The Mass Line is the political/organizational/leadership method developed by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) during the Chinese revolution. Although the phrase 'the mass line' was popularized in China by the CPC, the method has its roots in the political practice, and to a lesser extent the theoretical writings, of Marx and Lenin. Mao developed it into a coherent organizing methodology that encompasses philosophy, strategy, tactics, leadership and organizational theory that has been applied by many Communists subsequent to the Chinese revolution. “Mao” redirects here. ... Communist Party of China flag The Communist Party of China (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; pinyin: Zhōnggu ngchǎndǎng) is the ruling party of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Chinese Revolution may refer to: The Xinhai Revolution of 1911-1912, which led to the founding of the Republic of China, also known as the Republican Revolution. ... Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818, Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883, London) was a German philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary. ... “Lenin” redirects here. ... The philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock as ordered by the court. ... A strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, most often winning. Strategy is differentiated from tactics or immediate actions with resources at hand. ... Tactics is the collective name for methods of winning a small-scale conflict, performing an optimization, etc. ... The word leadership can refer to: the process of leading. ... Organizational Studies (also known as Industrial Organizations, Organizational Behavior and I/O) is a distinct field of academic study which takes as its subject organizations, examining them using the methods of economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, and psychology. ... This article is about communism as a form of society, as an ideology advocating that form of society, and as a popular movement. ...

Mao criticized J.V. Stalin for having no faith in the peasantry and the masses of people, being mechanical in his understanding of the development of socialism, and not actively engaging the masses in the struggle for socialism. Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვი&#4314...

"Politics in command" and the "mass line" are not stressed. There is no discussion of "walking on two legs," and individual material interest is onesidedly emphasized. Material incentives are proclaimed and individualism is far too prominent. A Critique of Soviet Economics Mao Zedong

The Mass Line is a method of leadership that seeks to learn from the masses and immerse the political leadership in the concerns and conditions of the masses. Mao's maxim was "From the masses, to the masses." The process includes investigating the conditions of people, learning about and participating in their struggles, gathering ideas from them, and creating a plan of action based on these ideas and concerns of the people, and also based on an analysis of the objective conditions and in light of the revolutionary goal. Thus the mass line also seeks to raise the consciousness of the people beyond petty or narrow self interest to that of a politically communist consciousness, and to promote the revolutionary transformation of society step by step.

Maoists hold that the mass line method of leadership is the only way to truly connect up with the people and to serve them, and to do so in a fashion that is not only quite effective but deeply democratic. Some critics of Maoism consider the mass line to be a form of populism, or even a way of "tailing after the masses" or bowing down to the "spontaneity" of the masses, a criticism that Lenin had leveled against the reformists in the Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party in What Is To Be Done?. But the mass line, though based in the first part on the ideas and desires of the masses, is also based on a concrete analysis of the objective situation and a determination to transform society through social revolution. Mao compared this to a factory which processes raw materials into a finished product. In the same way, he said, a party or group using the mass line must process the raw ideas of the masses in light of Marxist theory and a careful investigation of the objective situation. This is why using the mass line is not at all the same as populism. Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought (Chinese: 毛澤東思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), also called Marxism-Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM), is a variant of communism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893&#8211... The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, or RSDLP (Росси́йская Социа́л-Демократи́ческая Рабо́ча&#1103... What Is to Be Done? (Russian: ) was a political pamphlet, written by Vladimir Lenin at the end of 1901 and early 1902. ...

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Vladimir Lenin in 1920 Leninism is a political and economic theory which builds upon Marxism; it is a branch of Marxism (and it has been the dominant branch of Marxism in the world since the 1920s). ... In the communist or Marxist-Leninist movement, an anti-revisionist is one who favors a strict Stalinist or Maoist interpretation of Marxist-Leninist ideology. ... The Three Worlds theory is a theory developed by Mao Zedong that suggests that the world is politically and economically divided into three world. ... Social-imperialism is imperialism with a socialist/communist face. ... Peoples war (also called protracted peoples war) is a military-political strategy invented by Mao Zedong. ... For different uses of the term, including political parties with the name New Democracy, see New Democracy (disambiguation). ... “Mao” redirects here. ... Prachanda (NepālÄ«: प्रचण्ड pracaṇḍa, born Pushpa Kamal Dahal on December 11, 1954) is the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Zhang Chunqiao (Simplified Chinese: 张春桥; Traditional Chinese: 張春橋; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chang Chun-chiao) (1917–April 21, 2005) was a member of the Gang of Four. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Guzmán as a prisoner Manuel Rubén Abimael Guzmán Reynoso, also known by his nom de guerre Presidente Gonzalo (English: President Gonzalo), a former professor of philosophy, was the leader of the Maoist insurgency often referred coloquially to as Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso in Spanish). ... Charu Majumdar Charu Majumdar(Bangla: চারু মজুমদার) (1918-1972) was an Indian Maoist revolutionary born in 1918 in Siliguri, West Bengal. ... Zhou Enlai (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chou En-lai) (March 5, 1898 – January 8, 1976), a prominent Communist Party of China leader, was Premier of the Peoples Republic of China from 1949 until his death in January 1976, and Chinas foreign minister from 1949 to... Madame Mao This is a Chinese name; the family name is Jiang Jiang Qing (Chinese: ), real name Lǐ ShÅ«méng, known under various other names, including the stage name Lan Ping (Chinese: 蓝苹), and commonly referred to as Madame Mao, (March 1914 – May 14, 1991), was the fourth wife of... Ibrahim Kaypakkaya was a leader of the Turkish communist movement. ... International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations, a grouping of parties and organizations adhering to Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought. ... The Revolutionary Internationalist Movement is an international Communist organization which upholds Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), also known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys constitution. ... The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; literally Proletarian Cultural Great Revolution; often abbreviated to 文化大革命 wénhuà dà gémìng, literally Great Cultural Revolution, or even simpler, to 文革 wéngé, Cultural Revolution) in the Peoples Republic of China was a struggle for power within the... Cover of Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong (毛主席语录 Pinyin: Máo Zhǔxí Yǔlù), better known as The Little Red Book, has been published by the Government of the Peoples Republic of China since 1966. ... Naxalite or Naxalism is an informal name given to radical, often violent, revolutionary communist groups that were born out of the Sino-Soviet split in the Indian communist movement. ...

Influence Outside of CPC

Paulo Freire's work on education, specifically his work Pedagogy of the Oppressed has been called by groups such as FRSO and by other academics theoretically akin to the mass line. Both emphasize the pedagogical task of raising the consciousness of people as well as having a more osciliating relationship between Teacher and Student. However, the primary thrust of the mass line method is in the revolutionary leadership of the masses in action, not simply in educational work. Paulo Freire Paulo Freire (Recife, Brazil September 19, 1921 - São Paulo, Brazil May 2, 1997) was a Brazilian educator and influential theorist of education. ... Pedagogy of the Oppressed is the most widely known of Paulo Freires works. ...

The Black Panther Party which sold the Red Book (a collection of quotations from Mao's writings) and organized serve the people programs, another important aspect of Mao's method, first popularized something like the mass line in the United States. In the early 1970s, organizations like the Young Lords, the Bay Area Revolutionary Union and a large section of the student and youth movements in the US formed specifically Maoist-identified communist organizations. The Black Panther Party (originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was an African American organization founded to promote civil rights and self-defense for African Americans. ... Cover of Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong with Chinese words Supreme Directives Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong (毛主席语录 Pinyin: Máo ZhÇ”xí YÇ”lù), better known in the West as The Little Red Book, has been published by the Government of the Peoples Republic of China since 1966. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979. ... The Young Lords, later Young Lords Organization and in New York (notably Spanish Harlem), Young Lords Party, was a Puerto Rican Hispanic nationalist group in several United States cities, notably New York City and Chicago. ... Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought (Chinese: 毛澤東思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), also called Marxism-Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM), is a variant of communism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893&#8211... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ...

Historically, the largest self-proclaimed Maoist party in the USA, Revolutionary Communist Party has taken criticisms from other Maoists or Mao influenced organizations such as Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Single Spark Collective, and some other New Communist Movement organizations which are now defunct for not actually exercising the mass line, and instead taking on "commandism" as a methodology of leadership and promoting a Cult of Personality around their chairman Bob Avakian. The RCP has usually responded that such criticisms are ultimately based on a misconception of the mass line as reformism or workerist. The RCP has also renounced its own former policies of attempting to use the mass line while participating in the day-to-day struggles of the people. The Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (RCP, USA), known originally as the Revolutionary Union, is a Maoist-oriented communist party formed in 1975 in the United States. ... FRSO Logo from frso. ... The New Communist Movement (NCM) was a communist political movement of the 1970s and 1980s in the United States. ... A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a countrys leader uses mass media to create a larger-than-life public image through unquestioning flattery and praise. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

In some other countries, such as India, the term "the mass line" seems to now be used somewhat differently, to indicate a revolutionary strategy based on mobilizing the broad masses rather than on small-scale guerrilla warfare by armed party units. The explicit leadership method of "From the masses, to the masses" is not so strongly stressed. Thus in India the term "mass line" is now, somewhat ironically, more often associated with the middle group of CPI(M-L) forces than with the CPI(Maoist). The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) was formed by the All India Coordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries at a congress in Calcutta in 1969. ... The Communist Party of India (Maoist) is an underground Maoist political party in India. ...

External Sites

• Massline.Info

Documents Concerning Mass Line

Mao Zedong

• Selected Quotations of Chairman Mao Zedong Chapter XI. Mass Line
• Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan
• Be Concerned with the Well-Being of the Masses, Pay Attention to Methods of Work
• Some Questions Concerning Methods of Leadership

Freedom Road Socialist Organization

• Some Points on Mass Line

Revolutionary Communist Party

• Three Part Pamphlet on Mass Line These documents represent the old position of RCP on the Mass Line, to this date there is no comprehensive statement on the organization's new positition.