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| Some, including many in the ] and ] activists see many of the repressive aspects of the current PRC government as the result of Maoism. | Some, including many in the ] and ] activists see many of the repressive aspects of the current PRC government as the result of Maoism. | ||
| The consensus view among both Western and Chinese scholars is the Maoism was an economic disaster. | |||
| Some Western scholars argue that China's rapid industrialization and relatively quick recovery from the brutal period of civil wars 1911-1949 was a positive impact of Maoism, and contrast its development specifically to that of ], ] and ]. One argument is that Mao's strong personality and doctrine served the same purpose as American executive and military leadership, and the ], in Europe - an extremely simple theory of the origin of modern ]: ], ], and ] itself. | |||
| However, almost all Chinese scholars and most Western scholars disagree. | |||
| Some conservative scholars, which include most who are sympathetic to | Some conservative scholars, which include most who are sympathetic to | ||
| the current Chinese government, argue that Maoism was a disaster because | the current Chinese government, argue that Maoism was a disaster because | ||
Revision as of 02:02, 6 December 2002
Maoism is a political and military doctrine developed by Mao Zedong. The theory extends the communist theories of Marxism-Leninism, especially in the area of conducting a peoples' war. Post-Mao, the doctrine has been employed by Pol Pot of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge, the Shining Path of Peru, and various communist and revolutionary groups in the developed world. The primary difference between Maoism and earlier forms of Marxism-Leninism is the importance of the peasantry as a revolutionary force.
Ironically, despite being listed as one of the four cardinal principles, the government of the People's Republic of China has discarded revolutionary Maoism as an official ideology. Along Mao Zedong himself is regarded in the official history as a great revolutionary leader for his role in fighting the Japanese and creating the People's Republic of China, Maoism as implemented after 1958 is regarded as an economic and political disaster. Specifically, within Chinese Marxist ideology, Maoism is regarded as committing the errors of left deviationism and being based on a cult of personality.
Some, including many in the Chinese democracy movement and human rights activists see many of the repressive aspects of the current PRC government as the result of Maoism.
The consensus view among both Western and Chinese scholars is the Maoism was an economic disaster. Some conservative scholars, which include most who are sympathetic to the current Chinese government, argue that Maoism was a disaster because it created revolutionary instablity which impeded economic growth. Liberal scholars tend to fault Maoism for its dictatorial and anti-democratic nature.