Continuous revolution theory

Element of Mao Zedong Thought

Not to be confused with Permanent revolution.

The Continuous Revolution Theory (sometimes also translated as the theory of continuing revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat) is an important element of the thought of Mao Zedong. This is often subsumed under the subject of the Cultural Revolution, but it is worth considering the Continuous Revolution Theory in its own right as an independent topic.

## Overview[edit]

The Continuous Revolution Theory is rooted in Mao's thoughts regarding the nature of contradiction. He argues that, since contradictions within society between revolutionary and reactionary elements can be expected to continue for a long time, it is necessary to work continuously toward the progressive fulfillment of the revolutionary program. As Mao has written:

> "Every difference in men's concepts should be regarded as reflecting an objective contradiction. Objective contradictions are in subjective thinking, and this process constitutes the contradictory movement of concepts, pushes forward the development of thought, and ceaselessly solves problems in man's thinking."[1]

The contention that contradiction is inherent to everything is thus taken to suggest that revolution must be continual if it is not to succumb reactionary forces. The Continuous Revolution Theory is rooted in this fundamental insight regarding the nature of contradiction. It suggests that a revolution cannot really be "over" because contradictions will continue to develop, such that it is necessary to perpetually resolve emergent contradictions in favor of the revolutionary program while resisting the risk of sliding back into reaction. The Continuous Revolution Theory thus rejects any notion of a revolution that is once and for all, since it is impossible to remove contradiction per se from the fabric of nature. Starr makes it clear that contradiction is the central concept of the Continuous Revolution Theory in his discussion of the key themes of the theory:

> "These themes are, first, that contradiction or conflict in a society is ubiquitous and permanent and that this condition applies just as surely to a society in the process of socialist transformation as it does to a bourgeois or feudal society."[2]

This leads to the implication that classes within any given society are also a permanent feature of society as such. The only way that these contradictions could be ameliorated is to produce a new society in which human nature itself is transformed in the direction of selflessness and concern for the whole rather than the self. This is why Mao believed, contrary to Marx, that the real struggle was cultural rather than merely economic in nature.[3]

## Relationship to the Cultural Revolution[edit]

The Continuous Revolution Theory is closely related to but not identical with the Cultural Revolution. More specifically, it was the guiding ideology of the Cultural Revolution, with the latter thus being how the Communist Party of China attempted to implement Continuous Revolution Theory.[4] The Cultural Revolution was itself a result of Mao's perception, in 1966, that the Communist leadership itself had become corrupted:

> "Believing that current Communist leaders were taking the party, and China itself, in the wrong direction, Mao called on the nation's youth to purge the 'impure' elements of Chinese society and revive the revolutionary spirit that had led to victory in the civil war 20 decades ago and the formation of the People's Republic of China."[5]

The Continuous Revolution Theory required Mao to turn against the Communist leadership itself. Mao turned against the very party for whose creation he was responsible. The theory foresaw that the Communist ruling class can itself turn away from the revolutionary standpoint and become a new ruling class rather than a true dictatorship of the proletariat.[6] This is because new contradictions always emerge, and being revolutionary is determined not merely by one's formal self-identification but rather by the actions that one takes in response to those new contradictions. The Cultural Revolution was inspired by the Continuous Revolution Theory as its guiding ideology. However, according to the theory, even the Cultural Revolution could one day need to be overthrown, insofar as it stopped being truly revolutionary.

## Relationship to Marxism[edit]

Mao's understanding of contradiction is purely dialectical, which is very close to the original thought of Marx as expressed in classic works such as the Communist Manifesto.[7] However, Continuous Revolution Theory is even more closely related to Hegel than it is to the thought of Marx. According to Hegel, all of human history is a process of Spirit working through its own contradictions and striving to manifest itself at higher and higher levels.[8] Marx believed that Hegel was wrong about the primacy of mind (or spirit) and that the real struggle was rather material/economic in nature. Mao reverses this view back to something closer to Hegel as a result of Mao's belief that cultural transformation is essential for producing the new socialist man. Marx was an inversion of Hegel, but Mao is in some ways almost an inversion of Marx, which ironically returns him to being rather close to Hegel. The Continuous Revolution Theory is essentially idealistic rather than materialistic in nature, and the need for continuous revolution is not based on material conditions per se but rather on the fact that contradiction is metaphysically built into the nature of everything.

## Historical evaluation[edit]

Mao had the clear insight that revolutions can betray themselves and that the new ruling class that emerges in the aftermath of a revolution may itself need to be challenged through a process of continuous revolution. However, the Cultural Revolution that was driven by the Continuous Revolution Theory was marked by atrocities, and that it would be difficult to unequivocally declare that the Cultural Revolution did, in fact, serve truly revolutionary ends. After the death of Mao and Arrest of the Gang of Four, CCP clearly has no interest in continuous revolution: a new ruling class has in fact consolidated itself.[9] The failure of the Cultural Revolution raises questions about whether the Continuous Revolution Theory is actually practicable.[10]

## 1975 Chinese Constitution[edit]

The Continuous Revolution Theory is mentioned in the preamble of the 1975 Chinese constitution, which replaced the 1954 constitution and was written in the spirit of the Cultural Revolution.[11]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Mao, Zedong. "On Contradiction". Marxists Internet Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
2. ^ Starr, John Bryan (1971). Conceptual Foundations for Mao Tse-Tsung's Continuous Revolution Theory vol. 11, no. 6. Asian Survey. pp. 610–628.
3. ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1998). The German Ideology. Prometheus Books.
4. ^ Zhao, Bing (2008). The Historical Destiny of Continuing Revolution Theory under the Proletarian Dictatorship. Modern Philosophy vol. 2. pp. 67–75.
5. ^ "Cultural Revolution". History. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
6. ^ Draper, Hal. "The 'Dictatorship of the Proletariat' in Marx and Engels". Marxists Internet Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
7. ^ Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels (1997). Communist Manifesto. Verso.
8. ^ Hegel, Georg W. F. (2018). The Phenomenology of Spirit. Cambridge University Press.
9. ^ Lu, Rachel. "China's New Class Hierarchy: A Guide". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
10. ^ Holloway, John (2010). How to Change the World without Taking Power. Pluto Press.
11. ^ "The Constitution of the People's Republic of China (1975)". web.archive.org. 2017-07-25. Retrieved 2022-12-31.

* v
* t
* e

Maoism

Basic concepts|

* Antagonistic contradiction
* Anti-revisionism
* Cultural Revolution
* Continuous revolution theory
* Marxism–Leninism
* Mass line
* New Democracy
* One Divides into Two
* People's democratic dictatorship
* People's war
* Revolutionary base area
* Seek truth from facts
* Self-criticism
* Three Worlds Theory

Key figures|

* Mao Zedong
* Lin Biao
* Zhou Enlai
* Harry Haywood
* Charu Majumdar
* Chen Boda
* Pierre Mulele
* Jiang Qing
* Ted Hill
* Afzal Bangash
* Afzal Khamosh
* Akram Yari
* Siraj Sikder
* Charles Bettelheim
* Zhang Chunqiao
* Kondapalli Seetharamaiah
* Muppala Lakshmana Rao
* İbrahim Kaypakkaya
* Huey P. Newton
* Faiz Ahmad
* Yao Wenyuan
* Chin Peng
* Samir Amin
* Norm Gallagher
* Abimael Guzmán
* Jose Maria Sison
* Bob Avakian
* Pushpa Kamal Dahal
* Li Minqi
* Mohan Baidya
* Charu Majumdar
* Kanu Sanyal
* Deo Kumar Singh
* Jagdish Mahto

Internationals|

* Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia
* International Conference of Marxist–Leninist Parties and Organizations
* Revolutionary Internationalist Movement

Key works|

* Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan
* On Contradiction
* On Practice
* On Guerrilla Warfare
* On Protracted War
* Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung
* On the Ten Major Relationships
* A Critique of Soviet Economics
* Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung
* Historic Eight Documents

Related topics|

* Proclamation of the People's Republic of China
* Chinese New Left
* Communism
* Chinese Communist Party
* Communist rebellion in the Philippines
* Guevarism
* Internal conflict in Peru
* Mao-Spontex
* Maoism–Third Worldism
* Maoist insurgency in Turkey
* Mao Zedong's cult of personality
* Mango cult
* Marxism–Leninism–Maoism
* Thought reform in China
* Naxalism
* Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
* Nepalese Civil War

Portals

* China
* Communism
* Socialism
* Politics

* v
* t
* e

Cultural Revolution

Prelude|

* Anti-Rightist Campaign
* Great Chinese Famine
* Great Leap Forward
* Lushan Conference
* Seven Thousand Cadres Conference
* Socialist Education Movement

Major events|

* Down to the Countryside Movement
* Cleansing the Class Ranks
* January Storm
* February Countercurrent
* Wuhan incident
* 9th Party Congress
* One Strike-Three Anti Campaign
* Project 571
* Lin Biao incident
* 10th Party Congress
* Criticize Lin, Criticize Confucius
* Hangzhou incident
* 1975 Banqiao Dam failure
* Counterattack the Right-Deviationist Reversal-of-Verdicts Trend
* 1976 Tiananmen Incident

Massacres|

* Red August
* Daxing Massacre
* Guangxi Massacre
* Inner Mongolia incident
* Guangdong Massacre
* Hunan Massacres
* Daoxian massacre
* Shaoyang County Massacre
* Yunnan Massacres
* Zhao Jianmin Spy Case
* Shadian incident
* Ruijin Massacre

Key figures|

* Mao Zedong
* Liu Shaoqi
* Zhou Enlai
* Lin Biao
* Deng Xiaoping
* Gang of Four (Jiang Qing
* Zhang Chunqiao
* Yao Wenyuan
* Wang Hongwen)
* Peng Dehuai
* Wu Han
* Peng Zhen
* Tao Zhu
* Chen Boda
* Wang Dongxing
* Xie Fuzhi
* Ji Dengkui
* Wang Li
* Qi Benyu
* Wu Faxian
* Qiu Huizuo
* Yang Chengwu
* Chen Zaidao
* Kang Sheng
* Mao Yuanxin
* Hua Guofeng
* Ye Jianying

Documents|

* Bombard the Headquarters
* Quotations from Chairman Mao
* Hai Rui Dismissed from Office
* May 16 Notification
* Sweep Away All Cow Demons and Snake Spirits
* On Class Origins

Concepts|

* Four Olds
* Newborn socialist things
* Struggle session
* Feudal fascism
* Big-character poster
* Cow demons and snake spirits
* Bloodline theory
* Continuous revolution theory
* Seizure of power
* Violent Struggle
* One Divides into Two
* Democracy Wall
* Eight model plays
* Capitalist roader
* Yiku sitian
* Learn from Daqing in industry
* Learn from Dazhai in agriculture
* Scar literature

Groups|

* Red Guards
* Scarlet Guards
* May Sixteenth elements
* Five Man Group
* Cultural Revolution Group
* Central Case Examination Group
* Central Organization and Propaganda Leading Group
* Hunan Provincial Proletarian Revolutionary Great Alliance Committee
* Revolutionary committee
* 8341 Special Regiment
* Sent-down youth
* 61 Renegades
* Barefoot doctor
* Stinking Old Ninth
* Five Black Categories
* Five Red Categories
* Worker-Peasant-Soldier student
* May Seventh Cadre School
* Xiaoyao Faction

Related topics|

* Maoism
* Mao Zedong's cult of personality
* Mango cult
* Great Leap Forward
* List of campaigns of the Chinese Communist Party
* Class struggle
* Sino-Soviet split
* Ultra-Leftism
* Two Whatevers
* Morning Sun (film)
* 3rd Plenum of the 11th Central Committee
* Boluan Fanzheng

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Marxist phraseology and terminology

Philosophy and politics
(Marxist)|

* Barracks communism
* Base and superstructure
* Bourgeoisie
* Bourgeois democracy
* Bourgeois nationalism
* Bourgeois revolution
* Bourgeois socialism
* Capitalist mode of production
* Class struggle
* Commodification
* Dialectics
* Dictatorship of the proletariat
* Historical materialism
* Imperialism
* Liquidationism
* Lumpenproletariat
* Means of labor
* Metabolic rift
* Petite bourgeoisie
* Primitive accumulation of capital
* Proletarian internationalism
* Proletarian revolution
* Pure communism
* Revisionism
* Revolutionary spontaneity
* Revolutionary wave
* Scientific socialism
* Socialist mode of production
* Super-imperialism
* Theoretician
* Two-stage theory
* Wage slavery
* Workers of the world, unite!
* Workers' council
* Workers' control
* World communism
* World revolution

Sociology and economics
(Marxian)|

* Critique of political economy
* Accumulation of capital
* Capital
* Capitalist mode of production
* Crisis of capitalism
* Commanding heights of the economy
* Commodity
* Commodity production
* Dominant ideology
* Exchange value
* Free association
* Law of value
* Materialism
* Means of production
* Mode of production
* Productive forces
* Production for use
* Relations of production
* Ruling class
* Simple commodity production
* Socialist mode of production
* Socially necessary labour time
* Socialization
* Social murder
* Subject of labor
* Surplus value
* Use value
* Value
* Worker cooperative

Marxist–Leninist|

* Anti-revisionism
* Cadre
* Central Committee
* Democratic centralism
* Dual power
* Enemy of the people
* Foco
* General line of the party
* National liberation
* New class
* People's democracy
* Politburo
* Political rehabilitation
* Popular front
* Real socialism
* Revisionism
* Revolutionary terror
* Self-criticism
* Socialist accumulation
* Socialism in one country
* Social fascism
* Social imperialism
* Soviet democracy
* United front
* Vanguardism

Trotskyist|

* Deformed workers' state
* Degenerated workers' state
* French Turn
* Permanent revolution
* Social revolution
* Transitional demand
* Uneven and combined development
* United front
* World revolution

Maoist|

* Antagonistic contradiction
* Anti-revisionism
* Capitalist roader
* Continuous revolution theory
* The East wind prevails over the West wind
* Four Olds
* Marxism–Leninism–Maoism
* Mass line
* New Democracy
* One Divides Into Two
* People's war
* Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun
* Revisionism
* Revolutionary base area
* Revolution is not a dinner party
* Social imperialism
* Struggle session

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template