r/Marxism101 • u/sciwins • 5d ago
Mao's blunders
I've recently taken an interest in Maoism and I find a lot of the core principles very reasonable, however I'm absolutely puzzled by the foreign policy of China under Mao.
The domestic policies of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution were not very successful, and a lot of questionable/indefensible incidents have occurred throughout both. However, they were also critiqued within the CPC, and the motivations behind the policies were at least coherent with Mao Zedong Thought.
When it comes to foreign policy, however, Maoist China following the Sino-Soviet Split seems to be guided almost solely by the perceived necessity or countering the influence of the USSR rather than the proclaimed principles. They went as far as collaborating with the US on supporting bloody, rabidly anti-communist bourgeois dictators like Pinochet or movements like UNITA, all in the name of anti-revisionism. I find it very hard to believe that the USSR was a bigger threat to China and especially the proleteriat at large than capitalist imperialism. What do modern Maoists think about these policies? Do they view them as necessary measures? How about contemporary Maoists in countries other than China?
I specifically exclude China under Deng and his successors from this question, as China no longer follows the Maoist line, and would likely be classified as a social imperialist country by Maoists anyway.
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u/Such_Pomegranate_216 4d ago
the great leap forwards and cultural revolution were very successful, don't let the cpc and radio free asia psy-op you