Attempting to position Mao Zedong's theoretical contributions to and departures from the orthodox doctrines of Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism requires an understanding of the unique sociocultural and political environment of China itself. Chinese society as described by Lucian Pye (1991) functioned within a social and institutional framework shaped by a distinctive political system and based upon a humanistic ideology emerging from the secular ideology of Confucianism. Unlike Russia, China was a largely secular society in which the aristocracy based on birth was abandoned at an early stage in the nation's history. As Pye (1991) notes, there was a long tradition in China of meritocracy and the development of individual achievement via competitive examinations as a precursor to being selected for bureaucratic rule and service. This Confucian ideal, said Pye (1991, p. 33), reflected the belief that "government is at the heart of civilization. For the Chinese, the most exalted task for mankind was devising proper and just government." This set of values was of great influence in shaping the thinking of Mao Zedong.
In understanding orthodox Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist ideology, it is important to recognize that Marx postulated that feudalism would yield to capitalism and that communism would ultimately emerge as the most effective way of organizing economic and social relations. Lenin, a devout believer in Marxism, argued that a revolution was necessary in order to engage the proletariat in reshaping society and accepted the idea that such a revolution would be of necessity violent. Stalin, in contrast to Mao, saw revolution as an urban rather than rural phenomenon perhaps because of the industrialization that had taken hold in Russia in tandem with the revolution (Meisner, 2006).
Chang and Halliday (2005) state that Mao Zedong embraced communism as a young university student in the belief that it was necessary to change Chin...