The Study And Propaganda Of Mao Zedong Thought In The Shanxi - Hebei - Shandong - Henan Border Region (1945.08-1948.05)

As a revolutionary base created by the CCP, Shansi-Hopei-Shantung-Honan Border Region located in the border area of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and Henan. Under the leadership of the Border Region government, the Border Region contributed to the victory of anti-Japanese war and the triumph of the Civil War. It is noteworthy that the Border Region significantly contributed to the learning and propaganda of Mao Zedong Thought during the war period. Especially after August 1945 when Shansi-Hopei-Shantung-Honan Border Region Central Bureau was established, Deng Xiaoping and Boyibo actively promoted the learning and propaganda of Mao Zedong Thought.From multiple perspectives, this study reveals the process of the learning and propaganda of Mao Zedong Thought during the time period of the existence of the Border Region Central Bureau, constructing the historical process of the establishment of the dominant status of Mao Zedong Thought as well as the Border Region’s contribution to this process. The Border Region Central Bureau actively propagandized Mao Zedong and Mao Zedong Thought, and promoted the learning and propaganda of Mao Zedong Thought with the bottom-up form by issuing various instructions as well as by the demonstrated role played by Central Bureau leaders. In the spring 1948, the Border Region published Mao’s collection, which became the most powerful tool for the Border Region cadres’ learning of Mao Zedong Thought as well as significantly contribued to the propaganda of Mao Zedong Thought in the Border Region and the improvement of the cadres’ political and military competence. All walks of life in the Border Region learnt Mao Zedong Thought and expressed their support to Mao Zedong Thought, which further promoted the establishement of the dominance of Mao Zedong Thought.The learning and propaganda of Mao Zedong Thought in the Shansi-Hopei-Shantung-Honan Border Region is not merely the learning of the advanced theory but more importantly the method to find and correct the mistakes or incorrect tendencies in the everyday’s work. Moreover, the learning and propaganda of Mao Zedong Thought contributed to the defeat of KMT’s propaganda attack,providing a solid ideological fundament for the triumph of the Civil War as well as further consolidating the dominance of Mao himself and his ideology with the CCP.