Marxist-Leninist Reading Hub Curriculum - Stage 4: Organization

Marxist-Leninist Reading Hub Curriculum #4

by Mao Zedong, Hồ Chí Minh, Vladimir Lenin

Stage 4: Organization takes the theoretical foundations from the previous three stages and directs the use of the following concepts toward real-world organization.

* Organization – To succeed in waging revolution requires organization—a united Party steeped in Marxism-Leninism, leading the charge for the liberation of all oppressed peoples.
* Mass Line – The power to liberate oppressed peoples comes from the oppressed peoples themselves. We must listen to the masses and be held accountable to them; serve the people and earn their trust.
* Democratic Centralism – The manner in which a Marxist-Leninist Party conducts itself; democratic decision making followed through with unity of action.
* Criticism – Within the Party there are varying opinions held or errors made among its members; this is to be expected. Engaging in criticism, between comrades and self-reflection, must be handled correctly, timely, and professionally.

The full contents of this stage are:
* Get Organized! by Mao
* Serve the People by Mao
* The Revolutionary Path by Hồ Chí Minh
* The Dual Power by Lenin
* "Left-Wing" Communism: an Infantile Disorder by Lenin
* Some Questions Concerning Methods of Leadership by Mao
* On the Party: Concerning the Mass Line of Our Party by Liu Shaoqi
* On the Party: Democratic Centralism Within the Party by Liu Shaoqi
* How to be a Good Leader by Zhou Enlai
* On Correcting Mistaken Ideas in the Party by Mao
* Reform our Study by Mao
* Combat Liberalism by Mao
* Correct Handling of Contradictions by Mao

341 pages, Paperback

Published February 19, 2023

About the author

Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung, and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, statesman and leader of the Chinese Revolution. He was the architect and founding father of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from its establishment in 1949, and held control over the nation until his death in 1976. His theoretical contribution to Marxism–Leninism, along with his military strategies and brand of policies, are collectively known as Maoism.

Mao rose to power by commanding the Long March, forming a Second United Front with Kuomintang (KMT) during the Second Sino-Japanese War to repel a Japanese invasion, and later led the Communist Party of China (CPC) to victory against Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's KMT in the Chinese Civil War. Mao established political and military control over most of the territory formerly contained within the Chinese Empire and launched a campaign to suppress counterrevolutionaries. He sent the Communist People's Liberation Army into Xinjiang and Tibet but was unable to oust the remnants of the Nationalist Party from Taiwan. He enacted sweeping land reform by using violence and terror to overthrow landlords before seizing their large estates and dividing the land into people's communes. The Communist Party's final victory came after decades of turmoil in China, which included the Great Depression, a brutal invasion by Japan and a protracted civil war. Mao's Communist Party ultimately achieved a measure of stability in China, though Mao's efforts to close China to trade and market commerce, and eradicate traditional Chinese culture, have been largely rejected by his successors.

Mao styled himself "The Great Helmsman" and supporters continue to contend that he was responsible for some positive changes which came to China during his three decade rule. These included doubling the school population, providing universal housing, abolishing unemployment and inflation, increasing health care access, and dramatically raising life expectancy. A cult of personality grew up around Mao, and community dissent was not permitted. His Communist Party still rules in mainland China, retains control of media and education there and officially celebrates his legacy. As a result, Mao is still officially held in high regard by many Chinese as a great political strategist, military mastermind, and savior of the nation. Maoists promote his role as a theorist, statesman, poet, and visionary, and anti-revisionists continue to defend most of his policies.