A Content Analysis of the Wartime Writings of Chiang Kai-Shek and Mao Tse-Tung

Abstract

Despite the vows of national unity which characterized the early phases of the Anti-Japanese War in China, by 1942 the Kuomintang and the Communists were re-opening their long competition for the political support of the Chinese people. In this competition, propaganda was heavily involved. The purpose of this study is to analyze through content analysis representative samplings of the propaganda output of both sides. The differences discerned in the propaganda of both parties might lead to a better understanding as to why the Kuomintang was ultimately rejected and why a significant element of the Chinese people initially welcomed Communist victory. Works by Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Tse-tung have been used here to represent Kuomintang and Communist propaganda efforts respectively. It was felt that the writings chosen for the analysis should be those considered most familiar and typical of the two men by the audience to which they addressed themselves (the Chinese people). It was important, moreover, that the writings come from the same general time period, and that they precede the chaotic closing years of the Kuomintang era. China's Destiny was selected as the work by Chiang Kai-shek to be analyzed. The English edition used was the first published by Roy Publishers in New York in 1947. It contains 209 pages or approximately 69,000 words. The Chinese people were certainly familiar with this work. It was required reading in many Chinese schools and synopses in one form or another were probably known by all politically conscious Chinese. The writing was begun in November 1942 and continued up to its first publication in March 1943. China's Destiny can be considered representative of the propaganda output of Chiang, and is probably his most famous work. The problem of choosing a selection from Mao's writings was more difficult. The time of writing seemed most crucial to the choice, and it was finally decided to take writings by Mao from the same period as that of China's Destiny. Using the English edition of his Selected Works, Volume Four (published by International Publishers in 1956), it was possible to select those propaganda pieces written from November 1942 through April 1945; this included approximately 69,000 words and 177 pages of Volume Four up to the middle of the essay On Coalition Government. The analysis covered pages 104-281 in Volume Four. The writings selected