Foreword

Purpose and Scope

This volume presents the chief motivating ideas and theories of the Chinese Communists in the words of the Chinese leaders themselves. It sorts out under reference headings a selection of these leaders' statements which, taken together, give a representative view of the main themes of Chinese Communist ideology. The text thus constitutes a reference facility parallel to the long-standing Soviet World Outlook.1

Some Comments on the Source Material

The quotations cover the the growth of Chinese communism from 1921, when the party was formed, to late 1961, with emphasis on the period after 1949. Parallel quotations under the various headings provide historical continuity and illustrate the ways in which over the years Communist ideology twisted and turned to meet specific situations.

For the period before 1949 most of the available material comes from the prolific pen of Mao Tse-tung. His dominant position has given Chinese Communist thought a continuity and unity which contrasts with the wealth of diverse opinions prevalent during vicissitudes of early Soviet history. Even so, however, Mao's earlier writings have sometimes been altered to reflect changing circumstances, as some of the quotations in this book reveal.

Since 1949 Liu Shao-ch'i, Chou En-lai, and other Chinese Communist leaders have become more prominent in enunciating party policies. Still, none of Communist China's leaders compare with the voluble Khrushchev in either breadth of subject matter or color of language. Mao himself has in recent years often couched his public remarks in laconic and ambiguous terms. He has usually stressed the application of theory to practical situations, and his writings reflect a relatively pragmatic approach.

This volume does not, of course, include all authoritative Chinese Communist statements on the subjects listed. In particular, it omits some statements known only through report and not actually identified in a published Chinese Communist source.

The editors have tried to assure the accuracy of the quotations included. They were, however, often unable to check specific wording--especially of statements made during the earlier period--with other versions or with the original Chinese texts. When Chinese originals have been available, English translations have been checked against them. For the period after 1949 most of the material is provided in English translation by the New China News Agency (NCNA), and this version can in most instances be regarded as official.

1 Department of State publication 6836, July 1959 (for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D.C. - Price $1.25).