A Comparative Analyses of Mao Ze Tung and Deng Xiao Ping Thoughts: Divergences and

Complementariness
The role played by ideology currently in People Republic of China is not so important as it as it
the past! during the Cold "ar# The country no adopts several no$orthodo% economic measures and
its population does not have the same moral and spiritual duties ith the Chinese Comunist Party
as the first generations of Chinese born under the rule of CCP had#
&ut! this same ideology is regarded as one of the 'our Cardinal Principles of the People Republic
of China ( )
*
# The Mao Tse$tung! despite been not studied as it as in the first
decades after the Revolution! it is stable as one of the columns hisch support the current status of
China as one of the main poer in the +nternational ,ystem#
The -uestion hat arises is ho can this Mao Tse$tung Thought still be so important! if almost all
its focus as in the class fight. 'irst of all! it is necessary to understand the importance that the
ord /thought0 has for the Chinese ideology! mainly for the Communist# According to Chang
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such designation by the Chinese communists is a momentous decision# 2nly Mao Tse$ting ideas
and concepts ere accorded that status until *331! hen the PRC officials started publicly
employing the e%pression /Deng Xiaoping thought0# This is a very relevant detail that one must
pay attention on analy4ing the structure of the Chinese political thought and concepts# 2nly after
Deng Xiaoping received the /bless0 to have his ideas in the same level as Mao Tse$tung5s they
could have a similar importance as that one#
&ut! hat e%actly can been understood as Mao Tse$tung in the first instance. The main sources of
his ideas id doubtlessly found in the /Red &oo60# This compendium! hich in China is 6non as
the /7uaotations from Chairman Mao Tse$tung0 ( ) as first published in *389! and
turned out to be one of the most icononic images of the Chinese Cultural Revolution# The figure
around of si% billions of this boo6s ere printed! from *388! until Mao death! in *3:8! not only for
the consumption ithin the Chinese territory! but also to read by the overseas comrades in the
struggle against the Capitalism# During the Cultural Revolution! the image of Mao as a great and
almost /heavenly0 leader as built to establish the Party as the only source of the /right0 thought
and the orship of Mao image as made in posters! photos! movies etc#
The orship of Mao thought as one of the most important aspect of this period! and as regarded
as a innovative interpretation of the Mar%ism$;eninsm# This innovative approach as an evolution!
and not an entire body of indepent concepts! conceived by Mao# This fact is important to
understand hy the approach as called /Thought0 amd not /Maoism0 by the Chinese
Communists#
The boo6 is a compendium of speeches and boo6s! often very short! from Chairman Mao! divided
and organi4ed accordingly to themes! in a very propaedeutics fashion< for e%ample! the first chapter
is named the /Communist Party0 and e%plains importance of the Chinese Communist Party! as the
*
=amely! according to Deng Xiaoping! the 'our Cardinal Principles are< ,ocialist Path< People5s Democratic
Dictatorsship< Communist Party of China< and Mao Tse$tung thouth and Mar%ism$;enism#
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C>A=?! Maria >sia< The Thought of Deng Xiaoping @ Communist and Post$Communist ,tudies Aol# 13! =o# 9! pp#
B::$B39! *338
core of the Chinese Revolution! and its principles! based on Mar%ism$;enism! and ho the crictcs
toard the Party should be carried out ithin itself#
The focus of Mao5s Thought is on the /poer of the people0# According to him! the victory of the
,ocialism could only be reached if the Chinese people started this ar in every detail of the
ordinary life# This ideology tried to created hat the ?erman$American political scientist ,igmund
=eumann called an /integrated environment0
B
! here the lives of the members are completely
connected to ideological activities# Those actions ere based in the idea that is necessary ro isolate
the folloers from the /fa6e ideas0 from the no$folloers#
According to Mao! the discipline should be< * @ the subordination from each member to the
organi4ation< 1 @ subordination from the fe to the many< B @ subordination from the loer ra6ing
of the party to the higher ra6ing from the party< 9 @ subordination from the entire Party to its
Central Committee# Mao sa the superstructure to be a tool toard the economic transformation of
China# 'or him! the most important in the struggle ere the revolutionary commitment! ideological
4eal! and a sense of selfless dedication! hat ould finally shape a ne reality of China# To sum!
Mao believed that it as the /superstructure0 of the society that ould transform the orld! not the
/productive forces0#
+n this conte%t! Mao regarded as e%clusively positive the great Chinese population# The CCP
believed that the human or6 force ould be capable to create ealth by itself
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! and naturally
concluded that a big population ould generate a big ealth# The result of this ay of thin6ing
could be seen in hat is 6non as the /?reat ;eap 'orard0 and /?reat 'amine0! here nearly BC
million peasants died! accordingly to non$official data outside mainland of starvation! due the
disarragments of the management#
Professor 'ran6 Di6Dtter5s boo6! Mao5s ?reat 'amine is a record of this period! hen the Mao
Thought came into e%istence in China< according to the Professor Di6Dtter! from *3EF to *381!
China descended into hell! since Mao had thron all the country into a fren4y ith the ?reat ;eap
'orard! a plan to catch up ith and overta6e &ritain in less than fifteen years# The focus of the
plan as to unleash the most important asset of the country! according to Chairman Mao< the labour
force#
+n this point! the economic planning of Mao is far distant from that one hich as implanted in
,oviet Gnion< Russian put much more importance in the role played big the heavy industry in its
model of development! hile Chinese should be mobili4ed in order to transform both the
agriculture and the industry in the very same time#
The Mao Thought proved its ea6ness still during the lifetime of its creator! but nothing as
capable to threaten him from his position and status as the founding father of the People Republic
of China# >is poer! influence and presence as permanent until his death#
The Deng Thoutgh can be seen not just as a new and creative re-read of Marxism-Lenism,
but as a return to the classical Marxism itself, with more focus on productive forces.
B
;+P,HT! ,eymour Martin @ Political Man
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P2MAR! "ladimir# P? 88
Deng never sa his reformist policies to be an independent body from the Mao! or even from
Mar%ism$;eninism! since! accordingly to him! such attempt ould only or6 as a discussion hich
ould eventually ea6en the on structure of the CCP and China itself#
&ut! it is almost impossible to try to create a true lin6 and reliable path of thought beteen the to
ideological bodies# 'or Deng# The importance as not in the labour force! and as Maria >sia Chang
e%plains! can be divided in such themes< historic mission! return to classical Mar%ism! primary
stage of socialism! orld vie ("eltanschauung) nationalism! the three stages of the economic
development of China! reform of the command economy! opening to est! the enchacement of
science and technology! treatment of intellectuals! material incetives! promotion of achievemen# All
those points are diamentralment different from the Mao Thought! and present a more pragmantic
and empiric eveidences for its support#
Much of this difference of Denf Thought may be due his on e%perience previously to his
ascension to poer# 'or e%ample! during the late *31C5s! as part of a program to develop good
relations ith potential leaders of China! ,oviet Gnion created a special institution to train and
educate either brilliant communist or nationalists# The institution! called ,un Ian$Tsen Gniversity!
after the great leader of struggle against the 7ing imperial rule! as settled in Mosco and Deng
as itness of the ,oviet Gnion struggle for achieve its on ,ocialism# The country! led by ;enin
in that time! as under the =ational Hconomic Policy (6non as =HP)# This could be seen as
attempt by ;enin to create a big ca6e! before sharing its pieces< independent farmers! small
businesspeople and all al6s of entrepeuners ere encouraged to develop their business# The heavu
industry as beginning to develop under the state orders as ell#
&ut! the most important point as that the foreigners ere invited to invest in ,oviet Gnion# As
Hr4a '# Aogel Dend and the Transforming of China points out! Deng believed that such an
economic structure! ith private enterprise alloed and foreign investment encouraged! under the
reins of Communist Party! ould eventually promote a faster economic groth! even faster than the
ones achieved in capitalist countries#
Deng used this structure he as in charge of China5s ,outhest &ureau in *393$*3E1! and in
*3FCs#
Deng ould not seen the influences from the "est as a threat to China! but as a source of good and
bad e%amples# The country should not Just learn from its on past! but from the e%perience from
other countries as ell! in order to avoid further mista6es# >oever! the mista6es incurred by the
CCP shoul be ta6en as a part of the e%perience of China on ,ocialism model# 'or him! the
misguided maneuvers of Mao could be Justified as a bad interpretation of Mar%ism and as a early
step ta6en in a hasty ay< the country as not yet prepared# >e believed that China had building
socialism for only a very short period of time! and it as Just still the /primary0 or the
/underveloped0 stage of socialism! as Maria Chang argues# This e%planation is -uite relevant!
because this mista6es he admits ere ta6en in the past and in the that time! he could Justify his on
economic reforms#
'or him! even if the model adopted by Mao proved itself ineffective! it could not be completely
abandoned# According to Chang! Deng argued for the continuation of the socialism and the
dictatorship of the CCP! because China had achieved the socialism than6s to them# &ut! such
socialism as still in the /primary0 stage! and it as reasonable that there ould be still remaining
debris! from the feudal past! as the one$man rule and /patriarchal0 cult of Mao#
The ay out of the remaing strucutual fossils ould be the =HP! or in other ords! the
development of productive foreces through the mar6et$oriented reforms#
Marxism-Leninsm and Development Nationalism
&ut! not all Deng Thoutgh as a complete interpretation of Mao5s# Chang also argues that Deng
still sa the orld in a realist prism! as dominated by advanced industrial /hegemonist0 and
/imperialist0 nations! ho had poer enough to influence the less developed nations# +f Mao
believed that the communist ould be targets for the capitalist in the orld system! Deng sa the
less developed countries as potential puppets of the /imperialist0 nations# 'or the time put his
reforms on the road! the regional reality of China as even more harder< it as surrounded by
nely developed countries! hich meant that China could leg behind for its previous enemies! such
as Kapan! Lorea and even its rebel provience! Taian# ,o! due this environment! dominated only by
the developed economies! China had a ne ay of fight! not ith eapons! but ith its on
resources! if it as determined to have a future! or an e%istence#
+n this ay! the Deng Thought still is -uite realistic to the orld sourrouning China! and don5t
abandon some important achievements of Mao5s! such as< order and stability! party dictatorship!
ideological solidarity! combat do bourgeois liberali4ation! reJection of estern democracy and the
defense of the socialist democracy# Those points ere not ne for the Chinese Communist
ideology! and their defense and support should be a permanent part of the Chinese rule! according
to Deng# The model of "estern democracy is seen as useless for China! not due its natual features!
as demography and ealth distribution# +n this point! all the achievements of Mao couldn5t be
reJected! as! according to Chang! it ould create a ideological confusion! and political instability!
since all not Just all the CCP legacy! but its on legitimacy ould be in sta6e# 'or Deng! the
stability of China as a not$discussion matter! since any internal turbulence could create a
cataclysmic hich ould drain all the country resources and create a disaster on a orld scale#