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On Marxism-Leninism-Maoism 59 " On Ms rxism-Len inism-Mooism " & "On Gonzolo Thought" Documenls from PCP irst Congress The Communist Porty of Peru I. On Marxism-Leninism-Maoism 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 ideology of the international fight for it, let us recall Lenin. He recently held its first Por! Con- proletariat arose in the crucible of taught us that as the revolution 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 order, 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 Marxist philosophy he deve- great development of Marxism, and founding of the People's Republic loped the essence of dialectics, the proletarian ideology shined of China in 1949; and the Great law of contradiction, establishing it throughout the world as Marxism- Proletarian Cultural Revolution 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 war. He was the son of politics; moreover, he took tional level the basis was imperial- peasants and was seven when the philosophy to the masses, fulfilling ism, world wars, 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 revisionism ed in the army and later became a analyse the relationship between the and the restoration of capitalism in great organiser of peasants and stu- base and superstructure 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 Communist Party Leninism against the revisionist the- tober reyolution, the dawn of the and the workers and peasants Red ory of the "productive forces," he world proletarian revolution; 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 Democracy 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 dictatorship 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 communism. Suffice it to the building of socialism, 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 revolutions, 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 imperialism 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 feudalism 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 Latin America, 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 scientific socialism. 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 capital. world situation already described in Marxism as a whole, as a unity, to But the main thing is that Chair- the background.
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