People's History of Ideas Podcast

Mao gets sick of all the BS in Shanghai and returns to his hometown of Shaoshan, where he discovers a militant peasantry.Further Reading:Stuart Schram, ed., Mao’s Road to Power, vol. 2: National Revolution and Social Revolution, December 1920-June 1927Yokoyama Suguru, “The Peasant Movement in Hunan”Some names from this episode:Li Lisan, Communist leader of the Shanghai General Labor UnionLiu Shaoqi, Communist leader just below Li Lisan in the Shanghai General Labor UnionLiu Hua, Union activist executed for leading role in May 30 MovementLiu Bolun, Stood in for Mao at a meeting of the Committee for Common People’s EducationWang Xianzong, Hunanese Communist murdered by a local warlord for organizing peasantsWang Jingwei, Head of Guomindang government in Guangzhou in late 1925 when Mao arrived from HunanHan Suyin, early biographer of Mao for a western audienceLiu Shaoqi, Leading Communist labor organizer in the 1920s, later targeted as a capitalist roader in the Cultural RevolutionDeng Xiaoping, Chinese leader targeted as a capitalist roader in the Cultural RevolutionSupport the show

A podcast version of a recently published article which discusses what the leader of Peru's Shining Path, Abimael Guzmán, has to say about the time he spent in Maoist China.The article can be read on the podcast website.Support the show

Workers, students and merchants in Shanghai take on the British authorities of the International Settlement and Japanese mill owners after protesters are massacred.Further Reading:Steve Smith, A Road Is Made: Communism in Shanghai, 1920-1927Some names from this episode:Li Lisan, Communist leader of the Shanghai General Labor UnionZhang Xueliang, son of Zhang Zuolin, occupied Shanghai’s Chinese cityZhang Zuolin, northern warlordGregory Voitinsky, Comintern representative in China in 1925Liu Shaoqi, Communist leader just below Li Lisan in the Shanghai General Labor UnionLiu Hua, Union activist executed for leading role in May 30 Movement Support the show

In response to a listener request, we consider the situation in the United States today in light of historical thinking on the question of revolutionary situations.Further reading:Lenin, The Collapse of the Second International (chapter two)Lenin, Letters from AfarLenin, “Marxism and Insurrection”Support the show

The Communist Party tries to figure out how to put the workers in the lead of the nationalist revolution, and has some initial success.Further Reading:Steve Smith, A Road Is Made: Communism in Shanghai, 1920-1927Some names from this episode:Deng Zhongxia, Leading Communist labor organizerLi Dazhao, Co-founder of the Communist Party, often credited as China’s first MarxistLi Lisan, Leading Communist labor organizerChen Duxiu, Chen Duxiu, General secretary of the Communist PartyGregory Voitinsky, Comintern representative in China in 1925Yang Zhihua, Communist leader in women’s movementSupport the show

The thinking of Chinese Communism’s two founders, Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu, diverges as revolutionary experience is gained.Further Reading:Maurice Meisner, Li Ta-Chao and the Origins of Chinese MarxismSome names from this episode:Li Dazhao, Co-founder of the Communist Party, often credited as China’s first MarxistChen Duxiu, Co-founder and first general secretary of the Communist PartyZhang Guotao, Communist leader and opponent of ‘united front from within’ with GuomindangSupport the show

The podcast discusses the collaboration between the Guomindang and Communist Party in China, exploring tensions and growing conflicts despite their united front policy. It highlights key figures like Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek, the role of Soviet advisors, and the ideological divides within the parties. The episode delves into the reorganization of the Guomindang with Communist involvement and the challenges faced due to anti-communism sentiments and opposition to mass mobilization.

A podcast version of a recently published article which argues that the rightward turn of Chinese politics in the 1970s was a key contributing factor in ending the revolutionary era of the long and global 1960s and ushering in the neoliberal age of reaction which followed.The article can be read on the podcast website.Support the show

The Communist Party of China tries to find a way to implement the united front with the Guomindang in 1923, but ultimately has to wait for the Soviet-Guomindang alliance to mature.Further reading:Tony Saich, The Origins of the First United Front in ChinaStuart Schram, ed., Mao’s Road to Power, vol. 2Some names from this episode: Sun Zhongshan/Sun Yatsen, leader of the GuomindangWang Jingwei, leader of Guomindang left-wing, later president of Japanese puppet state in ChinaCao Kun, northern warlord who controlled BeijingLi Yuanhong, president of China from 1922-1923Zhang Guotao, communist leader and opponent of ‘united front from within’ with GuomindangHenk Sneevliet, alias Maring, Dutch Communist and Comintern leader in China from 1921-1923Chiang Kai-shek, Japan-trained military officer, close confidant of Sun YatsenMikhail Borodin, Comintern agent and head of Soviet mission to aid the GuomindangSupport the show

Henk Sneevliet, Zhang Guotao, and Sun Zhongshan discuss the Communist Party's labor organizing drive and the united front with the Guomindang. It explores the challenges faced, collaborations with secret societies, successes in labor organizing, negotiations between the parties, and the aftermath of a defeated strike.