Mao Ze-dong was able to think in practical terms rather than on the basis of the assertions of the classical Marxist writings, although he has yet conceived the idea of localizing Marxism in China at the early stage after he plunged into the revolution. Combat Book Worship in 1930 and The Strategic Issues of the Chinese Revolutionary War in 1936 were important milestones in Mao’s move towards theoretical self-consciousness.In the books, Mao formed two theoretical understandings: first,Marxism was the guide to the Chinese revolution, but setbacks and failures were likely to occur if its principles were applied directly to guide the Chinese revolution; second, the reason why Marxist principles could not be applied directly to guide the Chinese revolution lies in that the classic Marxist texts were fulfilled in Europe where the industrial revolution had been completed, while China was a backward agricultural country with its own national conditions. On this basis, Mao Ze-dong finally completed the localization of Marxism in China.

Editor: Zhong Yao

Studies On Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping Theories.2020.No.8.