The Bankruptcy of the Idealist Conception of History

Mao Zedong's editorial for Xinhua News Agency, published by Xinhua News Agency on September 16, 1949, was originally entitled "Six Comments White Paper". It was included in the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Volume 4.

The editorial is one of the comments on the White Paper of the State Department of the United States and Acheson's letter to Truman. The White Paper of the United States refers to the White Paper entitled "Relations Between the United States and China" published by the State Department of the United States on August 5, 1949. Acheson's letter to Truman refers to a letter he wrote to Truman on July 30, 1949, after the White Paper was compiled by the State Department of the United States.

The main body of the White Paper is divided into eight chapters, describing the Sino-US relations from 1844 when the United States forced China to sign the "Wangxia Treaty" to 1949 when the Chinese people's revolution basically won the national victory. In particular, the White Paper describes in detail the course of the failure of the United States during the five years from the end of the Anti-Japanese War to 1949, when it implemented the policy of supporting Chiang Kai-shek and opposing the Communist Party and tried every means to oppose the Chinese people.

The White Paper of the United States and Acheson have confessed the fact that the United States has paid money and gave guns and Chiang Kai-shek has sent people to fight the civil war for the United States. In response to the White Paper of the United States and Acheson's claim to recruit "democratic individualists", organize the fifth column of the United States, overthrow the people's government led by the Communist Party, and falsely claim that China's establishment of a people's democratic dictatorship republic is "under the control of the Soviet Union", is "the fifth column of the Communist International" and "the running dog of red imperialism", Mao Zedong wrote this comment.

The commentary mainly refutes Acheson's two reasons for the revolution in China: one is that the population is too large and the food is not enough; the other is that it is stimulated by Western ideas, especially by Russian revolutionary ideas.

(1) The class root of world revolution and Chinese revolution lies in class exploitation and class oppression.

In response to the White Paper of the United States and Acheson's first fallacy, Mao Zedong pointed out that the revolution did not occur because of too many people, but because of class exploitation and class oppression.

Washington, Jefferson and others made the revolution against Britain because of British oppression and exploitation of the Americans, and not because of any over-population in America; Each time the Chinese people overthrew a feudal dynasty it was because of the oppression and exploitation of the people by that feudal dynasty, and not because of any over-population; The Russians made the February Revolution and the October Revolution because of oppression and exploitation by the tsar and the Russian bourgeoisie, not because of any overpopulation, for to this day in Russia there is a great abundance of land as compared with people. In Mongolia, where the land is so vast and the population so sparse, a revolution would be inconceivable according to Acheson's line of reasoning, yet it took place some time ago.

He explained “Why did the Revolution of 1911 not succeed and why did it not solve the problem of feeding the population? Because it overthrew only the Qing Dynasty but did not overthrow imperialist and feudal oppression and exploitation. Why did the Northern Expedition of 1926-1927 not succeed and why did it not solve the problem of feeding the population? Because Chiang Kai-shek betrayed the revolution, surrendered to imperialism and became the chieftain of the counter-revolution which oppressed and exploited the Chinese.”

The problems of land and food have been solved in the old Liberated Areas, which is the result of the overthrow of imperialism, bureaucracy and the reactionary rule of the KMT.

(2) The ideological root of Acheson's fallacy lies in Malthus's population theory.

In view of Acheson's fallacy, Mao Zedong pointed out that Malthus's fallacy that the increase of food could not keep up with the increase of population was refuted not only by Marxism in theory, but also by the facts of the Soviet Union and China's Liberated Areas after the revolution. On this basis, Mao Zedong expounded that the people are the creators of history.

He pointed out “Of all things in the world, people are the most precious.” Under the leadership of the Communist Party, as long as there are people, every kind of miracle can be performed; a new China with a big population and a great wealth of products, where life will be abundant, and culture will flourish.

(3) The social and ideological roots of China's national democratic revolution lie in the world's entering the era of imperialism.

Mao Zedong pointed out that the Chinese revolution not only changed the life of the rulers of the Qing Dynasty, but also the life of imperialism. Long before The Communist Manifesto was introduced into China, the Chinese people carried out many revolutions against foreign aggression.

The reason why China introduced the thought of Marx and Engels that "the western bourgeoisie transforms the world with terror according to its own appearance" is that the western bourgeoisie has created the opposition between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie; imperialism has created the gravedigger for itself.

(4) Describes the process of Chinese people's exploration for the truth of national salvation.

Mao Zedong pointed out that from Opium War of 1840 to the eve of the May 4th Movement of 1919, the Chinese had no ideological weapon with which to defend themselves against imperialism. The Chinese people were forced to learn evolutionism, natural human rights, bourgeois republic and other reformist programs from the arsenal of the bourgeois era, and eventually they were defeated and they faced bankruptcy.

He said that the Russian Revolution of 1917 awakened the Chinese, they learned something new, Marxism-Leninism. The CPC was born, an epoch-making event. The bourgeois culture, which was regarded as "highly cultural" by Acheson, was defeated when confronted with Marxism-Leninism studied by Chinese people.

(5) It points out the great practice and historical role of the combination of Marxism and Chinese revolution.

Mao Zedong pointed out that the reason why Marxism-Leninism has played such a great role is that Chinese social conditions have such a need. He said: "any ideology—even the very best, even Marxism-Leninism itself— is ineffective unless it is linked with objective realities, meets objectively existing needs and when it is grasped by the masses of the people. We are historical materialists, opposed to historical idealism.”

The history of Chinese revolution has proved that only by combining Marxism with Chinese reality can China embark on the road of national rejuvenation. Mao Zedong pointed out that since they learned Marxism-Leninism, the Chinese people have ceased to be passive in spirit and gained initiative. The period of modern world history in which the Chinese and Chinese culture were looked down upon should have ended from that moment. The great, victorious Chinese People's War of Liberation and the great people's revolution have rejuvenated and are rejuvenating the great culture of the Chinese people. In its spiritual aspect, this culture of the Chinese people already stands higher than any in the capitalist world.

“The Bankruptcy of Idealist Historical View” exposes the imperialist nature of American policy towards China, criticizes the illusion of domestic "democratic individualists" towards the United States, explains the reason why the Communist Party of China led the victory of Chinese revolution, and makes necessary ideological preparation for the establishment of the People's Republic of China and the formulation of domestic and foreign policies.