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Publication Date

2024

DOI

10.26736/ar.01.01.01

Abstract

Despite the significant changes brought by reform and opening up and the apparent demise of Maoism as the Communist Party’s governing ideology, Maoism has continued to thrive in Chinese politics as a political language and dialectical theory despite theoretical weaknesses inherited from its European counterparts. An investigation into the frequency of mentions of “contradiction” and their contexts within the political reports to the 20 National People’s Congresses since the founding of the People’s Republic demonstrates that Maoist dialectical rhetoric is effective in setting policy goals, driving policy reform, and consolidating national unity. Furthermore, the patterns of frequency reflect changes in political leadership, how the central government learns from its previously enacted policies, and outliers such as the absence of Maoism before 1945 and the Maoist cult of personality during the Cultural Revolution. The usage of Maoist dialectical rhetoric by both reformist and hardline Party leaders reflects a continued salience of dialectical rhetoric in not just Party, but Chinese politics as a whole, with implications for how the Party, opposition or protest movements, and larger society interact with one another in the future.

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