Mao Zedong's World View (review)

Describing himself as part of the "Red Guard" generation, Jianfei Xin received training in both China and the United States that has given him a unique perspective on Maoist thought. His basic thesis is important and thought-provoking: despite Mao's upbringing in rural Hunan and his inability to study abroad as did so many of his revolutionary contemporaries, Mao developed a sophisticated theoretical and practical knowledge of the world during the first five decades of his life (1893-1941). Analyzing Mao's personal and official conversations, correspondence, and writings, Xin argues that Mao's worldview (shijie guan) was influenced not only by Marxism-Leninism, but also, more interestingly, by the sociopolitical environment in China during the early part of the twentieth century.

Regrettably, Xin has bypassed certain key steps in the usual publication process, and this has resulted in a book that is more successful as a dissertation than as a scholarly publication. A rigorous post-dissertation review would have strengthened its organization, argumentation, and sources. A better editorial staff would have corrected the serious grammatical errors in the Preface and the unique Index (which cites non-Chinese personages according to their first names) as well as the intricate syntax and numerous Chinese romanization mistakes scattered throughout the text. This is indeed unfortunate, because this book has great potential.

Xin first gives a chronological description of Mao's lively interest in world affairs. As part of the "May Fourth" generation whose goal was to strengthen China, Mao saw that the world and China could improve through constant, pragmatic change inspired by the power of ordinary people (pinmin zhuyi). After joining the Communist Party, Mao argued for the destruction of the rural feudal class and the ouster of foreign imperialists. Despite the rigors of the Long March, Mao continued to write and lecture about important world events and how they related to China's semicolonial status and revolution. Having established himself as the undisputed leader of the Party and the military in Yan'an, Mao embraced a mature worldview that Xin describes as "Sinicized Marxism-Leninism."

In his second section, Xin analyzes Mao's view of China's place in the world order and its relationship with the Soviet Union, the United States, Japan, and Western Europe. According to Xin, Mao was a Sinocentric thinker of the twentieth century who viewed China as surrounded by a very inhospitable world dominated by colonialism and imperialism. Evolving from an idealist to a revolutionary realist, Mao saw war as the inevitable result of the economic crisis of the 1930s. By the Yan'an period, Mao's views about the world were influenced not only by his communist ideology (dividing the world into two camps, socialist and capitalist), but also by a strong nationalist identity and realist pragmatism.

Mao's perception of the Soviet Union also evolved from an initially idealist belief to a more practical view that praised the revolutionary symbol but was suspicious of Soviet interference. Mao's view of the United States was an amalgam of three somewhat conflicting ideas: initially, he saw the United States as a model of Western civilization; during his realist phase, he saw it as a "balancer" to Japanese aggression; and finally, he regarded it as one of the world's imperialist powers. After Japan's Twenty-one Demands reignited Chinese nationalism, Mao appreciated Japan's modernization but abhorred its imperialist expansionism. Regarding Britain as the worst imperialist power, Mao had greater respect for the French and the Germans, the latter receiving Mao's sympathy following the Treaty of Versailles.

Xin's final section analyzes the theoretical concepts underlying Mao's world-view. Lacking a formal organizational structure, foreign policy during the Yan'an period was a reflection of Mao's personal views. Foreign relations (waijiao) thus encompassed both relations with other countries and domestic efforts to promote a United Front. Its primary goal was to assure national sovereignty, which entailed complete independence and territorial integrity. To...