A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire (January 1930) (Part One)

We begin our close reading of Mao’s January 5, 1930 letter to Lin Biao.Further reading:Stuart Schram, ed., Mao’s Road to Power, vol. 3: From the Jinggangshan to the Establishment of the Jiangxi Soviets, July 1927-December 1930Pang Xianzhi and Jin Chongji, Mao Zedong: A Biography, vol. 1: 1893-1949David Apter and Tony Saich, Revolutionary Discourse in Mao’s RepublicMao Zedong, “A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire”Some names from this episode:Lin Biao, commander of the first column of the Fourth Red ArmyLi Lisan, leading CommunistHe Long, leader of a soviet in the Hunan-Hubei border regionLi Wenlin, leader of Donggu base areaFang Zhimin, leader of Northeastern Jiangxi sovietEpisode artwork:Picture of a prairie fire (in Illinois)Subscribe on Substack: peopleshistoryofideas.substack.comSupport the show