A Study Of Mao Tse-tung’s Propaganda Strategy

Mao Tse-tung is a landmark person in the history of Chinese journalism. Based on a long-time practice, he developed a mature propaganda thought system; this system not only had a profound influence on his ear, but also on today’s China. In this thesis, we change the traditional research perspective which is based on some general journalism or communication theories, and choose a new one which is based on the fact that Mao is a politician, and all of his propaganda thoughts are used to serve for his political goals. From this perspective, we analyze Mao’s propaganda strategy system, and also the essential contents and its origin.We analyze the developing process of Mao’s propaganda strategy system taking his political process as a frame of reference:The germination stage of Mao’s propaganda strategy system is before the August of1927. The main feature of this stage is that the "consciousness" of "strategy" appeared. Firstly, he began to aware that the main function of propaganda is changing people’s thoughts, and he made some successful practices, and these successful practices made him more confident in doing other related practices in the future. Secondly, he began to aware that "propaganda" was an effective toll for "making public opinions", and mastering the "discourse power" was the key precondition for "making public opinions". This awareness made a solid foundation for some successful practices in the next stage, for examples, making public opinions to arouse the sympathy of the mass. Thirdly, he began to aware that when a propagandistc method was limited, the propagandists should find some other new and effective ones to achieve the propagandistic objectives. Though his propagandists methods were limited, they made a solid foundation for his diversiform methods in the next stage. Forthly, he began to aware that propaganda should be served for a certain politial party, and should be supervised by it. Though this awareness was not mature, it made a solid foundation for the theory of "propaganda should ashere to the Party-Spirit Principle" in the next stage. Fifthly, he began to awere that the propaganda should be targated at different objects, and this made a solid foundation for his effective management of the relationship between different propagandistic objects and different propagandistic methods in the next stage. Beside this, we think that this awareness have a profound and active effect on his achieving of the political popularity.The mature stage of Mao’s propaganda strategy system is from August of1927to the Spetember of1949. The main feature of this stage is that Mao’s propaganda strategy system has been a impeccable organism. Firstly, his propaganda strategy was based on the "drawing on advantages and avoiding disadvantages" of the specific political and military conditions for specific political and military targets. Secondly, he has had the ability to change the "propagandistic contents","propagandistic methods""propagandistic channels","propagandists" and some other factors to achive a better or the best propagandistic effect based on the different political or military or audience. Thirdly, he created various propagandistic skills based on his political or military skills, and these skills became the most important prat of his propaganda strategy system, and were the key factors for the practice of his propaganda strategy system. Beside this, this matured propaganda strategy system played an important role in achieving the cacique of PRC and CCP.The developed stage of Mao’s propaganda strategy system is from the October of1949to the September of1976. The main feature of this stage is that Mao’s propaganda strategy system had some extreme contents. Firstly, his propaganda strategies were some defensive matures for some potential political crisises, no matter whether they were real or not. It means that the propaganda should play an important role in not only drawing on advantages but also creativing advantages when it was necessary. Secondly, Mao Tse-tung framed many more regious principles for the "propagandists", he not only required them to adgust the propagandistic skills timely based on the changing conditations like a politician, but also commanded the propagandistic organizations directly and became the "propagandist" at last. Thirdly, maintaining and confirming his position as the only chief of the PRC and CCP and his imprescriptible authority became the main motivation of his propaganda strategies. Fourthly, his propaganda strategies became more mysterious and even excessive, and had loads of negative inflences on the society, the journalism and the people in China.Then, based on the anterior analysis, we analyze the essential contents and the origins of Mao’s propaganda strategy system. We find that the essential contents of Mao’s propaganda strategy system have four parts:the fundamental of his propaganda is "changing with the circumstance"; the assignment of his propaganda is "solving and producing conflicts"; the supreme objective of his propaganda is "contesting power and establishing authority"; the essential skill of his propaganda is "managing three relations":"speak and practice","real and virtual","fast and slow". Besides, we also find that the origins of Mao’s propaganda strategy system are diversity, and they are Mao’s complicated personality, the professional journalism education, political strategy and military tricks, the propaganda theory of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Lenin.The last part is the conclusion. We think that Mao’s propaganda strategy system is an outcome of that special era, and played a special role. At the same time, we think that there are also many negative parts which we should abandon.