Extent+of+Opposition+(Mao+and+Stalin)

· Domestic Opposition o Never flourished enough to challenge the authority that Mao ruled with during his rein as he controlled public opinion to a large extent with propaganda, and when propaganda failed, resorted to violence. o Great Cultural Revolution – meant not only as an evolver of Chinese culture, but used to consolidate power and eliminate opposition § Self-given terms of Great Leader, Great Teacher, and Great Supreme Commander that made opposition look weak and non-appealing to the masses. o Original opposition came in the form of the Nationalist Party under General Chiang Kai-Shek, but did not surface much after the Communist party took control of China in 1949 o Land-owners were the one of the largest owners of Mao’s rule, but never posed a real threat to his power as the mass collectivization and land reform robbed them of their source of power and influence. o Essentially all opposition was labeled a “rightist” by Mao which encompassed any person who wasn’t in full support of Communism and showed even the slightest lean towards capitalism or Western influence. · Foreign Opposition o Even though the shared a Communist “bond” with the Soviet Union, Mao and Stalin continually moved apart ideologically § Mao never officially proclaimed his unique communist ideals during the lifetime of Stalin, but felt it was his burden to become the international communist figurehead after the death of Stalin, causing Mao and Khrushchev to be rivals and divide relations between the Soviet Union and China during the Khrushchev era. o Perceived as a threat by Western nations also (namely US and Britain) because of his elimination of western influence and hatred of capitalism, Mao was always an enemy of the United States until relations were eased under Kissinger and Nixon, but never fully friendly. · Domestic Opposition o Opposition within the party grew as the Ryutin Platform gained popularity whose goals were to slow down industrialization, limit collectivization, and remove Stalin from power o Stalin also united all opposition under a singular banner with a broad definition so that it was easier to vilify those who opposed his rule and consolidate his support in the Soviet Union. § Most often labeled as “counter-revolutionaries” and put down with often public brutality to ensure opposition never flourished enough to present a legitimate threat to Stalin o The various ethnic groups distributed throughout the Soviet Union opposed Stalin also, but this was a symptom of Stalin’s racism and their response rather than a political opposition to his rule. · Foreign Opposition o Much of the world entered in to a appeasement stance with Stalin after they announced they had nuclear capabilities o Obviously there was the Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, so the US and its allies were continuously looking to minimize the influence of Stalin but would never risk removing him from power because of the policy of Mutually Assured Destruction. o Both single party state leaders had opposition in their countries throughout their rule, but were highly successful in putting down this opposition before it ever had the opportunity to rise up, thus the amount of legitimate opposition at any given time during their rule was minimal.
 * Extent of Opposition **
 * Mao Zedong **
 * Joseph Stalin **
 * Comparison **