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59 " On Ms rxism-Len inism-Mooism " & "On Gonzolo Thought" Documenls from PCP irst Congress

The Communist Porty of I. On -- As an introduction, and to better (PCP), known in the doily press os understand Maoism and the need to Sendero Luminoso or Shining Poth, The of the international fight for it, let us recall Lenin. He recently held its first Por! Con- arose in the crucible of taught us that as the shift- gress. The PCP is o porticipoting the class struggle as Marxism, be- ed to the East it would confront porty in the Revolutionory lnterno- coming Marxism- Leninism and, fi- specific conditions which, without tionolist Movement. The bosic nally, Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. denying principles and laws, were documents given below in their In this way the all-powerful scientif- nonetheless new situations, and that entirety ond o Pofty progromme ic ideology of the proletariat, all- Marxism could not fail to recognise ond stotutes olso odopted by thot powerful because it is true, has un- this fact on pain of leading the revo- Congress were releosed by the dergone three stages: l) Marxism, 2) lution to defeat. Despite the uproar PCP Cenkol Committee in eorly Leninism, 3) Maoism. These are raised especially by pedantic and 1988. ln oddition, the Congress three stages, periods or milestones in bookish intellectuals full of liberal- olso took up different ospects of the the dialectical process of develop- ism and false Marxism in opposition Poriy's generol politicol line. - ment of a single unity that in 140 to what was newly arising, the only AWTW years, beginning with the Com- appropriate and correct thing to do munist Manifesfo, through the most was to apply Marxism to the con- heroic epic of class struggle, through crete conditions and resolve the new fierce and fruitful two-line struggles situations and problems that every within the communist parties them- revolution necessarily confronts and selves, through the tremendous resolves; this in the face of conster- work ofgiants ofthought and action nation and hypocritical "defense of E that only the class could have the ideology, the class, and people" o brought forth, with three unfading put forward by revisionists, oppor- -F luminaries standing above the rest tunists and renegades, and the en- o Marx, Lenin and Mao Tsetung raged and blind attacks by the stul- il and- through great leaps, especially- tified academicians and hacks of the o three, has armed us with Marxism- old , debased by rotten bour- s Leninism-Maoism, principally Mao- geois ideology and ready to defend z ism today. the old society on which they were \o However, while the universal va- parasites. Furthermore, Lenin ex- 6 lidity of Marxism-Leninism has pressly stated that the revolution in q come to be recognised, Maoism is the East would give rise to new and not broadly recognised as the third great surprises that would further stage; thus, while some simply deny shock the worshippers of known it as such, others only go so far as to paths who are incapable of seeing accept it as "Mao Tsetung the new; and, as we all know, he en- Thought." Essentially, in both trusted comrades from the East with cases, while they clearly have differ- resolving problems that Marxism ences between them, they both deny had not yet been able to resolve. the overall development of Marxism Further, we should keep in mind by Chairman Mao Tsetung. Not to that when Comrade Stalin rightful- recognise Maoism's character as an ly and correctly stated that we had "ism" is to deny that it is universal- entered the stage of Leninism in the ly applicable and, consequently, its development of Marxism, there was character as the third, newest and also opposition, and those who op- highest stage of the ideology of the posed it also did so in the name of international proletariat: Marxism- defending Marxism. Let us keep in Leninism-Maoism, principally Mao- mind that some people also said that ism, which we uphold, defend and Leninism was only applicable to the applv. backward countries, but through 60

struggle, practice confirmed it as a the cities from the countryside; the In he deve- great development of Marxism, and founding of the People's Republic loped the essence of , the proletarian ideology shined of in 1949; and the Great law of contradiction, establishing it throughout the world as Marxism- Proletarian of as the only fundamental law; and in Leninism. 1966-1976; in all of these Chairman addition to his profoundly dialecti- Today, Maoism faces a similar Mao was the leading figure, and, cal understanding of the theory of situation, and just as the new and above all, the highest and ac- knowledge, whose essence is the two Marxism have always made their knowledged leader of the Chinese leaps that make up this law (from way through struggle, so too Mao- Revolution. practice to knowledge and back to ism will prevail and become recog- Regarding Chairman Mao's biog- practice, the leap from knowledge nised. raphy, we can say that he was born back to practice being principal), we As for the context in which Chair- on 26 December 1893, opening his must emphasise his masterful appli man Mao worked and in which eyes to a world convulsed in the cation of the law of contradiction to Maoism was forged, on an interna- flames of . He was the son of ; moreover, he took tional level the basis was imperial- and was seven when the philosophy to the masses, fulfilling ism, world , the worldwide "Boxer Rebellion" broke out. He the task laid out by Marx. proletarian movement, the national was 18 and studying to be a teacher ln Marxist politicol economy liberation movement, the struggle when the empire collapsed; he enlist- Chairman Mao applied dialectics to between Marxism and ed in the army and later became a analyse the relationship between the and the restoration of in great organiser of peasants and stu- and, in car- the USSR. Three milestones stand dents in Hunan, his native province. rying out the struggle of Marxism- out in this century: first the l9l7 Oc- Founder of the Leninism against the revisionist the- tober reyolution, the dawn of the and the workers and peasants Red ory of the "," he world ; se- Army, he put forward the path of concluded that the superstructure, cond, the victory of the Chinese encircling the cities from the coun- consciousness, can transform the revolution in 1949, changing the tryside, developed people's war and base and with political power de- correlation of forces in favour of so- with that the military theory of the velop the productive forces. He de- cialism; third, the Great Proletarian proletariat. He formulated the the- veloped the Leninist idea that polit- Cultural Revolution initiated in 1966 ory of New and found- ics is the concentrated expression of as a continuation of the revolution ed the People's Republic. He was the economics, and proclaimed that po- under the of the motive force of the Great Leap For- litics must be in command (applica- proletariat in order to continue on ward and the driving force behind ble to all fields) and that political the road to . Suffice it to the building of , leader of work is the lifeblood of economic ba o\ say that Chairman Mao led two of the struggle against Khrushchev's work; all this led to a genuine these glorious historic events. modern revisionism and his lackeys, management of political economy z Maoism took concrete shape in and leader and guide of the Great and not just a series of economic China, the centre of the world revo- Proletarian Cultural Revolution. policies. = lution, amidst the most complex These milestones mark a life totally One question that is overlooked, oti convergence of contradictions, in- and completely dedicated to revolu- despite its importance especially for a tense and bloody class struggle tion. In this century the proletariat those who face new democratic qrl marked by the imperialist powers' has won three great victories; two , is the Maoist theory of o attempt to carve up China amongst were led by Chairman Mao, and if bureaucrat capitalism, that is, the themselves, the fall of the Manchu one is glorious enough, then two is capitalism that develops = empire (191 1), the anti-imperialist all the more so. in the oppressed countries on the ba- movement of 1919, the upheaval of On the content of Maoism ob- sis of different levels of or the vast peasantry, the 22 years of viously, its essence we should- un- other previous systems. This is a cru- armed struggle for the democratic derline the following- basic ques- cial problem especially for Asia, revolution, the tremendous struggle tions: Africa and , since to build and develop socialism and l. Theory. Marxism is made up of from its understanding flows the the ten years of revolutionary fer- three component parts: Marxist correct leadership for the revolution, vour to advance the Cultural Revo- philosophy, Marxist political econ- particularly because the economic lution in the midst of the greatest omy and . The basis for advancing the revolution to two-line struggle in the CPC, prin- development of all of these gives rise the second, socialist stage depends cipally against revisionism, with the to a great qualitative leap for on confiscating bureaucrat . world situation already described in Marxism as a whole, as a unity, to But the main thing is that Chair- the background. Four of these a higher level, which means a new man Mao Tsetung has developed the historic events are ofparticularly ex- stage. Consequently, it is essential to political economy of socialism. His traordinary importance: the found- point out that Chairman Mao has criticism of socialist construction in ing of the Communist Party of Chi- produced, in theory and in practice, the USSR is extremely important. So na in l92l; the 1927 Autumn precisely such a great qualitative too are his theses on how to build so- Harvest Uprising which was the be- leap. In order to better explain we cialism in China: taking agriculture ginning of the path of surrounding will examine this point by point. as the foundation and industry as 6l

the leading factor, cialism, and that it was not yet set- gives concrete form to the bourgeois guided by the relationship between tled which will win out; it would be revolution of a new type that can heavy and light industry and agricul- resolved over a long period of time, only be led by the proletariat, in ture, centring economic construc- a process ofrestoration and counter- sum, the democratic revolution in tion on heavy industry and simul- restoration until the proletariat the context of the new era of the taneously giving full attention to would finally achieve the definitive world proletarian revolution in light industry as well as agriculture. consolidation of its political power, which we find ourselves. New We should highlight the Great Leap the dictatorship of the proletariat. democratic revolution means a new Forward and the conditions for its Finally and most importantly he for- economy, new politics and new cul- implementation: one, a correct line mulated the great historic solution ture, obviously it means overthrow- setting an appropriate and correct for continuing the revolution under ing the old order and building a new course; two, a range of small, medi- the dictatorship of the proletariat, one with guns in hand, which is the um and large organisational forms the Great Proletarian Cultural only way to transform the world. in terms of quantitative size; three, Revolution. Finally, it is important to em- a tremendous push, a colossal effort These basic questions, simply out- phasise that while , on the part of the masses to set it in lined but well known and undenia- being a democratic revolution, ful- motion and finally to win, a leap ble, show Chairman Mao's develop- fills democratic tasks, it also ad- forward whose results are more ap- ment of the component parts of vances in relation to some socialist preciated by looking at the process Marxism and the obvious develop- tasks. This provides an overall solu- it sets in motion and its historical ment of Marxism-Leninism to a tion to the problem of two stages perspectives than by the immediate new, third and higher stage: democratic and socialist that cor-- results, and at its links to agricultur- Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, prin- respond to countries like- ours. It al and people's com- cipally Maoism. guarantees that once the democrat- munes. Finally, we must keep in Continuing with this synthetic ap- ic stage is completed, the revolution mind his teachings on objectivity proach, Iet us look at other specific will continue advancing uninterrupt- and subjectivity in understanding points which, though they flow from edly to the socialist stage without the and managing the laws of socialism those previously mentioned, should slightest pause. (whose full flowering has not been be taken up, even if only enumera- 3. The three weapons. The seen in the short decades of social- tively, so as to call attention to them. problem of building the three ism, which likewise has prevented a 2. New Democracy. First of all, weapons of the revolution demands better understanding of these laws the development of the Marxist the- that the Party understand the rela- and their specificity), and especial- ory of the state, in relation to the tionship between the Party, the ly the relationship between revolu- three types of : l) of the army and the ; a task of tion and , , in the old type of bour- leadership is to correctly and ap- o geois propriately = concentrated in "grasp revolution, like the U.S., a understand and handle F- promote production . ' ' Nevertheless , category to which can be added the the interrelated building of all three tr despite its crucial importance, not oppressed nations such as those in in the midst of war or the defense of ! much has been said about this de- Latin America; 2) the dictatorship of the new state based on the power of o velopment of Marxist political the proletariat as in the USSR and the armed masses. This building is E economy. China before the revisionists seized guided by the principle that the z In Scientific socialism Chairman power; and 3) New Democracy as proper and correct ideological line is joint \o Mao developed the theory of class- the dictatorship based on the decisive, and it is on this ideological- 6 es, analysing them on the econom- worker- alliance led by the political basis that organisational q ic, political and ideological plane; proletariat under the leadership of building develops simultaneously, in revolutionary violence as a universal the Communist Party, which was the course of the struggle between law without exception; revolution as forged in China during the the proletarian line and the bour- the violent replacement of one class democratic revolution and in Peru geois line and in the storm of the by another, putting forth his theory today takes the form of people's class struggle, principally war, which that "political power grows out of committees, base areas and the New presently or potentially is the main the barrel of a gun," and he solved Democratic People's Republic in the form of class struggle. the problem of the seizure of power process of formation. Within this Concerning the Party, Chairman in the oppressed nations by indicat- development of the theory of the Mao takes as his starting point the ing the road of encircling the cities state it is essential to stress the key need for a Communist Party, a from the countryside and establish- difference between the state system, party of a new type, a party of the ing its general laws. He brilliantly the dictatorship of a class or classes proletariat, today we would say a defined and developed the theory of that hold political power, which is Marxist-Leninist- Maoist party; a the class struggle under socialism: principal, and the system of govern- party whose objective is to seize and that under socialism antagonistic ment, the organisation of the exer- hold onto state power, which in- struggle persists between the bour- cise of that political power. separably links the party to people's geoisie and the proletariat, between Further, New Democracy one war, whether it be to initiate it, de- the capitalist road and the socialist of Chairman Mao's most outstand-- velop it or wage it to defend itself; road and between capitalism and so- ing developments - masterfully a party based on the masses, either 62

as a consequence of the people's war principle: the party comlnands the gles, military actions and wars - which is a war of the masses or gun and we will never allow the gun waged by the proletariat as well as the united front, which being a front- to control the party. Beyond the people's long experience in wag- made up of classes, is based on the thoroughly establishing the princi- ing armed struggle, especially the majority of the masses. The party ples and norms for building the war waged by the Chinese peasants. develops and changes according to army of a new type, the Chairman It is because of Chairman Mao that the stages ofthe revolution and their also warned that the army could be the class has a military theory; periods; the motive force of its de- used to restore capitalism if leader- however, there is much confusion velopment is the concentrated con- ship is usurped through a counter- and misunderstanding around this tradiction within it in the form of revolutionary coup, and he deve- issue. These problems arise from two-line struggle between the loped Lenin's thesis on the people's how the people's war in China itself proletarian line and the bourgeois , advancing further than ever is understood. It is often viewed, line or non-proletarian line in gener- before in the broad arming of the narrowly and contemptuously, as a al, which is in essence and principal- people, opening the way and point- mere guerrilla war; this already ly a struggle against revisionism. ing the direction towards the sea of denotes a lack of understanding of This leads to the crucial importance armed masses which will lead us to the fact that with Chairman Mao of ideology in the life of the party the ultimate emancipation of the acquires a strateg- and of the unfolding of rectification masses and the proletariat. ic character. This view also does not campaigns to adjust the functioning Chairman Mao Tsetung was the understand how guerrilla warfare, of the whole system of the party's first to develop a complete theory of on the basis of its essential fluidity, organisations and membership to the united front and establish its can develop mobility, mobile the appropriate and correct ideolog- principles. A united front based on warfare, positional warfare; it can ical and political lines, so that the the worker-peasant alliance and unfold plans for major strategic proletarian line may predominate guaranteeing the proletariat's he- offensives and it can seize small, and keep a steel grip on the leader- gemony in the revolution; a united medium and large cities with mil- ship of the party. The party's pur- front of classes led by the proletari- lions of inhabitants, combining at- pose is the establishment of the po- at, represented by its party, in sum tacks from outside with insurrec- litical power of the proletariat, even a united front under the leadership tions from within. Thus, in under New Democracy where it is of the Communist Party; a united conclusion, the four stages of the the leading class, and principally the front for people's war, for the revo- Chinese revolution, in particular establishment, strengthening and lution, for the seizure of power in from the peasant war to the people's development of the dictatorship of the service of the proletariat and the war of liberation, with the war the proletariat so as, through cultur- masses. Concretely, therefore, the against Japan taking place between b6 o\ al revolutions, to win the ultimate united front is the unity of the these two periods, demonstrate the goal, communism. This is why the revolutionary forces against diverse aspects and complexity of proletariat must lead in everything counter-revolutionary forces in ord- the revolutionary war waged for = and in an all-around way. er to wage the struggle between revo- more than 20 years with a huge = The revolutionary army is of a lution and counter- revolution, prin- population and a huge mobilisation oh new type, an army for carrying out cipally through people's war, arms and participation of the masses; the a the political tasks set by the party in in hand. Obviously the united front war involved examples of many qrl accordance with the interests of the is not the same at every stage of the different experiences; and the es- o proletariat and people. This takes revolution, and moreover, it has its sence of this war has been extraor- the concrete form of three tasks: to specific characteristics depending on dinarily studied and its principles, = wage war, to produce so as not to be- the different periods of each stage; laws, strategy, tactics, norms, etc., come a parasitic burden, and to likewise the united front in a specif- have been masterfully established. It mobilise the masses. An army that is ic revolution is not the same as on a is in that incredible crucible and on built politically based on proletari- world scale, though both follow the the basis laid by Marxism-Leninism an ideology, on Marxism-Leninism- same general laws. Furthermore, it that Chairman Mao was able to es- Maoism (today) and the general po- is important to emphasise the rela' tablish the military theory of the litical line and military line estab- tionship between the front and the proletariat, people's war. lished by the party. An army that state which Chairman Mao estab- We must keep in mind that subse- bases itself on people, not weapons; lished during the war against Japan quently the Chairman himself, with an army that has come forth from when he explained that the united full knowledge of the existence of the masses and is always linked to front was a form of joint dictator- atomic bombs and missiles and the them and serves them wholehearted- ship. This is a question we who face ability to use them, defended and de- ly, allowing it to move among them democratic revolution must study. veloped people's war to wage it un- like a fish in water. Without a peo- 4. People's waris the militd"ry the- der new conditions involving nuclear ple's army the people have nothing, ory of the international proletariat; weapons and against powers and su- Chairman Mao says, while he also people's war sums up for the first perpo\ryers; in sum, people's war is teaches the necessity that the party time, in a systematic and all- the weapon of the proletariat and commands absolute leadership over encompassing way, the theoretical people in confronting nuclear war. the army and sets forth the great and practical experience of the strug- (Continued to p. 76). 76

the proletariat to change the mental years," and within that context, the PCP Documents outlook of the whole of society. At period now beginning of the strug- (Continued from p. 62). present, our objective is to struggle gle against Yankee imperialism and A key and decisive question in un- against and overthrow those persons Soviet social-imperialism, those derstanding the universality of peo- in authority who are taking the paper tigers fighting for world he- ple's war is understanding its univer- capitalist road, to criticize and repu- gemony and threatening the world sal validity and consequently diate the reactionary bourgeois aca- with nuclear war, to which we must applicability, taking into account the demic 'authorities' and the ideology respond first by condemning such a different types of revolutions and of the bourgeoisie and all other ex- war and then getting ready to oppose the specific conditions of each revo- ploiting classes and to transform it with people's war and make revo- lution. To understand this key ques- education, literature and art and all lution. Furthermore, based on the tion it is helpful to keep in mind the other parts of the superstructure not historic importance of the oppressed fact that since the Petrograd insur- in correspondence with the socialist nations and even more their future rection this model has not been economic base, so as to facilitate the perspectives, as well as the econom- repeated, and to consider the an- consolidation and development of ic and political relations developing tifascist resistance and guerrilla wars the socialist system." dueto the decomposition of imperi- in Europe during World War II, as It was under these conditions that alism, the Chairman set forth his well as the armed struggles being the most earthshaking political event theory that "three worlds are taking waged in Europe today, and to see and the largest mass mobilisation the shape." All of this points to the need that in the end, the October Revolu- Earth has ever seen took place. This to develop the strategy and tactics of tion was not only an insurrection but is how Chairman Mao defined its the . Unfortunate- a revolutionary war that lasted objectives: "The current Great ly little or almost nothing is known several years. Consequently, in the Proletarian Cultural Revolution is of the writings and statements by imperialist countries the revolution absolutely necessary and most time- Chairman Mao regarding these most can only be conceived of as revolu- ly for consolidating the dictatorship important questions; however, what tionary war and today this can only of the proletariat, preventing little we do know shows the tremen- mean people's war. capitalist restoration and building dous prospects he foresaw, and Finally, today more than ever, we socialism." these are major guiding principles communists and revolutionaries, the We would further emphasise two which we should follow to under- proletariat and the people, need to other questions: l) the GPCR stand and serve the world proletari- be steeled in the point: "yes, we are marked a milestone in the develop- an revolution. advocates of the omnipotence of ment of the dictatorship of the 7. Superstructure, Ideology, Cul- a- revolutionary war; that is good, not proletariat towards consolidating ture, Education. These and other bad, it is Marxist." This we proletariat's political power, problems have o\a means the related been sharply have to be supporters of the invinci- concretised in the Revolutionary and profoundly studied and resolved bility of people's war. Committees; and 2) the restoration by the Chairman; therefore this is = 5. The historical significance of of capitalism in China following the another basic question that demands the Great Proletarion Cultural 1976 counter- revolutionary coup attention. oli= Revolution is that it is the most far- does not negate the GPCR but In conclusion, the content ofthese a reaching of Chairman Mao's de- rather formed part of the contention basic questions clearly demonstrates {q velopments of Marxism-Leninism, between restoration and counter- to anyone who cares to see and un- o the solution to the great pending restoration, and in fact, it points to derstand that we have a third, new problem of continuing the revolu- the crucial historic importance of the and higher stage of Marxism: Mao- = tion under the dictatorship of the GPCR in humanity's inexorable ism; and that to be a Marxist today proletariat. It "constitutes a broader march towards communism. means to be Marxist-Leninist- and deeper new stage in the develop- 6. World revolution. Chairman Maoist and principally Maoist. ment of the socialist revolution in Mao emphasises the importance of The exposition of the content our country." What was the situa- the world revolution understood as leads us to two questions. tion? As the Decision of the CPC a single whole. His basic starting What is the essence of Maoism? concerning the GPCR put it: points are that revolution is the main The essential thing in Mooism is po- "Although the bourgeoisie has been trend while imperialism is increas- litical power. Political power for the overthrown, it is still trying to use ingly falling apart every day, that the proletariat, power for the dictator- the old ideas, culture, customs and role of the masses grows more im- ship ofthe proletariat, power based habits of the exploiting classes to mense year after year and that they on an armed force led by the Com- corrupt the masses, capture their are making and will make their ir- munist Party. More explicitly: l) po- minds and endeavour to stage a resistible transforming force felt, litical power under the leadership of comeback. The proletariat must do and the great truth that he reiterat- the proletariat in the democratic the exact opposite: it must deal mer- ed: either all of us will march on to revolution; 2) political power for the ciless blows and meet head-on every communism or none of us will. Wi- dictatorship ofthe proletariat in the challenge of the bourgeoisie in the thin this specific perspective of the socialist and cultural revolutions; 3) ideological field and use the new era of imperialism is the great histor- political power based on an armed ideas, culture, customs and habits of ic moment of the "next 50 to 100 force led by the Communist Party, 77 seized and defended through peo- cluding his development of and march towards communism, ple's war. Marxism, there are some who be- forever golden and shining. What is Maoism? Maoism is the lieve we are sti[ in the stage of raising of Marxism-Leninism to a Marxism-Leninism and others who II. On Gonzalo Thought new third stage in the proletariat's only accept Mao Tsetung Thought struggle to lead the democratic revo- but in no way accept Maoism. Every revolution, in the course of lution, the development and build- Obviously, the revisionists in Peru its development, due to the struggle ing of socialism and continuing the who follow the dictates of their ofthe proletariat as the leading class revolution under the dictatorship of respective overlord Gorbachev, and, above all, of the Communist the proletariat through proletarian Deng, AIia or Castro- have at- Party which unwaveringly upholds cultural revolution, at a time when tacked Maoism; among- them we the proletariat's class interests, imperialism is increasingly falling must condemn, unmask and fight brings forth a group of leaders and apart and revolution has become the the callous revisionism of Del Pra- principally one who comes to main trend in history, in the midst of do and his gang of the so-called represent and lead it, a leader of the greatest and most complex strug- "Peruvian Communist Party"; the recognised authority and infl uence. gles ever seen, along with the inex- spineless snakes of the so-called In our situation, because of histori- orable struggle against modern revi- "Communist Party of Peru, Red cal necessity and for historical rea- sionism. Fatherland" who formerly sons, this has meant concretely On the Struggle around Maoism. proclaimed themselves "great Chairman Gonzalo, leader of the Briefly, the struggle in China to es- Maoists" and then became lackeys Party and of the revolution. tablish Mao Tsetung Thought began of Deng after having condemned But, further, and this is the basis in 1935, at the Tsunyi meeting, when him in 1976 when he was knocked of all leadership, revolutions bring Chairman Mao assumed the leader- down; as well as the anti-Maoism of forth a thought that guides them, a ship of the Communist Party of Chi- the so-called "" teeming product of the application of the na; in 1945 the 7th Congress agreed with everything from all sorts of universal truth ofthe ideology ofthe that the CPC was guided by revisionists and even anti- Marxists international proletariat to the con- Marxism-Leninism and the ideas of to phony Marxists and opportunists crete conditions of each revolution, Mao Tsetung, though this concrete of all shades. To hold high Maoism a guiding thought indispensable to formulation was suppressed by the as a revealing mirror in front of the achieve victory and seize power, and 8th Congress where a rightist line revisionists and to relentlessly strug- further, to continue the revolution held sway. The fth Congress of 1969 gle against them while working for and always advance towards the summed up the GPCR and stated the development of the people's war only truly great goal, communism. that the CPC was guided by and the victory of the continuing This guiding thought, having made E Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung democratic revolution is an obliga- a qualitative leap of crucial impor- o Thought; up to that point there was tory and unavoidable task of a stra- tance for the revolutionary process, F- progress. tegic . becomes identified with the name of tr On an international level Maoism The Communist Party of Peru, the person who forged it in theory a began to become influential in the through the fraction led by Chair- and in practice. In our situation this o 1950s, but it was only with the man Gonzalo which pushed forward phenomenon took specific form first s GPCR that it become widely the reconstitution of the Party, took as guiding thought, then as the guid- z known, acquiring enormous pres- up Marxism-Leninism-Maoism in ing thought Gonzalo, of Chairman \o tige, and Chairman Mao became 1966; in 1979, the slogan Hold High, and finally as Gonzalo Thought; for a recognised as the leader of the world Defend and Apply Marxism- it is the Chairman who, creatively q revolution and the founder of a new Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought!; applying Marxism-Leninism- stage of Marxism-Leninism; thus, in 1981, Towards Maoism!; and in Maoism to the concrete conditions many Communist Parties came to 1982, Maoism as a component part of Peruvian reality, has developed it, adopt the denomination Marxism- and the highest development of the thus providing the Party and the Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought. international proletariat's ideology: revolution with an indispensable On a world level, Maoism openly Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. With weapon which is the guarantee of and sharply confronted modern the people's war we have come to victory. revisionism and exposed it deeply more profoundly understand what Gonzalo Thought has been forged and thoroughly, and the same thing Maoism means and have taken the through many years of intense, tena- occurred within the ranks of the solemn pledge to Uphold, Defend cious and unceasing struggle to hold CPC itself, raising even higher the and Apply Marxism-Leninism- high, defend and apply Marxism- Chairman's great red banner: the Maoism, Principally Maoism!, and Leninism-Maoism, to retake and de- third, new and highest stage of the to tirelessly fight to help make it the velop Mariategui's path, to reconsti- international proletariat's ideology. commander and guide of the world tute the Party and, most important, Today Maoism faces the triple at- revolution, the only really red and while serving the world revolution, tack of Soviet, Chinese and Albani- imperishable banner, the guarantee to initiate, continue and develop the an revisionism. Moreover, even of victory for the proletariat, op- people's war in Peru whose sole among those who recognise the pressed nations and peoples of the commander and guide in theory and Chairman's great contributions, in- world in their inexorable combat practice is Marxism-Leninism- 78

Maoism, principally Maoism. period, the so-called National the Communist Party of Peru and There is a fundamental need for , the APRA's ac- the revolution it leads. the Party to study Gorzalo Thought tion, Odria's and the This Guiding Thought, having for a more correct and appropriate struggle against his eight-year rule, made a qualitative leap of crucial understanding of the general politi- the struggle between Apristas and importance for the Party and the cal line and especially of the military communists; and especially, the de- revolution, has become Gonzalo line, with the purpose of deepening velopment of bureaucrat capitalism Thought, thus marking a milestone particular points related to the Peru- in the and first part ofthe '70s in the life of the Party. vian revolution, those specific and and the sharp class struggle that ac- inherent characteristics masterfully companied that period, "Velasquis- III. CONTENT pointed out by Chairman Gonzalo; " and his so-called revolution, in this way we will serve the "great the collusion and contention be- a. Theory. How it comprehends plan to develop bases areas," the ad- tween the comprador bourgeoisie and applies the three component vance ofthe people's war and the fu- and the bureaucrat bourgeoisie (fac- parts of Marxism-Leninism- ture seizure of political power na- tions of the big bourgeoisie) sup- Maoism, principally Maoism; the tionwide. ported by opportunism and especial- importance it gives to Marxist phi- We must study Gonzalo Thought ly revisionism. 2) The class struggle losophy, the need to train ourselves within the historical context from in the peasant movement. 3) The de- in it and especially its application of which it arose so as to understand its velopment of the workers' move- the law of contradiction in the study ideological basis. We must specify ment. 4) The movement among in- of all problems, always aiming to its content, most fully expressed in tellectuals. 5) The armed struggles in define the principal aspect and the the general political line and the mili- the country, especially those waged motion of things; in political econ- tary line that is at its centre. We must by MIR and the ELN in 1965 as well omy, the concern with exploitative emphasise its fundamental point, as previously by Blanco, Vallejos relations and especially with the question of political power, of and Heraud. 6) The question of the bureaucrat capitalism, with the seizing power here in Peru, inex- Party: how a party founded on a perspective of developing the revol- tricably linked to the seizure of pow- clear Marxist-Leninist basis degener- ution and the effect of the people's er by the proletariat in the whole ated into a revisionist party, the need war on the base, as well as its atten- world. We must pay special atten- to retake and develop Mariategui's tion to the economic relations of tion to strengthening it in the two- path while developing and recon- imperialism, assessing their political line struggle. stituting the Party, the Communist consequences; in scientific socia- In sum, these fundamental ques- Party of Peru founded in 1928 by Iism, how it focuses on the people's tions can be dealt with by applying Mariategui himself, and how, war and the concrete form that peo- ;a o\ the following outline. through reconstitution, a Marxist- ple's war takes in Peru, how the Leninist-Maoist Party was built. question of power is always kept in z I. HISTORICAL CONTEXT Here the basic thing is how Gonza- mind, and particularly, its forging lo Thought profoundly compre- and development as the new state. = International. Concerning events: hends Peruvian society, centred on b. On content. The most substan- P l) the development of World War II the crucial question of bureaucrat tive and most developed part of a and after; 2) the powerful national capitalism, and sees the necessity of Gonzalo Thought is found in the q{ liberation movement, and, within reconstituting the Party and of seiz- Party's general political line; this o that, the waging and victory of the ing political power and defending it Thought, then, is the direct basis for Chinese revolution; 3) the Cuban through people's war. the line and its five components, = revolution and its repercussions in with the most essential being how it Latin America; 4) the great struggle II. IDEOLOGICAL BASIS understands the Programme and between Marxism and revisionism; firmly maintains the course the Pro- 5) the Great Proletarian Cultural One cannot conceive of Gonzalo gramme has set. Revolution. But the key is to see how Thought without Marxism- c. We should emphasise Gonzalo in this great class str rggle on a world Leninism-Maoism, for it is the crea- Thought's remarkable fulfillment scale, Gonzalo Thought holds that tive application of the latter to our of the requirements outlined by a third stage ofproletarian ideology conditions. The key to this question Chairman Mao: theoretical solidity, has developed, first as Marxism- is understanding the historical understanding of history and good Leninism, Mao Tsetung Thought; process of development of proletar- practical handling of policy. then Marxism-Leninism-Mao ian ideology, ofits three stages con- Tsetung Thought; and later as Mao- tained in Marxism-Leninism- IV. WHAT IS ESSENTIAL ism, recognising its universal valid- Maoism with Maoism principal; and ity; thus reaching Marxism- most essential is its application of The essential thing in Gonzalo Leninism-Maoism, principally Mao- Marxism- Leninism-Maoism as Thought is the question of political ism, as today's expression of universal truth to the concrete con- power, concretely, the seizure ofpo- Marxism. ditions of the Peruvian revolution. litical power in Peru, thoroughly National. 1) Peruvian society and It is because of this that Gonzalo and completely throughout the the political struggle in the post-war Thought is principal specifically for country, as a consistent application of the universal truth of Marxism- Leninism-Maoism to our revolu- tion. But since it is communist thought, it understands the seizure of power in Peru as part of the sei- zure of power for the proletariat on a world scale, and that the seizure of power in the country, today taking concrete form in the People's Com- mittees, base areas and the New Democratic People's Republic in formation with the objective of es- tablishing the People's Republic of Peru, serves to establish the dictator- ship of the proletariat in our coun- try, for without it we cannot ad- vance to communism. All of this is for the purpose of firmly and reso- lutely serving the establishment of people's republics and principally the dictatorship of the proletariat throughout the world, under the leadership of Communist Parties, with revolutionary armies of a new type, through people's war and the unfolding of cultural revolutions un- til communism shines all over the Earth.

V. FORGED IN THE TWO- LINE STRUGGLE

Gonzalo Thought has been forged in persistent, firm and wise two-line struggle, defending the proletarian line and defeating opposing lines. Among the most important strug- gles we should highlight those against modern revisionism, espe- cially as represented by Del Prado and his henchmen; against right li- quidationism led by Paredes and his gang; against left led by Sergio and his so-called "Bolshe- viks"; and against the right- opportunist line that opposed the launching of the armed struggle. Without struggle Gonzalo Thought would not have been able to de- velop; and his remarkable handling of the twoJine struggle in the Party is a fundamental question that we should study and learn from. To study and especially to apply Gonzalo Thought is crucial to being able to better serve the Party, the de- velopment of people's war and the world proletarian revolution, just as learning from Chairman Gonzalo is crucial to serving the masses whole- heartedly. f,