Other topics covered include propaganda and political concerns, the formation of guerrilla units, the qualities of a good guerrilla officer, discipline in a guerrilla army, and guerrilla bases. Mao wrote on guerrilla warfare in 1937 while in retreat after ten years of battling the nationalist army of chiang kaishek. This is one of the more famous quotes from mao zedong s small book on guerrilla warfare. In his book, mao describes guerrilla warfare as one of many methods used by an oppressed people to combat aggression. Vietnam war according to lifes march 3, 1972 issue, rotund and jovial, the great revolutionary welcomed richard nixon to his private study as if the united states and china had been warm friends for the last quarter century, instead of bitter enemies. On guerrilla warfare is maos case for the extensive use of an irregular form of warfare in which small groups of combatants use mobile military tactics in the forms of ambushes and raids to combat a larger and less mobile formal army. In his book, the art of war, sun tzu gives several suggestions on how to defeat an enemy. Dec 15, 2017 putting asides politics, mao zedong was one of the most tactful military leaders of the 20th century. Document excerpts with questions longer selection follows this section from on guerrilla warfare, by mao tsetung, translated by samuel b. On the low end are smallscale raids, ambushes and attacks. The red book of guerrilla warfare kindle edition by. Mao wrote the book in 1937 to convince chinese political and military leaders that guerilla styletactics.
Sidney rittenberg from 1944, when the 23yearold sidney rittenberg first arrived in china. List of books and articles about guerrilla warfare online. However, history has shown this to be a misconception, as a multitude of political and social factors have motivated citizensoldiers. The time gained is necessary either to develop sufficient military strength to defeat the enemy forces in orthodox battle as did mao in china or to subject. Mao zedong, also transliterated as mao tsetung, and commonly referred to as chairman mao, was a chinese communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, marxist political philosopher, and leader of the chinese revolution. On guerrilla warfare, by chairman mao tsetung chapter 0 prologue. Its difficult to make sense of the tactical decisions made by ho chi minh and general vo nguyen giap during the indochina wars without understanding. Description of the guerrilla methods lawrence of arabia used in world war i to neutralize much superior turkish forces.
On guerrilla warfare work by mao zedong britannica. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare. If we assume that guerrilla warfare does not progress from beginning to end beyond its elementary forms, we have failed to recognize the fact that guerrilla hostilities can, under specific. He employed only the skills the bedouin tribesmen already possessed. He literally wrote the book on the modern theory of insurgency. Putting asides politics, mao zedong was one of the most tactful military leaders of the 20th century. Mao tsetung and the search for 21st century counterinsurgency. Mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare ebook written by mao tsetung. Mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare three days supply of rice. In 1937, mao set his ideas out in a small book entitled on guerrilla warfare. This was especially true of chinas neighbour, vietnam. To ask other readers questions about on guerrilla warfare, please sign up. According to mao zedong, the peasants were the sea in which the guerrillas needed to.
Mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare great majority of its citizens. Maos seminal work, on guerrilla warfare, has been widely distributed and applied, successfully in vietnam, under military leader and theorist vo nguyen giap. Mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare kindle edition by tse. Mao zedong, the father of modern guerrilla warfare theory one of the most original military thinkers of the twentieth century was mao zedong 1893 1976, the communist revolutionary who became the founding father of the peoples republic of china. Mar 31, 2017 author of poems, quotations from chairman mao tsetung, selected works of mao tsetung, mao zedong xuan ji, selected works, mao tun lun, on new democracy, mao s road to power. First developed by the chinese communist revolutionary leader mao zedong 18931976, the basic concept behind peoples war is to maintain the support of the population and draw the enemy deep into the countryside stretching their supply lines where the population will bleed them dry through a. It maintains nearly 100 active guerrilla fronts throughout the philippines today and is considered by the military as the main threat to national security. Strategy and tactics of guerrilla warfare wikipedia. The concept that guerrilla warfare is an end in itself and that guerrilla activities can be divorced from those of the regular forces is incorrect.
It has a lot of applicability in the business world and actually in any group dynamic. On guerrilla warfare is mao s case for the extensive use of an irregular form of warfare in which small groups of combatants use mobile military tactics in the forms of ambushes and raids to combat a larger and less mobile formal army. In ancient times these actions were often associated with smaller tribal policies fighting a larger empire, as in the struggle of rome against the spanish tribes for over a century. Jan, 20 on guerrilla warfare was one of the books left by chinese leader mao tse tung, but unlike his more famous red book, this one is dedicated entirely to military strategy. Twelve years later, the nationalist chinese were rousted from the mainland, and mao consolidated his control of a new nation, having put his theories of revolutionary guerrilla warfare to the test.
Discover librarianselected research resources on guerrilla warfare from the questia online. On guerrilla warfare by mao zedong, invisible armies. Mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare by mao tsetung books on. Explore guerrilla quotes by authors including nelson mandela, henry kissinger, and mao zedong at brainyquote. This book is not so much a howto venture on the tactics of waging a guerrilla war.
Mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare think like a horse. Mao zedong 18931976 was the leader of the chinese revolution and communist china between 1949 and 1976. On guerrilla warfare by mao, zedong and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. If there also exists even the nucleus of a revolutionary party able to supply doctrine and organization, only one ingredient is needed.
Other articles where on guerrilla warfare is discussed. The black panther party was a mao zedong thoughtinspired political party in the united states, requiring all official members to read mao s little red book. Historical experience is written in iron and blood. This reference publication is mao tsetungs thoughts and philosophy. Like the art of war, this is a fascinating book into the mind of mao. Peoples war, also called protracted peoples war, is a maoist military strategy. Mao tsetung reference archive 2000 written by mao in 1937, when japanese imperialists occupied all of china, this book served as an instruction manual for guerrilla fighting, written based on more than a decade of personal experience by mao. Prescient in his thinking and concise in his expression, mao conceived of. Guerrilla warfare alone, he realized, could not achieve this, but in a prolonged war it was an indispensable weapon, particularly in holding off the enemy chinese and japanese until orthodox armies could take to the field mao s guerrilla campaign of over two decades stressed the flexible tactics based on surprise. Mao zedongs seminal work, on guerrilla warfare, has been widely distributed and applied most successfully in vietnam, by military leader and theorist vo. Ho chi minh and the origins of the vietnamese doctrine of guerrilla. Had an impartial analyst applied such criteria to vietnam. Author of poems, quotations from chairman mao tsetung, selected works of mao tsetung, mao zedong xuan ji, selected works, mao tun lun, on new democracy, mao. This article explains how western analysts misinterpret mao s writings, the importance of understanding mao s approach to irregular challenges, and the implications mao s theories have on todays counterinsurgency campaigns.
On guerrilla warfare was one of the books left by chinese leader mao tse tung, but unlike his more famous red book, this one is dedicated entirely to military strategy. Mar 06, 2012 based on mao s own experiences in fighting chiang kaisheks nationalists and his interpretations of the classic strategies of suntzu, on guerrilla warfare outlines the tactics that have proven effective around the world, from vietnamese jungles to middle eastern deserts. They also made significant contributions to the field of irregular warfare. Mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare kindle edition by tsetung, mao, griffith, general samuel b. An epic history of guerrilla warfare from ancient times to the. This special edition contains the two most important essays by mao on guerrilla warfare tactics in a new, completely uncensored format. Mao wrote the book in 1937 to convince chinese political and military leaders that guerilla styletactics were necessary for the chinese to use in the second sinojapanese war. Dec 26, 20 chairman mao zedong l signs a copy of his little red book for sidney rittenberg r in beijing, 1966. Having already had ten years guerrilla experience, mao was already an expert, and in this book he beautifully explains his basic strategy and tactics. The first documented, systematic study of guerrilla warfare, mao tsetungs 1937 text. An insurgency, or what mao zedong referred to as a war of revolutionary nature, guerrilla warfare can be conceived of as part of a continuum.
In this book mao discusses the differences between guerrilla and orthodox military forces, as well as how such forces can work together for a common goal. Lun youji zhan is mao zedongs case for the extensive use of an irregular form of warfare in which small groups of combatants use mobile military tactics in the forms of ambushes and raids to combat a larger and less mobile formal army. Mao wrote this small book in 1937 while leading the chinese red army. Jan 28, 2010 buy the red book of guerrilla warfare by zedong, mao, conners, shawn isbn. The three stages of maos revolutionary warfare parallel. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare. What should be noted is that for mao zedong gueril. List of books and articles about guerrilla warfare online research. In the late 1920s and 30s the chinese communists under the leadership of mao zedong, perhaps the worlds leading theorist of modern guerrilla warfare, conducted a largescale guerrilla war, along with mobile and positional warfare, against both the kuomintang and the japanese in n china. He was the mastermind who basically predicted how the war in china will proceed against japan. Lun youji zhan is mao zedong s case for the extensive use of an irregular form of warfare in which small groups of combatants use mobile military tactics in the forms of ambushes and raids to combat a larger and less mobile formal army. How did mao zedong implement the guerrilla warfare tactic.
Comrade mao tsetungs theory of and policies for peoples war have creatively. In many countries, there are but two classes, the rich and the miserably poor. When mao wrote on guerrilla warfare in 1937 the chinese communist party ccp had been at war for a decade in one of the largest countries in the world. At first, the war was waged against the nationalist kuomintang kmt who ruled most of the country. Mao wrote the book in 1937 to convince chinese political and military leaders that guerilla styletactics were necessary for. This book was written by mao zedong 18931976 in 1937, as he was waging a guerrilla war against the occupying army of imperial japan. On guerrilla warfare by chairman mao zedong chapter 0.
The result was ho chi minhs essay, guerrilla tactics cach danh du kich. Pancho villa emiliano zapata mao tsetung ho chi minh vietnam war. Mao made a distinction between mobile warfare yundong zhan and guerrilla warfare youji zhan, but they were part of an integrated continuum aiming towards a final objective. Both mao tsetung and che guevara had outsized impacts on the social, political and cultural landscape of the 20 th century. Largely due to its use by leaders like mao zedong in china and ho chi minh in north vietnam, guerrilla warfare is generally thought of in the west only as a tactic of communism.
Selected military writings of mao tsetung by mao tse tung foreign. Mao zedongs seminal work, on guerrilla warfare, has been widely distributed and applied most successfully in vietnam, by military leader and theorist vo nguyen giap, whose peoples war, peoples army closely follows the maoist threephase approach, but emphasizing flexibility in shifting between guerrilla warfare and a spontaneous general. Mao s political goal was the communist takeover of china. Maos ideas on war are losing ground the new york times.
The man stands, raises a water bottle to his lips, rinses his mouth, spits out the water. Having already had ten years guerrilla experience, mao was already an expert, and in this book. Topics among the hundreds of entries by experts in the field include sunzis classic the art of war, mao zedong s guerrilla warfare in the 20th century, chinese involvement in the korean war and vietnam war, and chinas nuclear program in the 21st century. This article explains how western analysts misinterpret maos writings, the importance of understanding maos approach to irregular challenges, and the implications maos theories have on todays counterinsurgency campaigns. This radical new approach to warfare, waged in jungles and mountains by mobile guerrilla bands closely supported by local inhabitants, has been adopted by other revolutionary leaders from ho chi minh to che guevara. Phase i is devoted to the organization of an underground resistance movement to spread propaganda and elicit support for the. On guerrilla warfare dover books on history, political and social. On guerrilla warfare by mao zedong 1,418 ratings, 3. On guerrilla warfare was written in the 1950s and describes most of the tactics used by the viet kong to defeat the us during the vietnam conflict. He was a significant influence on the conflict in vietnam, both through his example as a communist revolutionary and as the leader of asias first communist superpower. In it, he calls for a protracted peoples war, as a means for small revolutionary groups to fight the power of.
Mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare is read almost like a manual, and takes this book is base on sun tzus war manual art of war and the author expands it by talking about guerrilla operations and why they are necessary. A precursor to the american involvement in vietnam. Griffith, who translated the book in the 40s, more than on guerrilla warfare itself. The classic study of guerrilla warfare kindle edition by. The broad strategy underlying successful guerrilla warfare is that of protracted harassment accomplished by extremely subtle, flexible tactics designed to wear down the enemy. Nov 06, 2015 mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare ebook written by mao tsetung.
December 26, 1893 september 9, 1976, also known as chairman mao, was a chinese communist revolutionary who became the founding father of the peoples republic of china prc, which he ruled as the chairman of the communist party of china from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. As a revolutionary leader, mao zedong laid the economic, technological and cultural foundations of modern china, transforming the country from an agrarian society into a major world power. Clearly guerrilla operations are an important component of revolutionary war, but the underlying principle and fundamental objective is social revolution. Fmfrp 1218 mao tsetung on guerrilla warfare marines. The red book of guerrilla warfare kindle edition by zedong.
Guerrilla warfare guerrilla warfare strategy and tactics. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the red book of guerrilla warfare. Clearly guerrilla operations are an important component of revolutionary war, but the underlying principle and fundamental objective is. Chinas liberation army daily says recent border war with vietnam helped clear away some erroneous ideas, apparently including primacy peking has attached to mao zedong. Mao saw the peoples war, as he called it, progressing. While guerrilla tactics can be viewed as a natural continuation of prehistoric warfare, the chinese general and strategist sun tzu, in his the art of war 6th century bce, was the earliest to propose the use of guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare leaders of the 20th century essay bartleby. Mao wrote the book in 1937 to convince chinese political and military leaders that guerilla styletactics were necessary for the chinese to use in. In 1939, there were books available in vietnam that described mao zedongs. The red book of guerrilla warfare kindle edition by zedong, mao, tsetung, mao, conners, shawn, song, chen. Mao developed unconventional guerrilla warfare tactics, which he implemented with great success against the kmt, contrary to the wishes of his fellow leaders.