Abstract 

　　Principal figures in the annals of the Party and the State constitute a paramount indicator and an indispensable element of our arduous and extraordinary historical journey. The critical juncture and ultimate litmus test for distinguishing authentic Marxism from its counterfeits, genuine socialism from its pretenders, a true Communist Party from a sham, a legitimate proletarian leader from a false one, and a genuine Communist from a mere impostor resides in the question of whether one champions the interests of the vast majority or serves those of a minuscule minority. Given the inherent class character and partisan spirit of historical science, the evaluation of principal figures is inevitably colored by differing class perspectives and Party affiliations. In the final analysis, a suitably accurate and nuanced appraisal of principal figures in the history of the Party and the state depends upon the application of the Marxist method of class analysis. Only by scrutinizing major events and principal figures in the annals of the Party and the State from the wide vision and comprehensive perspective of Marxism—the worldview and methodology of historical materialism—can one dispel the fog of idealist historical interpretations and religio-ethical biases, thereby restoring the inherent essence and truth of an extraordinary history to both history itself and the major events and principal figures within it. Rather than dismissing the significance of individuals, Marxism acknowledges the unique role that principal figures assume under specific historical contexts. Mao Zedong’s life was characterized by unwavering struggle, informed by a practice-based approach to proletarian revolution that consistently prioritized both the present and future interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people, who represent over ninety percent of the total population, with the broadest scope and most far-reaching goals as its ultimate aim. It is precisely for this reason that General Secretary Xi Jinping, at the symposium commemorating the 130th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Mao Zedong, commenced his address with a resounding tribute, “Comrade Mao Zedong was a towering Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionary, strategist and theorist, a foremost pioneer in the Sinicization of Marxism, a great founder of socialist modernization in China, an outstanding patriot and national hero of China since modern times, the core of the Party’s first generation of central leadership, a colossus of his era who led the Chinese people in radically transforming their destiny and the nation’s landscape, and a profound internationalist who made substantial contributions to the liberation of the world’s oppressed peoples and the cause of human progress.” 

　　Keywords 

　　Mao Zedong, Methodology, Dialectical and Historical Materialism 

　　From: World Marxist Review 2025 2 (2) 

　　Editor: Wang Yi