Mao Zedong: The Complete Works Volume 1

by Astrid Ronaldson, Mao Zedong, Maoist Documentation Project (Translator)

The Complete Works of Mao Zedong is a multi-book collection of every writing Mao Zedong produced, from the directions he gave his troops and party members to the letters and commentary he wrote before and during his time as Chair of the Chinese Communist Party. I decided to put this series together when I realized no-one has attempted to make a "complete works" series, most books only cover selected works and leave out the more mundane writings, especially those pertaining to party direction and observations which I find integral to having a complete understanding of Maoist thought. The entirety of these writings are available online but if you're anything like me you want a physical book, aside from the unparalleled feeling of holding an actual book, I greatly value being able to highlight and write notes in the margins. The first Volume covers the early years prior to his leadership position and goes into the era of the Second Chinese Civil War. I initially hoped to include all the writings in a single book but publishing restraints limited my options. I hope that this book finds you well and that it can be useful in better understanding one of the most impactful leaders of the 20th century.

Works included in this A Study Of Physical EducationTo Hakura TotenTo The Glory Of The HansThe Great Union Of The Popular MassesMiss Chao's SuicideCommunism and DictatorshipThe Role Of The Merchants In The National RevolutionThe Chinese Government And The ForeignersAnalysis Of The Classes In Chinese SocietyThe Bitter Sufferings Of The Peasants In Kiangsu and ChekiangReport On An Investigation Of The Peasant Movement In HunanWhy Is It That Red Political Power Can Exist In China?The Struggle In The Chingkang MountainsThe Second Anniversary Of An Wu-Ching's MartyrdomOn Correcting Mistaken Ideas In The PartyA Single Spark Can Start A Prairie FireOppose Book WorshipDecree Regarding MarriageA Letter From The Chinese Workers On Forced Occupation Of ManchuriaThe League Of Nations Is A League Of RobbersPreliminary Conclusions Of The Land Investigation CampaignThe Land Investigation CampaignReport To The 2nd National Congress Of Worker's and Peasant's RepresentativesPay Attention To Economic WorkHow To Differentiate The Classes In The Rural AreasOur Economic Policy

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2021

Reviews

[Conor Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant translation of the early works of Mao Zedong. It’s a great place to start, while some articles are a little technical and might need some background historical knowledge to grasp properly, many of the articles found here can be understood very easily by newcomers to marxist thought. Mao often had to write simply due to the constraints of his audience, many of the people he was trying to reach were not experienced academics and it comes across in his accessible writing style that makes it easy for anybody to pick up and read. I’ve already bought the next volume in the series, which I’m very excited to read, especially the works ‘Combat Liberalism’, ‘On Practice’ and ‘On Contradiction’.

While Mao is not necessarily the most advanced theoretician in the rich marxist tradition nor the most insightful, I still think he has the most to teach us of the main marxist thinkers when it comes to practical experience in revolution and applying theory to the real world for the betterment of our world, perhaps only the likes of Lenin could compete with him in his success in both writing (and making theoretical contributions) and practical experience. Obviously Marx and Engels are the foundation of theory but Lenin and Mao led successful revolutions in their countries and were able to at least attempt to put these ideas into practice with varying degrees of success.
So I highly recommend this series of books to anybody looking to get into Maoist thought and his takes on Marxism.

[Leslie R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I read anything by Mao. Despite his flaws, he makes a lot of valid statements especially related to women's rights.

[Preston Eadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clunky translation in parts, but the final article outlining Red Army military strategy from 1936 is worth reading the whole book for!