Question

In at least 100 words, explain the historical and literary significance of Mao Zedong’s speech “Serve the People.”

Answer 1

The protracted history of the Chinese socialist revolution started 94 years ago in 1919 on may, 4 when 5,000 students from Beijing university and 12 other schools held a political demonstration in front of Tiananmen, the focal point of what is today know as Tiananmen square. the demonstration sparked what came to be known in history as the may fourth movement of 1919-21, an anti-imperialism movement rising out of patriotic reactions to dishonorable foreign relations of the governments of china's then warlord Yuan Shi-kai that led to unjust treatment of china by western powers at the Versailles Peace conference. May fourth was a political landmark that consolidated the nation's collective awareness that western democracy is a imperialistic as the western monarchy it overthrew. the national collective awareness turned china from Western democracy towards the path of modern socialism through Marxist-Leninist proactive revolution. 

Answer 2

Serve the People is one of the most important documents coming out of Communist China. To summarize, Mao hints at the goal of the speech in the title with 'Serve'  a double meaning: To both 'help' the people of China and 'To provide a meal'. Mao then does a point by point comparison of the uprising in China to the conflict with the Kanamits. At the end of the speech, Mao asserts the best recipe for success of the communist party is to create a book, like the Kanimits, and with proper seasoning, truly 'Serve the People'. Thus taking the Chinese people into the dawning of the twilight zone of the 20th century.