Selected Readings from the Works of Mao Tsetung

by Mao Zedong

In order to meet the needs of great numbers of English-reading people abroad in studying the works of Mao Tsetung, we are publishing an English translation of the second Chinese edition of Selected Readings from the Works of Mao Tsetung (A) which was edited by the Editorial Committee for Selected Readings from the Works of Mao Tsetung and published in April 1965.

The editorial work was carried out under the guidance of the Committee for the Publication of the Selected Works of Mao Tsetung under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The editorial notes and most of the explanatory notes are those of the Chinese edition, but the explanatory notes to some articles have been rearranged in the English edition.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, China, Economics, Theory, Philosophy

504 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1971

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.

Reviews

[Oona · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am currently reading, and am loving each word. very truthful, very inspirational, very enlightening. . .

[Sarah Kingston · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." He wasn't wrong (about seizing and maintaining power anyway - his economics are garbage, of course). If you want to learn how to brutalize and starve people while pretending to be their savior, this is a good how to. Otherwise, it's cancerous. 45 million died of starvation in just four years under his leadership. Communism isn't edgy and neither was this POS.

[mandarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

kind of hard.

[Odhran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very historically interesting, given that I know close to nothing about Chinese history. Some of the pieces in here are rather repetitive and lacking in substance, however. Still, some interesting wee nuggets to think about, in among all the empty verbiage.

[Fernando González · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Thoughts, but very questionable and presumptions... .