Moreover, in the wake of the Shanghai massacre, the more radical idea that Chinese communism should actually pursue its own independent path began to take root. For example, while Mao continued to favor the creation of soviets (councils) and the land redistribution policy, he began to militarize the dialogue by highlighting the need to arm the masses and accelerate the process of change through the creation of a wave-like or tidal revolutionary movement throughout China.

With his vision of a combined victory over Chiang and the Japanese firmly in place, Mao turned to a resolution of the land question to win the Chinese people to his side. His goal was to introduce the class struggle into the countryside and elevate the revolutionary consciousness of the masses by depicting the landlord class [as] the principal enemy of the revolution. The goal was to mobilize the peasants in the countryside, lend them...
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