On Guerrilla Warfare
On Guerrilla Warfare by Zedong Mao, published by University of Illinois Press in 2000, is a significant text that explores revolutionary strategies in military contexts. This 2nd Revised edition, comprising 114 pages, presents Mao’s insights on guerrilla warfare, which he developed while in retreat after years of conflict. The pamphlet serves as a foundational guide for conducting revolutions in underdeveloped and emergent areas, emphasizing the importance of adapting tactics to the unique conditions of agrarian societies.
Readers will find a detailed examination of Mao’s unorthodox strategies, which include leveraging local support, employing deception and mobility, and utilizing retreat as a tactical advantage. The text also discusses the ideological education of the populace as a crucial element of the struggle. Mao’s theories have influenced various revolutionary leaders, and this edition features a translation by Samuel B. Griffith, along with an introduction that provides context on guerrilla warfare and its implications for military strategy. The book addresses key subjects such as military science and technology, making it relevant for those interested in the historical and practical aspects of guerrilla tactics.
Official synopsis Publisher
One of the most influential documents of our time, Mao Tse-tung’s pamphlet on guerrilla warfare has become the basic textbook for waging revolution in underdeveloped and emergent areas throughout the world.
Recognizing the fundamental disparity between agrarian and urban societies, Mao advocated unorthodox strategies that converted deficits into advantages: using intelligence provided by the sympathetic peasant population; substituting deception, mobility, and surprise for superior firepower; using retreat as an offensive move; and educating the inhabitants on the ideological basis of the struggle. This radical new approach to warfare, waged in jungles and mountains by mobile guerrilla bands closely supported by local inhabitants, has been adopted by other revolutionary leaders from Ho Chi Minh to Che Guevara.
Mao wrote On Guerrilla Warfare in 1937 while in retreat after ten years of battling the Nationalist army of Chiang Kai-shek. Twelve years later, the Nationalist Chinese were rousted from the mainland, and Mao consolidated his control of a new nation, having put his theories of revolutionary guerrilla warfare to the test.
Established governments have slowly come to recognize the need to understand and devise means to counter this new method of warfare. Samuel B. Griffith’s classic translation makes Mao’s treatise widely available and includes a comprehensive introduction that profiles Mao, analyzes the nature and conduct of guerrilla warfare, and considers its implications for American policy.
Author
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “On Guerrilla Warfare” about?
Who is the author of “On Guerrilla Warfare”?
When was “On Guerrilla Warfare” published?
What is the ISBN for “On Guerrilla Warfare”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
