MAO ZEDONG Propaganda and the Little Red Book

‘We must grasp revolution and increase production, increase work, increase preparation for struggle, to do an even better job’ - 1976

“Study hard, so you make progress day by day”

Mao is a controversial figure with an enduring legacy. Mao rose to power by leading a military victory as commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War and leading the communist Party of China to victory. Mao used land reforms as well as violence and terror to overthrow the feudal landlords and seize their large estates and dividing the land into people’s communes.

Mao’s catastrophic political campaign failures include: The Great Leap Forward The Cultural Revolution. His rule is believed to have caused the deaths of 40-70 million people. His campaigns are blamed for damaging the historical culture and society of china.

Mao started a range of positive changes in China: Promotion of the status of women, Improving literacy Doubling the school population Providing universal housing Increasing health care access Raising life expectancy. Abolishing unemployment and inflation China’s population doubled.

Mao’s original goals of combating bureaucracy, encouraging popular participation, stressing China’s self reliance and most importantly the rapid industrialization is credited for laying a foundation for China’s development in the late 20th Century. However, the harsh methods he used to pursue his goals included torture and executions and have therefore been widely rebuked as being ruthless and self-defeating.

Mao and His Little Red Book Mao realised that he had to eliminate feudal and patriarchal practices which were entrenched in the culture. China planned to reconstruct interrelationships between people, particularly in terms of social control.

New messages and ideas needed to be communicated effectively to be understood by the people. This was done through legislation and bringing women out of their homes and into the workforce.

In trying to change Confucian thinking Mao was concerned that change imposed from above could just as easily be changed back again. He believed that if the peasant women participated in the change then it would be harder to overturn the change. Mao Zedong in changing the existing forms of social control, implemented new ones. His messages were communicated through his “Little Red Book”.

Chairman Mao Tse-Tung Worship and Propaganda, 1969 [Silent]

The world is yours, as well as ours, but in the last analysis, it is yours. You young people, full of vigour and vitality, are in the bloom of life, like the sun at eight or nine in the morning. Our hope is placed on you. . . . . . . . . The world belongs to you. China's future belongs to you.

YOUTH The young people are unable to see the contrast between the old China and the new. It isn’t easy for them to understand the hardships our people went through in the struggle to free themselves from the oppression of the imperialists. We must carry on effective political education among the masses and should always tell them the truth.

The young people are the most active force in society, the most eager to learn and the least conservative. Local Party organizations should work with the Youth League organizations. Party organizations should not treat them in the same way as everybody else and ignore their special characteristics. Of course, the young people should learn from the old and other adults, and should strive as much as possible to engage in all sorts of useful activities with their agreement.

Women A man in China is usually subjected to the domination of three systems of authority [political authority, clan authority and religious authority] . . . . Women, were also dominated by the men. These four authorities--political, clan, religious and masculine--are the embodiment of the whole feudal-patriarchal system and ideology.

In regards to the authority of the husband, this has been weaker amongst peasants out of economic necessity. With the rise of the peasant movement, women have begun to organise themselves and the opportunity has come for them to lift up their heads, and the authority of the husband is getting shakier every day. The feudal-patriarchal system and ideology is tottering with the growth of the peasants’ power.

Examine The Ways Mao defined Relationships Between People To Counter Confucian Ideas Of Social Control

The role of communication in maintaining social relationships and social control

Social interactions within both the micro and macro worlds require participants knowing rules and behaviours of a culture and society within which the interactions are taking place.

The role of communication in social control: During every communication many factors influence the type of communication and influence of one person over another. Rhetoric (art of communication) of power refers to how language can be used to influence others. Examples of this type of communication include victory speeches, persuasion, takeovers, and coercive tactics. All of these help to maintain social control over others. The influence of one person over another, the influence of one person on his/her environment and the influence a person has over decision making are all related to social control. The examination of relationships help to show how communication is related to social control. It is interesting to note that the examination of gender and its influence on people’s role in society often tells us things about communication too.