Educational Thought Of Mao Zedong

The concern on the fate of the national is closely connected with the deep self-examination on the education of the nation. The success of the education is bound up with the fate of the nation because the practice of education is one of the basic forms of the social practice. Education is part of the social life. It is education that combines the past, the present and the future of a nation together, including the inheritance of culture and the evolution of national spirit. Thus, the great men in history, China and abroad, have concerned about the education of the nation. As one of the great men in20th century China, Mao Zedong valued the education of the nation. In this sense, Mao was no doubt a unique educator with far-reaching influence.Mao’s educational thought has its own historical connotation and the logic of development. The early educational thought was rich, profound, innovative and diversified. It inherited from the Chinese tradition, and advanced with time. It learned from the western knowledge, opening a new page in the studies of Chinese ancient civilization, which manifested the special laws in the sinicization of Marxist educational thought. Thus, this thesis studies on the early education though of Mao, trying to explore its connotation, interprets its spirit, in the hope that the theoretic and realistic significance can be opened.The educational thought in Mao’s early period was influenced by the traditional Chinese educational thoughts. He received the traditional Confucian education in private home and the basic scientific education from the western "new learning" in public schools. From the unique educational experience, Mao was aware of the advantages public school education over the private home education, and the great gap between the western scientific education and the traditional Confucian education. The experience entitled him the thought to save the nation with education in the practice in Mao’s early period. He was deeply acknowledged that the pure thought of "saving the nation with education" could only be a part of the social revolution and change but not all.Mao’s educational thought in the early period was formed in modern China when clashes were serious, changes were fundamental and the whole nation was in danger. In the old China, a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society, the whole Chinese nation was facing the national subjugation and ethnic genocide. Under such threat, the practice of carrying out social reform and repel the imperialist powers by merely educating elites was bound to fail. In his early career of revolution, Mao began to realize only education could not save the nation in peril fundamentally. Effective route must be sought! He turned to Marxism. As Mao had in-depth understanding of the social function of education, his educational thought also changed from "saving the nation with education" to "serving the revolution with education".Mao’s educational thought in the early period was formed in the right time when Marxism came into Chinese revolution. As a proletarian revolutionary, Mao believed that the main task of the modern education was to wake up the consciousness of class and revolutionary passion in people so that they participate in the revolution to save the nation in peril. Thus, Mao turned to social revolutionary education, teaching the broad masses of workers and peasants. From the teaching syllabus and contents in the Self-study University in Hunan, National Institute of Peasant Movement in Guangzhou and central government, it can be clearly seen that Mao has made education as a tool of class struggle from a tool as changing people’s education and promoting the social development. Education became an important weapon to win the proletarian revolutionary success.The theoretical nature of Mao’s early educational thought was the sinicization of Marxist educational philosophy. In Mao’s practice of education to the workers and peasants, he had the in-depth understanding of education gradually. His educational thought changed from voluntarism in the early period to idea-material dualism, and turned to be a dialectic materialist, indicating the distinct Marxist educational philosophy. In the stance of class, he used the theory of class to analyze the class category of education. That is education must serve the practice of Chinese revolution and train the leaders for the revolution. In teaching contents, Mao emphasized on the ideological education of the workers and peasants, which characterized Mao’s educational thought in the early period. In a word, Mao’s educational thought in the early period was the revolutionary educational thought of "Knowledge and action should go hand in hand". It was uniquely advocated that Marxist revolutionary education thought is linking theory with practice and the theory being consistent with practice. From this perspective, Mao’s educational thought in the early period and his practice were the beginning of the sinicization of Marxism.