ABSTRACT
South Vietnam, and the Republic of China all at one time or another have had a political work system (zhengzhi gongzuo). Unique among these, the PLA of 1979 was Maoist, basing its system on the precepts that Mao Zedong devised during the early years of the Chinese Civil War. The PLA’s strategic concepts, operational plans, and tactical schemes may have been similar to those of the other armies, but in the eyes of its leadership it had an edge on effectiveness gained through its political work. Where other armies had political work systems to ensure the reliability of their officers or to perform psychological operations against their opponents, only the PLA had a political work system that also provided a troop motivational program to enhance military effectiveness.
