ABSTRACT
The revolution led by the Chinese Communist Party was believed by many to be one of history's greatest wars against evil. Yet, unlike most revolutions, the Chinese communist revolution was claimed by Maoists to be uninterrupted and continued even after they won victory. History witnessed a series of campaigns launched by Mao Zedong's government targeting new forms of evils. This chapter discusses Mao's theory in the context of modern Chinese history and helps readers to understand its meaning as the result of the interaction of two distinct intellectual traditions: Marxism and traditional Chinese thinking. It delineates the intellectual sources that influenced Mao's account of evil. The chapter explains the nature of Mao's political project to conquer evil as he understood it. It examines the problems of Mao's theory, especially the theory of continued class struggle under socialism, and the suffering of people caused by his project.
