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Marxism–Leninism–Maoism (MLM) is a term used by some communist groups to emphasize the significance of
Maoism Maoism, officially Mao Zedong Thought, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed while trying to realize a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic o ...
as a new stage in
Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...
theory and practice. Adherents of Marxism–Leninism–Maoism claim it to be a unified, coherent higher stage of Marxism. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with "Maoism" and " Marxism-Leninism" by adherents. Marxism-Leninism-Maoism has been espoused by a number of insurgent groups in the global periphery, including the
Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) (), abbreviated CPN (Maoist Centre) or CPN (MC), is the third largest political party in Nepal and a member party of Samajbadi Morcha. It was founded in 1994 after breaking away from the Communi ...
(which entered government in 2006), the Communist Party of India (Maoist), and the Communist Party of the Philippines. In developed countries (the " imperial core"), MLM has been promoted by the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (RCP) in the 1990s, and more recently by smaller groups such as the American
Red Guards The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...
and Norway's Tjen Folket (Serve the People). In the 1990s the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement (dominated by the RCP) served as an international coalition of MLM groups. More recently the International Communist League has served this function.


Origins

Communist groups outside of China influenced by Maoism have existed since the
Sino-Soviet split The Sino-Soviet split was the gradual worsening of relations between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) during the Cold War. This was primarily caused by divergences that arose from their ...
of the 1960s. In particular, the Canadian Maoist philosopher J. Moufawad-Paul identifies Charu Mazumdar, Joma Sison, and Ibrahim Kaypakkaya (and their associated revolutionary organizations, all of which were involved in "people's wars") as forebears of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. However, Moufawad-Paul argues that prior to 1988 organizations that were called "Maoist" subscribed to "
Mao Zedong Thought Maoism, officially Mao Zedong Thought, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed while trying to realize a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of China and later the People's Re ...
" or versions of anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninism that privileged China over the USSR, rather than "Maoism-qua-Maoism." He writes that Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (Maoism as "the third stage for revolutionary science") was first theorized by Shining Path in 1988 and further elaborated by the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement in 1993. Moufawad-Paul argues that this is the version of Maoism now "
hegemonic Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one state over other states, either regional or global. In Ancient Greece (ca. 8th BC – AD 6th c.), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' ...
" among Maoists worldwide. The document "On Marxism-Leninism-Maoism," released by Shining Path's central committee in 1988, describes "Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, principally Maoism" as "the third, newest and highest stage of the ideology of the international proletariat." Similarly, RIM's statement "Long Live Marxism-Leninism-Maoism!", published in 1993, describes MLM as the movement's "guiding ideology." Some other Maoists have expressed similar views, with Tjen Folket stating in 2019 that "Maoism was comprehensed iconly through the People’s War in Peru and that the PCP was the ''only'' Maoist Party in the world in 1982." The anarchist author Elliott Liu similarly writes of "the 'Marxism-Leninism-Maoism' synthesis put forward by the Shining Path and the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement in the early 1990s."


Components


New Democracy

The theory of New Democracy holds that the national-bourgeois in semi-feudal and semi-colonial countries has a dual character in that although it is an exploitative capitalist force, it can also but not always side with the
proletariat The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian or a . Marxist ph ...
against colonialism, imperialism and the comprador-bourgeoisie (whose existence is due to
imperialism Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of Power (international relations), power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultura ...
). Much like the New Economic Policy in Russia, New Democracy is conceived of as a necessary (but temporary) stage for the long-term development of socialism, or in this case for the construction and consolidation of socialism in the first place. It holds that the national-bourgeois in the New Democratic stage must always be firmly under the command of the proletariat and they must be firmly dispensed with as soon as the national situation allows (in other words, when the contradiction between feudalism and the masses is no longer the primary contradiction of the nation, or when the bourgeois-democratic revolution is at a sufficiently advanced stage) for an outright dictatorship of the proletariat.


Mass line

Building on the theory of the
vanguard party Vanguardism, a core concept of Leninism, is the idea that a revolutionary vanguard party, composed of the most conscious and disciplined workers, must lead the proletariat in overthrowing capitalism and establishing socialism, ultimately progres ...
by
Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...
, the theory of the
mass line The mass line is a political, organizational, and leadership methodology developed by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the Chinese Communist Revolution. Who used the term first is disputed, with some crediting Li Lisan an ...
outlines a strategy for the revolutionary leadership of the masses, consolidation of the dictatorship of the proletariat and strengthening of the party and for the building of
socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
. The mass line can be summarized by the phrase "from the masses, to the masses".


Law of contradiction

Marxist–Leninist–Maoists uphold Mao Zedong's philosophical works, particularly his work on
dialectics Dialectic (; ), also known as the dialectical method, refers originally to dialogue between people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to arrive at the truth through reasoned argument. Dialectic resembles debate, but the ...
in '' On Contradiction'' and on
epistemology Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowle ...
in '' On Practice''.


Protracted people's war

People's war is a Maoist military strategy. A joint declaration published by a number of Marxist–Leninist–Maoist organizations ( Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) People's War, Communist Party of the Philippines, Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist–Leninist, and others) in 1998 stated that “the strategic line of protracted people’s war…is applicable in most countries of the world, where the peasant masses are in the majority among the basic producers” but is “not applicable in industrial capitalist countries” (where power is to be seized instead through "workers' uprisings"). In contrast, Tjen FolketKinera, Ard
"Defend and apply the universality of Protracted People’s War!"
Tjen Folket. June 6 2019.
and others have argued that people's war is "universally applicable" and represents "the only military strategy of the Proletariat."


Differences from Mao Zedong Thought

The three most notable differences between Marxism–Leninism–Maoism and Mao Zedong Thought are the following: # Marxism–Leninism–Maoism is considered to be a higher stage of Marxism–Leninism by its followers, much like Marxism–Leninism is considered a higher stage of Marxism. However,
Mao Zedong Thought Maoism, officially Mao Zedong Thought, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed while trying to realize a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of China and later the People's Re ...
is considered to just be Marxism–Leninism applied to the particularities of the
Chinese Communist Revolution The Chinese Communist Revolution was a social revolution, social and political revolution in China that began in 1927 and culminated with the proclamation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The revolution was led by the Chinese C ...
. # Marxism–Leninism–Maoism is considered to be universally applicable whilst aspects of Mao Zedong Thought are generally not. # Marxism–Leninism–Maoism completely rejects the Three Worlds Theory of Mao Zedong Thought, considering it part of the right-wards turn in the
Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
led by
Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...
near the end of Chairman Mao's life and a deviation from Marxist–Leninist theories of imperialism. Marxism–Leninism–Maoism–Gonzalo Thought only rejects Deng's application.


International influence

Perhaps the most notable international was the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement (RIM). RIM was founded in 1984 and included such organizations as the Shining Path and the then-Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), eventually known as the
Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) (), abbreviated CPN (Maoist Centre) or CPN (MC), is the third largest political party in Nepal and a member party of Samajbadi Morcha. It was founded in 1994 after breaking away from the Communi ...
. Today, the RIM appears to be defunct or near defunct. The magazine associated with the RIM, ''A World to Win'', has not published an issue since 2006, though A World to Win News Service still publishes regularly on the Internet. In addition, many of the one-time RIM organizations have become increasingly critical of each other and this has resulted in many public splits.


Latin America

Marxist-Leninist-Maoist groups in Latin America include the Communist Party of Brazil (Red Fraction), the Communist Party of Chile (Red Fraction), the Communist Party of Ecuador–Red Sun, the Red Fraction of the Communist Party of Colombia and the Committee to Reconstitute the Communist Party of Mexico.


Peru

In the 1980s and 1990s Shining Path, which claimed Marxism-Leninism-Maoism as its ideology, fought an insurgency against the Peruvian state that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. This insurgency was largely defeated in the 1990s, although sporadic violence has continued into the present. Remnants of Shining Path are organized as the Militarized Communist Party of Peru.


Asia


India

The Communist Party of India (Maoist) is a Marxist–Leninist–Maoist
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
which aims to overthrow the government of
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. It was founded on 21 September 2004 through the merger of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) People's War and the Maoist Communist Centre of India. The merger was announced to the public on 14 October the same year. In the merger, a provisional central committee was constituted, with the erstwhile people's war leader Muppala Lakshmana Rao (alias Ganapathi) as the general secretary. It is currently proscribed as a
terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
organization by the Indian government.


Nepal

The
Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) (), abbreviated CPN (Maoist Centre) or CPN (MC), is the third largest political party in Nepal and a member party of Samajbadi Morcha. It was founded in 1994 after breaking away from the Communi ...
, a national communist party with a revolutionary background, is a follower of Marxism–Leninism–Maoism. However, the party has also developed its own guiding thought known as
Marxism–Leninism–Maoism–Prachanda Path Marxism–Leninism–Maoism–Prachanda Path ( ; sometimes shortened to Prachanda Path) is the ideological line of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), also known as the UCPN(M). It is considered a development of Marxism–Leninism� ...
which was developed taking Nepal's political, sociological and geographical constraints into consideration. The Communist Party of Nepal is another Marxist–Leninist–Maoist party in Nepal. It claims that the UCPN(M) is a revisionist organization and is continuing the people's war against the UCPN(M) government.


Philippines

The Communist Party of the Philippines, which has been fighting an insurgency against the Philippine state since 1968, has espoused Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. In its earlier years, party documents referred to Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought rather than Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.


United States

The Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (RCP) was previously a Marxist–Leninist–Maoist political party in the United States. The RCP participated in the founding conference of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement on 12 March 1984. The RCP signed the "Declaration of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement" and supported the RIM's declaration "Long Live Marxism–Leninism–Maoism!" on 26 December 1993 which recognized "Marxism–Leninism–Maoism as the new, third and higher stage of Marxism". However, today the RCP uses the "New Synthesis of Communism" to describe its ideology, although they still call themselves Maoists. Because of this, the RCP has been accused of revisionism by several Marxist–Leninist–Maoist groups such as the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and the Revolutionary Communist Party of Canada. Founded in 2015, the
Red Guards The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...
espoused Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and had branches in several US cities.


Europe

MLM groups in Europe have included Tjen Folket in Norway and Youth Resistance in Germany.


Notes


References


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marxism-Leninism-Maoism Anti-revisionism Authoritarianism Eponymous political ideologies Marxist schools of thought Maoism Marxism Marxism–Leninism Shining Path Types of socialism Totalitarian ideologies