The peasant movement in Hunan province reinforced Mao’s convictions about the peasantry as a revolutionary force. In china, man and woman are usually subjected to the domination of the three systems of authority: the state systems, the clan system, the supernatural system, and women are dominated by man. Hundreds of millions peasants have been oppressed for thousands years. Because of the china is semi-colonial and semi-feudal country, with this very special situation the peasants overthrow the local tyrants and evil gentry with strongly anger and violence. However, the political authority of the landlord is the backbone of all the other systems of authority. Therefore, others systems would be tottering if the states system was overthrow. Mao’s thought that the millions of peasant wanted to break the trammel, and they could be a mainly revolutionary force in china.
2. What criticisms have been made of the Hunan peasant movement, and how does Mao attempt to counter these criticisms?
Peasants swarm into the house of local tyrants and evil gentry who are against the peasant association, slaughter their pigs and consume their grain. At the slightest provocation they make arrests, crown the arrested and parade them though the villages. Because of these behaviors, some people call “going too far”, or “exceeding the proper limits in rights a wrong”. However, Mao Zedong said “first, for ages they have used their power to tyrannize over the peasants and trample them underfoot; that’s why the peasant reacted so strongly”. Also, Mao Zedong said the revolution was a not a dinner party or something gently. It was a storm which was from poor peasant. Without using the great force, it is not possibly to overthrow the deep-rooted authority of the landlord.
3. What can be learned from these two writings about Mao’s views of the role the