Sublime

Hui warlord from Gansu, Ma Zhongying, who crushed the republic (Forbes 1986:112-27; Millward 2007:200-206).

Mao, the emperor, fitted one of the patterns of Chinese history: the leader of a nationwide peasant uprising who swept away a rotten dynasty and became a wise new emperor exercising absolute authority. And, in a sense, Mao could be said to have earned his god-emperor status. He was responsible for ending the civil war and bringing peace and stabili

A guerrilla group ought to operate on the principle that only volunteers are acceptable for service. It is a mistake to impress people into service. As long as a person is willing to fight, his social condition or position is no consideration, but only men who are courageous and determined can bear the hardships of guerrilla campaigning in a protra

In the days after Mao’s death, I did a lot of thinking. I knew he was considered a philosopher, and I tried to think what his “philosophy” really was. It seemed to me that its central principle was the need—or the desire?—for perpetual conflict. The core of his thinking seemed to be that human struggles were the motivating force of history, and tha

C’était le retour de la vieille ligne menchevique : Staline déclarait devant des étudiants en 1925 que dans les pays coloniaux ou semi-coloniaux, le bloc nationaliste « pouvait revêtir la forme d’un parti unique des ouvriers et des paysans, du type du Kuomintang68 ».