Key facts
- Xi Jinping's leadership is underpinned by his control over the People's Liberation Army.
- The principle that power derives from military control has been consistent in China's Communist Party.
- Mao Zedong famously stated, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."
- Taiwan is considered a long-sought prize by China.
- Nostalgia for Mao's ideals is growing in China amid economic challenges.
Fifty years after the death of Mao Zedong, the principle that political power stems from control over the military remains a cornerstone of leadership within China's Communist Party. Chinese President Xi Jinping has maintained an increasingly tight grip on the People's Liberation Army, a strategy that echoes Mao's own consolidation of power. This emphasis on military strength is particularly relevant as Taiwan is viewed as a significant objective.
Mao Zedong himself famously articulated this idea with the slogan, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." He first used this phrase in 1927 during a critical meeting of the Chinese Communist Party following the White Terror and the beginning of the Chinese Civil War. The slogan was later popularized through his "Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung."
In contemporary China, amidst economic slowdown and rising inequality, there is a growing sense of nostalgia for Mao's egalitarian ideals. This sentiment is visible in places like Nanjie village, which remains a bastion of Maoist ideology, featuring a prominent statue of the former leader.