Maoism in the Developed World

In spite of the neutrality of the CPN as a whole, pro-Chinese groups did appear within it. Writing in 1970, Edith Weyden described this development. She wrote that “Recorded Maoist activity goes back to 1963, when CPN leader Carolus (Chris) Bischot and a group of followers began to publish a journal, De Rode Vlag (Red Flag), through which they disseminated Chinese communist ideology, while maintaining their membership in the CPN. When such duality seemed feasible, another dissident CPN leader, Nico Shrevel, established the Marxist-Leninist Center in Rotterdam and then additional centers in other Dutch cities. In the spring of 1965 the Schrevel organization joined forces with a few leftists associated with the journal Kamaraden under the expanded name of Marxist-Leninist Center of the Netherlands (MLCN). … Although intent on militancy and splinter activities, most of the participants in the MLCN did not relinquish their membership in the CPN, but waited to be purged. Expulsion was a delayed and piecemeal process, and not until September 1966 were the pro-Chinese communist elements definitely on their own and also in many ways competing with one another.”[313]

When Maoism did appear in the Netherlands in its own right, it took the form of several different organizations, with varying degrees of contact with and support from the Chinese. Further discussion of Dutch Maoism, therefore, can best be understood by analyzing these various groups individually.

The League Of Dutch Marxist-Leninists

Once out of the Communist Party of the Netherlands, the group of Maoists headed by Chris Bischot, which published De Rode Vlag, organized as the League of Dutch Marxist-Leninists (BNML). This was apparently the Dutch Maoist group that had closet relations with the Chinese, at least in the 1970s.

The BNML was founded in 1968, after the Chinese had apparently become unhappy with the first group in the Netherlands to which they had offered support, the Marxist Leninist Center of the Netherlands. At the time of its establishment, the League was “thought to represent a regroupment of pro-Chinese elements aiming for consolidation and establishment of one party.”[314]

The League of Dutch Marxist-Leninists held its First Congress on May 1, 1969, at which it proclaimed itself to be the Marxist-Leninist party of the Netherlands. The organization urged its members to “study constantly and thoroughly the works of Marx-Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao Tse-tung and fight for the ‘combination of theory and practice, for the closest bonds with the popular masses and for the application of the method of self criticism as formulated so pregnantly by the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party.’”[315]

However, the BNML remained a small group, without substantial resources. It was reported that in 1970 its periodical came out only once, and then in “stencilled form.” In that year it was reported that it was particularly concerned with “a Dutch translation of the philosophical, political and strategic works of Mao Tse-tung.”[316]

By 1971, De Rode Vlag was published with greater regularity, eight issues appearing. It was reported at that time that “De Rode Vlag publishes articles concerning the theoretical foundations of Marxism-Leninism, in addition to criticism of CPN activities.”

Early in 1971 a three-person delegation from the League spent three weeks visiting China. There is no indication as to which Chinese leaders received the visiting Dutch Maoists.[317] In August 1971, Peking Review reported that the BMNL had sent greetings to the Chinese Party, which was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary.[318]

There is little information available about the activities of the League of Dutch Marxist-Leninists apart from their publishing activities. However, it is known that in 1972 a group that broke away from another Maoist youth group, Red Youth, and took the name Marxist-Leninist Red Youth (RJ-ML), joined forces with the BNML.[319]

The League supported the Chinese leadership that succeeded Mao Tse-tung, and the Chinese continued to give certain publicity to the League of Dutch Marxist-Leninists. Late in 1976, Peking Review published a letter sent by the League to Hua Kuo-feng. The letter read: “We most heartily welcome the nomination of Comrade Hua Kuo-feng as Chairman of the Communist Party of China. No doubt Chairman Hua is a worthy successor of our beloved leader and teacher Mao Tse-tung. We rejoice at the close rallying of the Chinese people around Comrade Hua. Headed by the Central Committee, the Chinese people successfully waged class struggle.”

The letter concluded, saying “The future shines brilliantly.”[320]

In May 1978, the League of Marxist-Leninists joined with two other Maoist groups to establish a new group, the Communist Workers Organization Marxist-Leninist (KAO-ML). The newspaper of the League, De Rode Vlag, became the organ of this new Maoist party.[321]