Mao Zedong was a pivotal figure in the history of China during the twentieth century. His life and experience provide a window into an understanding of the Chinese experience from the 1920s onwards. There are a number of evident themes in the piece that sheds light on the kind of life that the Chinese people were entangled in. The theme that catches my attention is that of spreading political propaganda. According to the article, if a lot of law schools and political science schools were opened, they would have brought the basic education to the people even to those who lived in the poorest and remotest corners of the countryside. Imperialism and corruption had penetrated the Chinese society and is the reason people have constant fights and quarrels. Imperialism had penetrated into the village and into all kinds of people, including the old, young, children, and women. Every sector of the society has adopted a hatred for imperialists and everyone is now accustomed to shouting “down with imperialists.” (Cheek 45) In china, peasants were always looked down upon. They were hatred, despised, and detested. However, they got a manuscript to follow which protected their rights and freedom. In most countries, peasants were looked down upon by many because they were poor and had little education to be proud of. They were deprived of their rights and they received regular harassments from other people and from the law enforcement agencies. In China, the same happened during the Mao Zedong period. Peasants were not only harassed by the locals, but also by the police. Despite all the hatred and harassment towards them, they still had the “Three People’s Principles” to protect them. The poor and the unfortunate in the modern society are also protected and defended by the constitution of the country (Mao 76).
The poor are also protected and defended by the human rights agencies. Another theme that is evident in the article is that of inequality and harassment. The Chinese society was characterized by two classes: the rich and the poor. The rich were the fortunate in the society and they were protected by the government. They also received special favors which the poor did not receive. For instance, peasants were constantly harassed by the policemen whenever they came to the city to sell their farm produce. The act only happened to the poor and never have the rich received harsh treatment. This is because the law enforcement agencies are made to believe that they should protect the rich from the poor. The rich are insecure because they think the poor are there to confiscate them of their ill-acquired wealth. However, whenever the peasants recite the “Three People’s Principles,” the police become calm and stop the brutality (Mao 79). Knowledge is power. The knowledge that the peasants had acquired on their rights is the one that defends them in the society. The police or any other individual cannot harass a person who clearly understands his/her own rights. In the current society, the poor are harassed and killed left right by the police and other government agencies (MacFarquhar 21). Most of the time, the people killed and innocent but the police fix them. In the man eat society that we live in, the rich are insecure and timid. This is because they clearly know that the wealth that they posses has been acquired in unscrupulous means. They, therefore use the law enforcement agencies to harass the poor and prevent them from talking or asking questions. However, the poor have also opened their eyes and understood the constitution and their basic fundamental rights. Just like the “Three People’s Principles,” the constitution protects the well-being of the poor in the society.
Works Cited
Cheek, Timothy. Mao Zedong and China's revolutions: a brief history with documents. Macmillan, 2002.
Mao, Zedong. Problems of strategy in China's revolutionary war. Foreign Languages Press, 1965.
MacFarquhar, Roderick, and Zedong Mao. "The Secret Speeches of Chairman Mao: From the Hundred Flowers to the Great Leap Forward." (1989).
