It was during the period from 1942 to 1945, the subject of this eighth volume in the 10-volume translation of Mao Zedong's writings through 1949, that Mao asserted his status as the incarnation and symbol of the Chinese Revolution and the sinification of Marxism-Leninism. At the same time, with the tide of war turning against the Axis powers, both Mao and Chiang Kaishek maneuvered for advantage in asserting control over postwar China. Mao developed a model for a new China built on several pillars: the absolute authority of the Party and its supreme leader; "rectification" study and criticism in the party and the army; mass campaigns; and a clear "story" of salvation--for China and for the individual--wrapped up in Mao's personal experience and his writings. The readings in this volume develop the themes of this "Yan'an way," which--along with brilliant soldiering--brought Mao and the Chinese Communist Party to the brink of national power in 1945.
