“The Oxymoron of Peasant Communism” (750-1000 words; 3-4 pages) will analyze the

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“The Oxymoron of Peasant Communism” (750-1000 words; 3-4 pages) will analyze the historical case studies of communist revolution in Asia. Here students must demonstrate both their understanding of orthodox Marxist theory (“dialectical materialism”) and their ability to interpret/utilize sources in order to “make sense” of what happened in the past, while also proving their mastery of polemical academic essay composition. More specifically, building on the foundational background knowledge presented in the course readings and lecture about Marxism-cum-“communism” – and complemented by viewing the first episode of Ken Burns’ documentary about The Vietnam War (2017), students must use (and cite using proper Chicago-style footnotes) these assigned sources, as well as Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto (1848), to explain why Chinese and/or Vietnamese peasants decided to support their country’s revolutionary communist movement, despite the fact that Marx himself declared peasants “not revolutionary, but conservative… reactionary”. To successfully complete this assignment, beyond just mastering Chicago-style footnotes, students must follow both the instructions outlined here and traditional guidelines for writing a classic polemical essay: namely, start with an introductory paragraph that presents both a “problem” (in this case, how “peasant communism” departs from Marxist ideology) and a “thesis-statement” (addressing this oxymoron). The body of the paper should be grounded in an understanding of postwar decolonization efforts in China (via the textbook and Burns’ documentary) and must use illustrations from the textbook to support/explain the students’ thesis and insights (e.g. note how the peasant’s own statements justify their revolutionary activity). The concluding paragraph should summarize what has been explained/argued within a wider context. students must follow both the instructions outlined here and traditional guidelines for writing a classic polemical essay: namely, start with an introductory paragraph that presents both a “problem” (in this case, how “peasant communism” departs from Marxist ideology) and a “thesis-statement” (addressing this oxymoron). The body of the paper should be grounded in an understanding of postwar decolonization efforts in China (via the textbook and Burns’ documentary) and must use illustrations from the primary sources (found in the Documentary Reader) to support/explain the students’ thesis and insights (e.g. note how the peasant’s own statements justify their revolutionary activity). The concluding paragraph should summarize what has been explained/argued within a wider context, explain why Chinese and/or Vietnamese peasants decided to support their country’s revolutionary communist movement, despite the fact that Marx himself declared peasants “not revolutionary, but conservative… reactionary”.
Must format paper using Chicago style and cite with footnotes!
Sources:
Ken Burns Vietnam episode 1 Documentary link: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6yjy69
Karls Marx Manifesto (1884): https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Manifesto.pdf
Textbook name: Michael Hunt, The World Transformed: 1945 to the Present. 2nd Edition (Oxford, 2016). Textbook attached as pdf: I’ve been trying to attach it but I don’t think it’s working. Here’s a download link for it if need be: https://annas-archive.org/slow_download/7c112ae1a2d6be0ae3211ee912ddce4e/0/0

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