I'll preface this by saying this is an ML post on a ML sub written for an ML audience. This post will contain sectarian critiques on the ultra-Left as well as anarchists.
Mao is so fucking good.
“Those with a "Left" deviation in their thinking magnify contradictions between ourselves and the enemy to such an extent that they take certain contradictions among the people for contradictions with the enemy and regard as counter-revolutionaries persons who are actually not.”
Guy really knew how to revolution dammit
I see "left" used in a pejorative way by Lenin and Mao. Obviously these are guys who know their shit so I'm starting from the position that they have a good point, but what ideology or behavior is "left" in reference to?
I have yet to actually get to this particular work because of being busy with other shit and also ADHD, but the general terminology originates from "'Left-Wing' Communism: An Infantile Disorder" by Lenin.
But if I understand things correctly, the perjorative of "left wing communism" or ultraleftism is used for tendencies that fight all kinds of praxis that is not at the peak of radicalism, like refusing to engage in parliamentary systems(in situations where doing so would be useful), refusing to engage with trade unions because of perceived corruption or labeling them as labor aristocracy etc.
Basically the major criticism is that this attitude alienates yourself from the working class because you refuse to engage with them in the places they have belief in, or even end up fighting them on the same level as you would fight the bourgeoise reaction. Thats at least my current understanding, bearing in mind most of this is osmosis rather than reading the primary sources.
To be fair, those are the parts that were far and away most heavily emphasized by the Chinese instructors when Gonzalo visited Mao's China and took courses in revolution.
I mean we have a /c/Marxism if you think that would be more appropriate for sectarian content than /c/politics
As long as this ultra-Left obituary is allowed on Pol in front of a large audience then I'm going to post to counter it's influince
Some of the remnants after Gonzalos arrest literally turned into a drug cartel from what I have seen lol.
I think that ,while acknowledging that Gonzalo as well as many members sucked major ass and that the Shining path chocked an winnable revolution through ultra-left violence and adventurism , we have to keep in mind that there probably were thousands of commited ,good intentioned comrades participating in the people's war in Peru that did good work and probably tens of thousands peasants and people that supported it in a struggle for a better socialist future (they wouldnt end up contolling almost half the country at some point if that wasnt true)
Show no love for Gonzalo or anyone who participated in the massacres and civilian violence but respect and even be sad for the many in that revolution ,inside and outside the Shining path, that dont deserve their struggle and fighting to be lumped up, rediculed and forgoten along with the (for sure numerous as well groups) inside the peruvian revolution that deserve redicule and to be thrown in the dustbin of history
Do other MLMs actually care about Shining Path? I've always seen the claim that Shining Path is the originator and inseparable example of MLM as self-serving for Gonzalo's ego and useful to discredit the CPP and Naxalites.
Most Maoist people's wars worldwide including the cpp and the one in India predated the Shining path. Just because the Shining Path and Gonzalo proclaimed hard enough that they synthesized maoism and just because the other parties that engaged in people's wars worldwide were colosely allied and communicating with the Peruvian one(duh) it doesnt mean that the Shining Path acualy contributed anything to maoism or leninism or that the CPP and Naxalites did anything else but follow things and tactics directly from Mao and Lenin. Hell the Shining path also did that for the most part and thats why they were in a good position to win the revolution/people's war before shitting the bed completely with blind violence ,massacres without apologies or punishing of members and shitty cult of personality leadership
Thanks for the clarification. That's what I assumed was the case, but I've seen a lot of people even here refer to MLM as defined by Shining Path. It sucks that people just take Gonzalo of all people's word for it
At most the new thing Gonzalo "added" in his "synthesizing" of maoism is that their dogmatic and monolithic version and experience of a people's war and maoist guirella tactics are universaly aplicable as is . Something thats obviously dumb even if you can argue that people's war can successfully take many forms in more industrialized urban enviroments (like what actual Mao Zedong Thought following Black Panthers showed). Now other parties engaging in people's war rn or actively having done so might adopt this general view but that doesnt make the Gonzalo-ites
Lol, the 12 Red Guards who aren't feds must be crying their eyes out today.
So glad i don’t have to learn about or care about this shit one way or another. ✌️
Ultra tendencies can pop up anywhere so its good to study specific instances, in particular when they have gotten relatively this much clout worldwide.
