40 years since the Death of Mao

[Laika]

On the 9th September 1976, Chairman Mao died, marking the end of his rule of China and effectively ending the decade long cultural revolution (the beginning of which was marked by the 50th anniversary in May this year).

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...or-china-anniversary-mao-40-years-after-death

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...eed-to-know-about-chinas-political-convulsion

Accross China groups are commemorating the death of Mao, in stark contrast to the consensus about the evils of Maos rule amongst historians, and even admissions of mistakes amongst China's Communist Party over the disasterous consequences of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. For the ruling Communist Party this is difficult low key celebration given that Mao is a historical source of the legitimacy of Chinese Communist rule. The one area of agreement is on the significance of Mao as a historical figure in the history of 20th century China through revolution, world war and civil war.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong

Do you think Mao was a force for good or ill in China? After the changes that have taken place in China, Would you still consider China communist? Should China's Communist History be discussed freely without the threat of censorship? And do you think it will remain communist in the future or will a new system take its place?

 

[Augustus]

Do you think Mao was a force for good or ill in China?

Mao personally was a force for ill. A thoroughly repellent character obsessed with his own power and with a callous disregard for human life who often implemented cruel and disastrous policies including an ISIS style attempt to destroy most things of historical and cultural value.

While there were areas of social progress, these would likely have occurred under any leader of the party, yet many of the disasters were specific to Mao.

And do you think it will remain communist in the future or will a new system take its place?

It's system is more state corporatist than communist. I'm not sure it practices any policies that are remotely communist any more.

As for the future, there is no real means to do anything other than wildly speculate; it's too much of an unknown. We might well see when they have the inevitable financial crisis though.

 

[David1967]

Good. ......riddance

 

[von bek]

Do you think Mao was a force for good or ill in China?

Both. On the good side, he implemented much needed land reform and united China. On the ill side, he launched terror campaigns, including against his own former allies, implemented agricultural policies and forced collectivization that led to mass starvation, and he actually advocated for a full-scale nuclear war.

After the changes that have taken place in China, Would you still consider China communist?

No, I don't. Mao's vision died with him. Deng Xiaoping embarked on a new direction that fundamentally changed the Chinese economy. Unfortunately, Deng did not dismantle the political system that Mao constructed. I recently read a biography on Deng Xiaoping that I really enjoyed. One thing the book makes clear is that Deng did NOT resist Mao's excesses early on, in fact he was one of the men who helped Mao construct the system that would eventually be used to brutalize himself. So, when you read of Deng's misfortunes at the hands of the Red Guards, don't feel too bad for him.

Should China's Communist History be discussed freely without the threat of censorship?

Definitely.

 

[Parchment]

Do you think Mao was a force for good or ill in China? After the changes that have taken place in China, Would you still consider China communist? Should China's Communist History be discussed freely without the threat of censorship? And do you think it will remain communist in the future or will a new system take its place?

I jokingly mentioned reeducation camps for those who seek towards communism to another poster in a another thread but I think it went over their heads (I meant the ones in Vietnam but I'm assuming they are all about the same)
Re-education through labor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reeducation camp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
To my knowledge true communism has never been achieved by any country anywhere but we have seen numerous examples of the ones who have aspired to communism that fell into dictatorships, oppression, lack of civil rights, etc. I never saw too much difference between the nazis and the communists actions.

 

[Laika]

I jokingly mentioned reeducation camps for those who seek towards communism to another poster in a another thread but I think it went over their heads (I meant the ones in Vietnam but I'm assuming they are all about the same)
Re-education through labor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reeducation camp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
To my knowledge true communism has never been achieved by any country anywhere but we have seen numerous examples of the ones who have aspired to communism that fell into dictatorships, oppression, lack of civil rights, etc. I never saw too much difference between the nazis and the communists actions.

I'm under the impression China still uses political psycharitry by imprisoning dissidents in mental institutions on the grounds that dissent is treated as mental illness. During the Cultural Revolution it was very common, but is less so now. It still goes on mind you.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_abuse_of_psychiatry#China

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Accross China groups are commemorating the death of Mao, ...

... or else!

 

[David1967]

... or else!

God help them if they don't appear sad enough.

 

[Parchment]

They could hire these North Koreans to cry for them, they're pretty good!