Marxism, Maoism and Utopianism

Author: Maurice Meisner
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: If Maoism did not create a true socialism in China, it did create a lasting revolutionary situation, providing the possibility of achieving (or at least pursuing) the socialist goals of Marxism. If the command to change the world rather than simply interpret it is the standard for judging a Marxist revolutionary, then, compared to Leninists, Mao might ultimately be recognized as a better Marxist. If Mao's non-Leninist (and non-Marxist) populist ideas were to eventually advance China's exploration of the utopian socialist goals of Marxist prophecy in some way, this might be the most paradoxical of all paradoxes. — Maurice Meisner
This book is the author's seminal work, reflecting the typical analytical approach and argumentative style of Western Marxist scholars. With his strong theoretical foundation in Marxism, the author attempts to fully restore the profound connotations of the so-called "utopianism" in the distorted works of Marx. The author argues that if the "utopianism" characterized by the pursuit of the unknown world is lost, it practically means that humanity has reduced or abandoned its creative capacity. The reason Mao is considered a Marxist, to some extent, is that he fully maintained the impulse of "utopianism." At the same time, Mao organically combined Marxism with "populism" based on China's specific conditions, thereby forming a unique theoretical system of Mao.