An Example Study Question Answer
  Kelly Parker
LIB 100
Section Z
September 10, 2000
 
Study Question #64: Mao Zedong asserts that political power, the authority to rule, "grows out of the barrel of a gun." He also says that "the method we employ is democratic, the method of persuasion, not of compulsion." Explain, as best you can, the bigger picture wherein Mao sees no contradiction between these two statements. (Hint: this has everything to do with understanding the idea of a "democratic dictatorship.")

Mao sees himself as the leader of a historical movement, which is slowly but surely leading away from a state characterized by oppressive social structures and toward a communist state of absolute peace and equality, the "Great Harmony" (Zedong 133). In the midst of this change, there is much conflict, turmoil, and the ever-present danger that the revolution will be sidetracked. As a result, all the people of China and the world at large can be considered as belonging to one of two groups. Either they are within the fold, supporting and promoting communist ideals, or they are opposed to these ideals.

Those who support communism are considered "the people" and are allowed to participate in democratic rule under the guidance of the Communist Party. Those who oppose the party and its objectives, however, are subject to different rules.

A particularly long quote should be indented like this, set off from the remainder of your text. The rule of thumb is that if a quoted passage fills three or more lines in your paper it should be indented. The indentation takes the place of quotation marks. The parenthetical reference info goes inside the the punctiation on a short quote; outside, in a long quote. (Another 35)
Mao writes that "Democracy is practised within the ranks of the people, who enjoy the rights of freedom of speech, assembly, association and so on. The right to vote belongs only to the people, not to the reactionaries. The combination of these two aspects, democracy for the people and dictatorship over the reactionaries, is the people's democratic dictatorship" (Zedong 133). In order to help the transition along, in short, the Party has seized political power through the force of weapons: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun" (Zedong 131). It exercizes this power on behalf of the people, both to implement the agenda that will lead the nation to realize the communist ideal, and to keep the opponents of this agenda in check. Wherever possible, but especially within the ranks of the people, democratic persuasion is the preferred way to bring about change: "When anyone among the people breaks the law, he too should be punished, imprisoned or even put to death; but this is a matter of a few individual cases, and it differs in principle from the dictatorship exercised over the reactionaries as a class" (Zedong 133).

Works Cited

Another, Writer. "Essay Title." A Book. Stanford, California: West Coast Publisher, 1972.

Zedong, Mao. "Political Power Grows out of the Barrel of a Gun." InIntroduction to Philosophy Textbook. Ed. S. Guy. New York: Impressive University Press, 1996.