While referring to the ‘cult of Mao’, Charles Bettelheim (1978) observed that it harmed the ‘Revolutionary Line’ in China. He, however, made Lin Piao and Hua Kuo Feng responsible for the cult but did not find fault with Mao. When we asked him about Mao’s responsibility in this matter, Bettelheim wrote to us (on 6 April 1983) as follows: “I don’t think that Mao tried really to prevent the “Cult”. In my opinion, he considered it as a necessity, as a way of assuring the unity of the people in a situation where many disruptive forces were at work.”
This means, while persons like Lin Piao carried on Mao’s Cult for self-consolidation, Mao considered it a revolutionary necessity. This is the reason which every one who defends Cult would say. Mao also said the same thing in his interviews to Edgar Snow: that his cult was necessary. Did he give this reason alone? No. He also gave another reason: that people carried out Personality Cult on a large scale since they were culturally backward. Before we discuss whether this Personality Cult is necessary for revolution and whether people carried it out or revolutionaries resorted to it, it is necessary to know what sort of activities were undertaken for this Cult.
1. Whenever one talks or writes about Mao, ‘Four Greats’ must be added to Mao’s name. (1) Great Teacher. (2) Great Leader. (3) Great Supreme Commander. (4) Great Helmsmen. It was Mao himself who told Edgar Snow that these adjectives were used with reference to him. Mao was eligible to greater adjectives than these for his contribution to Chinese revolution. But, should people add all these adjectives to his name? Should they describe him in this manner? If they want to tell that ‘the Central Committee has passed a resolution’, they would not tell it so simply. What sort of Central Committee is it? It is under the auspices of the Party. What sort of Party is it? It is led by a great Chairman. What sort of Chairman is he? (1) Great Teacher. (2) Great Leader. (3) Great Supreme Commander. (4) Great Helmsmen. Hence, in order to tell that the Central Committee has passed a resolution, they would say, ‘The Central Committee of the Party –led by our Great Teacher, Great Leader, Great Supreme Commander and Great Helmsmen Chairman Mao – has passed a resolution.’ Whether they talk of the Party, the Central Committee or Leadership and whenever they mention Mao’s name, all these adjectives must be present one after the other like bogies of a train. After describing like this, if Mao’s name has to be mentioned again, the whole thing is repeated. We find hundreds and thousands of sentences in books and newspapers of China (also in our revolutionary papers). [What is the difference between these adjectives and descriptions like ‘Rajadhi Raja! (Oh, King of Kings’!), Raja Marthanda! (As brilliant as the Sun!) Do you say that all the attributes of the king are false and Mao’s are true? But, we don’t find all such true attributes in Mao’s Cult. Even if they are true, isn’t there any unnaturalness in the way in which they were expressed?] ……………………. Read the rest of this entry »
