist control. Mao also tried to spread his communist based on his ideas of world revolution. Soon after the CCP seized power of China the PLA invaded Tibet as well as engaging in a war against the Koreans to try and gain more land. The Cultural Revolution also helped to establish Mao’s power in China for the rest of his life as well as ensuring the concept of revolution would carry on after his death.

The Cultural Revolution also played a key part in Mao’s ideology. Mao wanted to assert his authority over China and the CCP as he thought upper echelons of the CCP were infected by “neo capitalism” and only wanted personal power. So the only way to save communism according to Mao was to replace the old guards with the younger generations. This was turned into a public movement in the summer of 1966 and mass propaganda was released to the people and the revolution gradually got moving. Students trained by Chinese tradition to respect elders were suddenly told to denounce the older generations and 2,000 people were tortured to death during this period where the youths were brainwashed to turn against their elders. This movement was only slowed down when a civil war threatened and the country seemed to be pushing towards a social and economic collapse. The red guards were taken over by the PLA as the revolution had gone far enough. Youths after the revolution were urged to go and live in the countryside and live with peasants to experience their labour.

Mao’s ideology captured the minds of the nation and he was looked upon as a god. Although the great leap forward was a complete failure and upended the industry and agriculture of the country, Mao’s other ideology seemed to give positive results. The First five year plan could be looked on as a success and Mao succeded in gaining political control until his death and beyond. The cultural revolution was also a big success as it proved that the CCP had a huge influence over the people of China.