This is an archive of the former website of the Maoist Internationalist Movement, which was run by the now defunct Maoist Internationalist Party - Amerika. The MIM now consists of many independent cells, many of which have their own indendendent organs both online and off. MIM(Prisons) serves these documents as a service to and reference for the anti-imperialist movement worldwide.
This is an archive of the former website of the Maoist Internationalist Movement, which was run by the now defunct Maoist Internationalist Party - Amerika. The MIM now consists of many independent cells, many of which have their own indendendent organs both online and off. MIM(Prisons) serves these documents as a service to and reference for the anti-imperialist movement worldwide.
Maoist Internationalist Movement

Round-up on the progress of Maoism by language

by HC123 and International Ministry

Recently we received some questions and demands that center around the relative advancement of Maoism by language. This is an area where appearances may be deceiving and knowledge of language is necessary to know what is actually going on. Differences of perception on these questions can lead to other differences as well, so we found it necessary to explain how we see this, partly as a matter of accountability, especially in the PIRAO department. We believe it is likely that other parties conducting People's War probably still have a more complete picture than MIM does, but we can provide our two cents.

Searching for "Maoism" in Chinese on Google gives 963,000 hits. By contrast, the same search in English gives only 67,600. Something we need to combat here is the Western stereotype about China--namely that social-fascism is airtight. The situation is much better than what we might think based on Cold War images of "totalitarianism." The bourgeoisie may get 95% of what it wants in China, but it can never get 100%, and 5% of the activity of a billion people is a lot of activity. So we hope our comrades will try to understand this in percentage terms. There is simply too much going on in Chinese for MIM to tell readers about all of it, so thinking percentage-wise may help when we try to envision over a billion people.

In recent years there have also been more and more pro-Mao demonstrations--vamped on by the pigs, but not always crushed--near statues of Mao, on Mao's birthday, on the anniversary of his death--anything linked to Mao can become the focal point of political expression. Unemployment, corruption from the bureaucracy, and other issues have also sparked genuine revolutionary activity.

MIM is not organizing in China and of course our line is officially banned in China to boot. Nonetheless, even imperialist country MIM has sympathizers in all ranks of Chinese society--from the top to the bottom--in officialdom, in academia and in business. This was true even before MIM started writing in Chinese, probably thanks to the rise of English usage in China.

There are now and have been organizations in China that consider MIM its fraternal party. It's hard to do justice to the interest level in MIM and the proletarian feeling of Chinese. MIM is one of the top subjects in Chinese Internet discussion on the topic of Maoism judging by third party statistics. This is important in showing that people see Maoism as something of here and now, not just dusty history of China.

MIM has recently published an article in Chinese underscoring the need to penetrate Mao's struggle against Wang Ming. This is necessary in any nascent communist movement as history has proved.

We can also report that there is in China regular, sustained and organized discussion of the People's War in Nepal and similar matters. Likewise, there is sustained discussion of the so-called Gang of Four. MIM has been very protective of the Chinese comrades and the last thing we want to see is that they listen to non-Chinese too much and change their security practices to get themselves in trouble. Contact with Westerners and various spies posing as Maoists is not worth the trouble.

At the same time, we're sorry not to have done a better job earlier in summing up overall advances in China in some way. These discussions go on independently of MIM in addition to discussions that feature MIM. There are discussions of MIM in Beijing, Hong Kong, Taiwan and as we have said before, even Vietnam. It goes without saying that if they discuss MIM in these places, they are discussing Marx, Lenin and Mao even more.

Comrades speaking Chinese have translated MIM into the old-style Chinese characters so that non-Mainland people can read MIM articles. This is happening in both Taiwan and Singapore. Of course, these and other discussions of MIM articles can in no way show up in MIM Central Task Report statistics.

MIM is also a paradox to many Deng Xiaoping supporters in China. Many can't even imagine a reason not to support MIM. The attitude is Cultural Revolution Maoism for the Amerikans, just not for us. It's hard for many Deng supporters to see how criticizing MIM for upholding the Cultural Revolution helps China or people in the Third World generally. Proletarian internationalism has various material forces behind it.

Another force is academic. For almost twenty years a story about meeting MIM has made it's way back to China and seems to receive official sanction and update periodically. The story does not say that we uphold Deng Xiaoping, just Maoism, but it also leaves out any mention of the Cultural Revolution.

It's not like the situation in the imperialist countries. People opposing the Cultural Revolution in the imperialist countries would be banging heads with MIM. A less positive factor in this contrast of China and the imperialist countries is that true Deng supporters are trained to be polite to Amerikans in the hopes that a mutual criticism session does not start.

The Russian Maoist Party is also a hot topic of discussion in China. In one discussion, the comrades said of the RMP document: "well said." If the Russians can say that, then one comrade lamented getting off the real Maoist road in China too. Contact between Chinese and Russian Maoists in the Putin/Hu era is also fraught with difficulty.

While we are making these relative comparisons, we should probably spell out the balance of forces internationally. The sparks from Peru may have touched off Nepal. If Nepal goes, India is not far behind. No it is not at all far-fetched to think China could get on the Maoist road again with a firm example in India. If Nepal, India and China are on the Maoist road, the chances to revive Stalin and uphold Mao in Russia will improve. We would not bet on the ability of the Amerikans and EU to buy out Russia sufficiently to prevent what would happen then.

MIM does not see itself organizing outside the minority of the world that is imperialist countries or internal semi-colonies. We believe it is a profound Trotsky/Wang Ming type problem to wish for any unity in a single world party of the international communist movement. Comrades should sign joint statements of whatever scientific unity they can achieve, but the analysis of one's own conditions has to receive most attention. Glaze-eyed simpletons never pulled off a successful revolution.

While there may be some very small countries that never form a Maoist vanguard party before the rest of the world gets on the communist road, it remains true that we must have faith in the people that they will produce enough Maoist leaders. If the people do not produce enough real Maoist leaders, it just might be time for another species to take over this ball of dust. Someone in Nepal or the United $tates or any other country can not make up for the Chinese if the Chinese do not produce their own Maoist leaders. The same is true of the vast majority of countries.

There is no guarantee that the species will survive this century of history, but it is possible to make species-death more likely by allowing or encouraging poor security practices or poor analysis of material conditions by taking up the Trotskyist line on international organizing. Least of all do we want to see Western Liberal influence on how Maoists organize in China. Comrades in Nepal, India and China are the real Maoists: the chances of real ideological assistance from the West are so slight as not to be worth the risks. After the Maoists seize power, they should let in visitors more broadly. This is not World War II, when the united $tates had a half-hearted interest in seeing the Japanese defeated. So Mao's example of inviting in Amerikans during the revolution may not be the best way to go forward now. We have good indications from the Washington Post and direct observation of the aftermath that Amerikans had a heavy, direct and perhaps decisive hand in the capture of comrade Gonzalo in Peru.

MIM fires salvoes off in all languages it can, because English is not the first language of many people within u.$. borders. We prioritize the languages spoken most in the imperialist countries. Our salvoes may contribute to hastening proletarian science in some places in the world coming out of a bad situation, a temporary ebb in the communist movement. Our salvoes also encourage people from other languages to push us along too.

This is how we see the relative situation of Maoism by language right now. We hope to have dispelled any overly anxious concern about what is happening in China.

Even this list below is far from complete. We do not even include the top ten largest languages.

1) French may be the weakest language for Maoism. The concept of labor aristocracy is found in few places and the actual application of the idea to the French-speaking imperialist countries is incredibly weak. There is some activity by self-styled ultra-left groups claiming to be to the left of Lenin, four organizations claiming to uphold Mao and People's War and of course the ex-Maoist party in Belgium, PTB. We can see that in France they are very much having the problems we have in the united $tates, even worse. MIM attributes that firmly to the relative influence of oppressed nationalities. The Black Panther Party experience was more profound than the influence of the rebellion in May in 1968.

Peruvian comrades used to do some work in French, but that seems to have decreased.

2) Portuguese covers portions of Latin America and Africa. There is a Brazilian student movement interested in Stalin and Mao. From time to time, MIM hears about Portuguese-speaking Africans interested in Maoism. Nonetheless, on the Internet, there is little for Portuguese overall.

3) English shows some fragmentation and labor aristocracy effeteness of course, including in the "British Commonwealth," but we should not forget that much of South Asia speaks English. Because of global dominance of English, many parties make an effort in English.

4) Russian--the Russian Maoist Party is just about it though there are scattered mentions of Maoism in various places of the Internet.

5) German--there are at least three parties claiming Mao including one of size that may be the largest in the imperialist countries. Even more significant is the Maoist movement among Turkish migrant workers in Germany. The concept of labor aristocracy does get discussion but not concrete application, largely because the most advanced are themselves not really of imperialist country origin.