Historical lessons of the CCP
How crazy is this world now? I hear that sentiment every single day and I have a solid belief its going to continue to get crazier. The funny thing is that we have eliminated as much as access to history of the world as possible so that we can not find the truth, nothing new ever happens it is more like Hollywood just recycle old shows with new title. Last week I was told to do deep dive into the founding member of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Tsu-Tung. Change the names, the dates and you may recognize the script.
First off I had been told that he killed up to 100 million Chinese but unlike many other global tyrants he did not load them on trains and haul them off to gas chambers instead he starved them to death. It is pretty well documented that between 45-70 million were actually killed between 1959-1961 as Mao introduced the “Great Leap Forward” campaign.
It is clear he was inspired by the Russian Revolution post WWI where the farm owners now longer owned their property but “the state” and them farm owners became peasants tending to the land for the “collectivization” for the good of all. Well that was the narrative but instead of was the premise for neutering the power of the land owner.
I might mention that all of this occurred after On October 1, 1949, in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, Mao announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China. His main opposition at the time Chiang Kai-shek and his followers fled to the island of Taiwan, where they formed the Republic of China. If you fail to understand the issue today surrounding China and Taiwan that may be a bridge in information for all of us.
Over the next few years, Mao Tse-Tung instituted sweeping land reform, sometimes through persuasion and other times through coercion, using violence and terror when he deemed it necessary. He seized warlord land, converting it into people's communes. Within a year, an appalling famine set in and entire villages died of starvation. In the worst manmade famine in human history, an estimated 40 million people died of hunger between 1959 and 1961.
The interesting thing is Mao was eventually run out of office but continued to control the narrative and after a period of out of office came back into power. It is widely reported that Mao had a true gift of convincing the Chinese citizens that “they” were the problem the only avenue to drain the swamp was to get him back in office.
The other thing the mirrors what happened in the Potato famine of Ireland that killed a million Irish. Mao was able to keep China remained a net exporter of grain as Mao directed grain exports and refused offers of international food relief in order to convince the rest of the world that his plans were a success.
My friends tells us that all of the world greats tyrants where able to control critical thinking which in turn lead to genocide. The greatest irony of all is that as Mao Tse-Tung died in 1976 at the age of 82 the overwhelming majority of Chinese citizens thoughts he was a great leader.
All great nations throughout the course of history go through a period of tyrannical control because the nation lost its ability to feed itself. I might remind you the attack today in the United States is on reliable fuel and food production. How many of us in agriculture feel the need to be paid today for not farming? How many acres are going into conservation easements where you are tenants of land but lost control of what we do with it? Short answer far too many.
In some great nations, people have thumbed a theory nose at autocratic. There are options. But you have to deal with reality. Make noise. A general strike might be fun, if you have a full larder.
Or, potatos.