People's History of Ideas Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Workers' Revolution or Nationalist United Front? Early Strategic Decisions of the Chinese Communist Party May 07, 2020

Show notes

The early divergence in strategic thinking and revolutionary priorities between the CCP and the Comintern.

Further reading:
Tony Saich, The Origins of the First United Front in China

Some names from this episode:
Chen Gongbo, Founding Chinese Communist who studied at Columbia and later joined the Japanese puppet regime
Henk Sneevliet, alias Maring, Dutch Communist and Comintern leader in China beginning in 1921
Sun Zhongshan/Sun Yat-sen, leader of the Guomindang
Georgii Chicherin, People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union
Lao Xiuchao, Chinese Bolshevik who attended the first Comintern Congress in 1919
Chen Duxiu, editor of New Youth and first general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
Gregory Voitinsky, Leader of Comintern delegation to China in 1920
Zhang Guotao, emerged from founding congress as important Communist leader
Li Hanjun, advocated study and propaganda as main party activities as first congress
Liu Renjing, one of the Beijing delegates to the first party congress

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Demarcation and Organization: The Chinese Communist Party is Founded Apr 30, 2020

Show notes

Polemics with non-revolutionary Marxists and anarchists, and then the party congress in July 1921.
Further reading:
Arif Dirlik, The Origins of Chinese Communism

Some names from this episode:
Chen Duxiu, editor of New Youth and leader of Shanghai Communist nucleus
Gregory Voitinsky, Leader of Comintern delegation to China in 1920
Karl Kautsky, Second International theorist of economic determinist Marxism
Li Dazhao, Beijing-based revolutionary Marxist leader
Zhang Dongsun, Exponent of a non-revolutionary interpretation of Marxism
Ou Shengbai, Guangzhou anarchist and former student of Chen Duxiu
Henk Sneevliet, alias Maring, Dutch Communist and Comintern leader in China beginning in 1921
Zhang Guotao, emerged from founding congress as important Communist leader
Li Hanjun, advocated study and propaganda as main party activities at first congress
Liu Renjing, one of the Beijing delegates to the first party congress

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From Russia with Organizational Expertise: The Comintern Comes to China Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

Gregory Voitinsky comes to China and helps get the ball rolling to found the Communist Party. Also, a few words on commodity fetishism as the keystone of Marx's Capital and how this leads to Lenin's innovations in conceptualizing communist party formations.
Some names from this episode:
Gregory Voitinsky, Comintern organizer who arrived in China in March 1920
Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu, two of the key figures in founding the Chinese Communist Party (their background is discussed in past episodes)

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The Communist International Mar 25, 2020

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Explaining how the strategic thinking of the Communist International developed, as background to the key role the ComIntern played in facilitating the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.

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Mao's Anarchist Years (The Young Mao Zedong Part Two) Feb 20, 2020

Show notes

In this episode we continue our examination of Mao Zedong’s ideological development by discussing his anarchist period.

Further reading on the 1911 Revolution:

Joseph Esherick and C.X. George Wei, editors, China: How the Empire Fell

Some names from this episode:

Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese Revolution and revolutionary communist par excellence

Sun Zhongshan/Sun Yat-sen, leader of the Revolutionary Alliance

Huang Xing, Vice-President of the Revolutionary Alliance and military leader of the April 1911 uprising in Guangzhou

Puyi, child emperor who abdicated his throne at age five

Prince Chun, regent for Puyi

Yuan Shikai, leader of Beiyang Army

Empress Dowager Cixi, power behind the throne who died in 1908

Kang Youwei, Confucian advocate of liberal modernization and Qing loyalist

Guangxu Emperor, Emperor of China during the Hundred Days Reform of 1898

Song Jiaoren, leading Guomindang organizer, assassinated in 1913

Zeng Guofan, leader of Qing forces that defeated the Taiping rebels

Li Hongzhang, high level Chinese statesman and advocate of self-strengthening

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Revolutionary Voices from the End of the Qing Dynasty Nov 20, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, we explore some of the major voices of revolution from the decade preceding the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912: Zou Rong, Qiu Jin and Sun Yat-sen [Sun Zhongshan].
Some names from this episode:
Kang Youwei, Confucian advocate of liberal modernization and focus of episode 8
Guangxu Emperor, Emperor of China who was put under house arrest by Cixi after attempting to assert his power during the Hundred Days Reform (episode 8)
Empress Dowager Cixi, ruler of China during this period
Liang Qichao, disciple of Kang Youwei
Zou Rong, author of The Revolutionary Army
Subao newspaper, newspaper run by anti-Qing revolutionaries out of the Shanghai International Settlement
Qiu Jin, China’s first feminist and anti-Qing revolutionary
Sima Qian, Han dynasty historian
Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese Revolution and revolutionary communist par excellence
Sun Zhongshan/Sun Yat-sen, leader of the Revolutionary Alliance
Li Hongzhang, high level Chinese statesman and advocate of self-strengthening (episode 5)

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The Boxer Uprising of 1900 Nov 05, 2019

Show notes

In the face of foreign aggression and natural disaster, masses of Chinese people turn to traditional folk religion and martial arts to attempt to throw out the imperialists.
A couple sources for reading more, and which I used in preparing this episode:
Joseph Esherick, The Origins of the Boxer Uprising
Paul Cohen, History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Event, Experience, and Myth
Some names from this episode:
Wang Lun, leader of White Lotus rebellion in the 18th century
Empress Dowager Cixi, ruler of China during this period
Kang Youwei, Confucian advocate of liberal modernization and focus of last episode
Emperor Guangxu, Emperor of China who was put under house arrest by Cixi after attempting to assert his power during the Hundred Days Reform (last episode)
Alphonse Favier, Roman Catholic bishop in Beijing who engaged in looting when the Eight-Nation Army occupied Beijing and crushed the Boxers

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