Today, September 9th, marks the 32nd anniversary of the passing of Comrade Mao Zedong. Mao made many important contributions to Marxism-Leninism. He correctly understood the nature of revolution in underdeveloped countries and laid out the line and strategy of New Democratic Revolution and protracted people’s war. He developed the philosophy of dialectical materialism in his essays On Practice and On Contradiction. He expounded the theory of leadership which communists came to know as the Mass Line. He struggled against both ‘Left’ and Right opportunism and in the struggle against modern revisionism Chairman Mao developed the theory of continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat. Today, his theories are being put into practice by revolutionaries around the world, in the Philippines, in Colombia, in Nepal, Palestine and here at home. To honor his life and contributions to Marxism-Leninism and international proletarian revolution, I’m posting this memorial speech by his successor, Comrade Hua Guofeng. Hua fought to carry forward Mao Zedong’s revolutionary legacy amid attacks from both the ‘Left’ and the Right.
Memorial speech by Hua Kuo-Feng, First Chairman of Central Committee of Communist Party of China and Premier of State Council, At Mass Memorial Meeting for Great Leader and Teacher Chairman Mao Tsetung
Comrades and friends:
Today, representatives of the Party, government and army organizations, workers, peasants, soldiers and other circles in the capital are here at Tienanmen Square holding a solemn Mass Memorial Meeting and, along with the people of all nationalities throughout the country, mourning with the most profound sorrow Chairman Mao Tsetung, our esteemed and beloved great leader and great teacher of the international proletariat and the oppressed nations and oppressed people.
Over the last few days, the whole party, the whole army and the people of all nationalities throughout the country have been immersed in boundless sorrow at the passing of Chairman Mao Tsetung. The cause that our great leader devoted his whole life to is linked by flesh-and-blood ties with the masses of the people. It was under Chairman Mao’s leadership that the Chinese people who had long suffered oppression and exploitation won emancipation and became masters of the country. It was under Chairman Mao’s leadership that the disaster-plagued Chinese nation rose to its feet. The Chinese people love, trust and esteem Chairman Mao from the bottom of their hearts. The international proletariat and progressive mankind all deeply mourn the death of Chairman Mao.
Chairman Mao Tsetung was the founder and wise leader of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the People’s Republic of China.
Chairman Mao tempered and nurtured our Party in the struggles it carried out under his leadership against class enemies at home and abroad and inside and outside the Party, in hard, long, acute and complex class struggles and two-line struggles. The history of the Chinese Communist Party is a history of struggle between Chairman Mao’s Marxist-Leninist line and the right and “left” opportunist lines in the Party. Under Chairman Mao’s leadership, our Party defeated the opportunist lines perused by Chen Tu-hsiu, Chu Chiu-pai, Li Li-san, Lo Chang-lung, Wang Ming, Chang Kuo-tao, Kao Kang – Jao Shu-Shih and Peng Teh-huai and again, during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, triumphed over the counter-revolutionary revisionist line of Liu Shao-chi, Lin Piao and Teng Hsiao-ping. Guided by Chairman Mao’s Marxist-Leninist line, our Party has steadily grown in strength. It has developed from small groups of a few dozen communists into a party with a membership of over 30 which now leads the People’s Republic of China, into a disciplined Party armed with the theory of Marxism-Leninism, using the method of self-criticism and closely linked with the masses of the people, and into a great, glorious and correct Marxist-Leninist Party.
Chairman Mao tempered and nurtured our Party in protracted revolutionary wars. He long ago put forward the famous thesis that “POLITICAL POWER GROWS OUT OF THE BARREL OF A GUN”. He led the Autumn Harvest Uprising, founded the First Workers Red Peasant Army and set up the first rural revolutionary base area in the Chingkang Mountains. In the last 50 years, Chairman Mao led our army in smashing the counter-revolutionary campaigns of “encirclement and suppression” launched by the Kuomintang against the revolutionary base areas, in successfully completing the world-renowned 25,000-li Long March, in defeating Japanese imperialism, in wiping out eight million troops of the Chiang Kai-chek gang armed by U.S. imperialism and, after the founding of new China, in victoriously waging the war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea, triumphantly repulsing the armed provocations against our country by Soviet revisionist social-imperialism and reaction, and defending the security of the motherland. During the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, our army followed Chairman Mao’s teachings and supported industry, agriculture and the broad masses of the left, exercised military control and gave political and military training , thereby making new contributions to the people. Chairman Mao formulated a Marxist-Leninist line for our army on army building and the strategy and tactics of People’s war, and this is the fundamental reason why our army was able to grow from small to big, from weak to strong, develop into powerful armed forces combining field armies, local armies, local armies and a vast militia and become the solid pillar of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Against the people’s armed forces armed with Mao Tsetung Thought, any enemy that dares intrude will certainly be drowned in the vast ocean of People’s war.
Basing himself on the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism and integrating it with the concrete practice of the Chinese revolution, Chairman Mao Tsetung correctly solved the series of fundamental problems concerning the seizure of political power by armed force, the consolidation of the dictatorship of the proletariat and the prevention of capitalist restoration in China.
During the period of the New-Democratic Revolution, Chairman Mao analysed Chinese history and existing conditions and the principle contradiction in Chinese society, correctly answered the questions of the targets, tasks, motive forces, character, perspectives and transformation of the New-Democratic Revolution in China., and laid down the general line and the general policy of our Party for that historical period, that is, the New-Democratic Revolution against imperialism, feudalism, bureaucrat capitalism waged by the broad masses of the people under the leadership of the proletariat. Chairman Mao pointed out that the seizure of political power by armed force in China could be achieved only by following the road of building rural base areas, encircling the cities from the countryside and finally seizing the cities, and not by any other road. Summing up the historical experience of our Party Chairman Mao pointed out that the three principle magic weapons for the Chinese Communist Party to defeat the enemy in the Chinese Revolution were a Communist Party build on the Marxist-Leninist revolutionary theory and in the Marxist-Leninist revolutionary style, an army under the leadership of such a party, and a united front of all revolutionary classes and all revolutionary groups under the leadership of such a party. Chairman Mao led our Party in using these three weapons to win the great victory of the New-Democratic Revolution and found the People’s Republic of China. The victory of the Chinese People’s Revolution led by Chairman Mao changed the situation in the East and in the world, blazing a new trail for the cause of liberation of the oppressed nations and oppressed people.
In the new historical period of Socialist Revolution and the dictatorship of the proletariat in China, Chairman Mao summed up both the positive and the negative experience of the international Communist movement, and made a penetrating analysis of the class relations in socialist society by applying the Marxist-Leninist theory of the unity of opposites, and pointed out that the principal contradiction in a socialist society is the contradiction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. For the first time in the history of the development of Marxism, Chairman Mao explicitly pointed out that there are still classes and class struggle after the socialist transformation of the ownership of the means of production has in the main been completed, put forward the thesis that in socialist society there are two types of contradictions–those between ourselves and the enemy and those among the people themselves, and advanced the great theory of continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat. Chairman Mao time and time again admonished the whole Party, the whole army and the people of the whole country, “NEVER FORGET THE CLASS STRUGGLE.” He pointed out that socialist society covers a considerably long historical period and that, throughout this historical period, there are classes, class contradictions and class struggle, there is the struggle between the socialist road and the capitalist road there is the danger of capitalist restoration and there is the threat of subversion and aggression by imperialism and social-imperialism, and established the Party’s basic line for the entire historical period of socialism. In view of the changes in class relations and the characteristics of the class struggle in the period of socialism, Chairman Mao drew the scientific conclusion. “YOU ARE MAKING THE SOCIALIST REVOLUTION, AND YET DON’T KNOW WHERE THE BOURGEOISIE IS. IT IS RIGHT IN THE COMMUNIST PARTY–THOSE IN POWER TAKING THE CAPITALIST ROAD. THE CAPITALIST-ROADERS ARE STILL ON THE CAPITALIST ROAD.” Representing the aspirations and interests of the working class and the poor and lower middle-peasants to continue the revolution, Chairman Mao himself initiated and led the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which smashed the schemes of Liu Shao-chi, Lin Pao and Teng Hsiao-ping for restoration, criticized their counter-revolutionary revisionist line and enabled us to seize back that portion of leading power in the party and state they had usurped, thus ensuring China’s victorious advanced along the Marxist-Leninist road. The constant defeat of subversion and sabotage by imperialism, revisionism and reaction, the upholding of socialism and the consolidation of the dictatorship of the proletariat in the People’s Republic of China, a populous country with a vast territory–this is a great contribution of world historic significance made by chairman Mao Tsetung to the present era and has at the same time provided the international national Communist movement with new experience in combating and preventing revisionism, consolidating the dictatorship of the proletariat, preventing capitalist restoration and building socialism.
Chairman Mao Tsetung was the greatest Marxist of the contemporary era. With the great boldness and vision of a proletarian revolutionary, he launched the great struggle in the international Communist movement to criticize modern revisionism with the Soviet revisionist renegade clique at the core, brought about by the vigorous development of the cause of the world proletarian revolution and the cause of the people of all countries against imperialism and hegemonism, and pushed the history of mankind forward. Basing himself on the principal of integrating the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete practice of the revolution, Chairman Mao summed up the experience of domestic and international revolutionary struggles, inherited, defended and developed Marxism-Leninism in all respects and enriched the treasure-house of Marxist theory. Mao Tsetung Thought is a powerful ideological weapon for opposing the bourgeoisie and all other exploiting classes and for opposing imperialism, social-imperialism and the reactionaries of all countries. THE CORRECTNESS OR INCORRECTNESS OF THE IDEOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL LINE DECIDES EVERYTHING. All victories won by the Chinese people are great victories of Mao Tsetung Thought. Mao Tsetung Thought will always illuminate the Chinese people’s road of advance
Chairman Mao Tsetung is a brilliant example of wholehearted devotion to the interests of the people of China and the world. Chairman Mao dedicated all his energies throughout his life till his last breath to the liberation of the Chinese people, to the emancipation of the oppressed nations and oppressed people the world over and to the cause of communism. A great proletarian revolutionary like Chairman Mao, who weathers all kinds of revolutionary storms, overcomes every difficulty and hardship, and always identifies himself with the workers, peasants and other labouring people and stands in the van of the revolutionary movement to guide it forward, is rare indeed in the annals of the proletarian revolutionary movement The magnificent contributions Chairman Mao made in revolutionary theory and practice are immortal. Chairman Mao has passed away. This is a loss beyond measure to our Party, our army and the people of all nationalities of our country, to the international proletariat and the revolutionary people of all countries and to the international communist movement.
The whole Party, the whole army and the people of all nationalities throughout the country must respond to the call of the Party Central Committee actively, turn grief into strength carry on the cause left behind by Chairman Mao, PRACTICE MARXISM, AND NOT REVISIONISM – UNITE, AND DON’T SPLIT – BE OPEN AND ABOVE BOARD, AND DON’T INTRIGUE AND CONSPIRE and, under the leadership of the party Central Committee, carry through to the end the cause of the proletarian revolution in China which Chairman Mao pioneered.
Internally, we must conscientiously study Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought, take class struggle as the key link, adhere to the basic line and policies of the Party for the entire historical period of socialism, persevere in continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat, consolidate the great unity of the people of all nationalities led by the working class and based on the worker-peasant alliance, deepen the struggle it criticize Teng Hsiao-ping and repulse the right deviationist attempt to reverse correct verdicts, consolidate and develop the victories of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, combat and prevent revisionism, consolidate the dictatorship of the proletariat, maintain independence and keep the initiative in our own hands and rely on our own efforts, work to build our country into a powerful socialist state, and strive to make a greater contribution to humanity. We are determined to accomplish the sacred cause of liberating Taiwan and reunifying our motherland. Externally, we must continue to carry out resolutely Chairman Mao’s revolutionary line and policies in foreign affairs, uphold proletarian internationalism, and never seek hegemony. We mus strengthen our unity with the international proletariat and the oppressed nations and oppressed people the world over, strengthen our unity with the people of the third world countries, and strengthen our unity with all countries subjected to aggression, subversion, interference, control or bullying by imperialism and social-imperialism so as to form the broadest possible united front against imperialism, in particularly against the hegemonism of the two super powers, the Soviet Union and the United States. We must unite with all genuine Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations in the world and wage a common struggle for the abolition of the system of exploitation of man by man and the realization of communism on earth, for the liberation of all mankind!
CHAIRMAN MAO TSETUNG WILL LIVE FOR EVER IN OUR HEARTS!
LONG LIVE INVINCIBLE MARXISM-LENINISM-MAO TSETUNG THOUGHT!
LONG LIVE THE GREAT, GLORIOUS AND CORRECT COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA!
ETERNAL GLORY TO THE GREAT LEADER AND TEACHER CHAIRMAN MAO TSETUNG!
The Marxist-Leninist 
Long Live Maoism
Comrade Mao Tse Tung is the greatest proletarian Revolutionary of our times whose contribution to revolutionary thought and practice is immortal.Without doubt he was the greatest marxist of the modern era.On the theoretical plane his immortal contribution was his contributions of the Protracted Peoples War where he gave the first military line to the proletariat in the third World countries and his thesis of continuous revolution under the dictatorship of the Proletariat where class struggle had to be continued within a Socialist Society.He also gave incisive analysis in his writings in “On practice’ and ‘On contradiction.He gave outstanding leadership for the New Democratic Revolution to emerge victorious in China by brilliantly refuting the Stalinist line in the late 1920’s and leading the historic Long March.Later he led the Socialist Revolution,Great Leap Forward and Graet Proletrain Cultural Revolution .He also led the Great debate against the Khrushevite forces where he critically upheld Comrade Stalin.
Comrade Mao Tse Tung created the most democratic Society mankind has seen in the Cultural Revolution where phenomenal achievements were made in Agriculture,Industry,health and literacy.The Peoples Liberation army was the most democratic army ever representing the broad interests of the masses.
Sadly today Mao’s contributions have been distorted by sections who in the name of upholding him oppose his theories. The Revolutionary Internationalist Movement is the best example on the right,while the Maosit Internationalist Movement on the left which upholds Lin Biao.The weaknesses of the Maosit era in China was the rise of the personality cult and the rise of Lin Biao.Today sections are replacing the term MaoTse Tung Thought with Maoism.This means that we are no more in the era of Imperialism discovered by Com.Lenin.Infact one erroneous trend within the C.C.P. in the 1960’s was the exaggeration of the weakness of Imperialism.Even during the G.P.C.R,the ideology was termed as Mao Tse Tung Thought and not Maoism.Such trends seperate Mao’s theories from Marx and Lenin’s as a seperate entity itself.
Applying Mao’s ideology great peoples Wars were led in Peru earlier and now in Phillipines.Even Vietnam’s triumph against America was principally attributed to Mao’s military theories.In Nepal the Maoist forces have capitulated to revisionism while in India the Maoist forces practice semi che-Guevarism.Mao’s military line is opposed by Che Guevar’a s focoism which rejects the party as a vanguard.This was particularly prominent in the era of Charu Mazumdar in the early 1970’s.After China the greatest people’s War by Maoist forces was led by Com.Gonzalo in Peru from 1980 to 1992.
Lon Live Mao Tse Tung Thought!
I agree with almost all of your post , however I disagree with you on Lin Biao. Lin certainly used extremely flattering language towards Mao in his speeches, but an Indian comrade on another website told me that what may often be perceived as personality cults by Europeans and Americans is actually more an inevitable cultural result of the much longer, deeper, and more recent history of feudalism in Asia. The personality cult can’t be entirely blamed on Lin either, it was there to varying extents in the 50s before Lin entered politics, and in the 70s after his fall when the Gang of Four controlled the propaganda machinery.
I think its very unfortunate how Lin Biao has been so unceremoniously dumped by so many communists. It was Lin Biao who was one of the few defenders of Mao when he came under criticism in connection with the Great Leap Forward, who revolutionised the PLA and kept its right-wing at bay as much as possible, who first raised the GPCR slogan of “politics in command” in the early 60s, who gave Mao the institutional power base to launch the GPCR in the first place, who played one of the principal roles during the GPCR and after its victory pushed for a return to the economic policies of the Great Leap Forward that were defeated by the revisionists.
Mao was one of the greatest revolutionaries of all time, but by 1969 he was just too old and more and more incapable of continuing the anti-revisionist struggle. By the time he died and for a fair few years before it, I believe he was little more than a senile figurehead with Zhou Enlai really pulling the strings in the background. Is it really a coincidence that Lin Biao’s death coincided with the rapprochement with the USA, the rehabilitation of many of the rightists and revisionists deposed during the GPCR, an economic development model that was only slightly better than the compromise model of the early 60s etc. ?