I’m getting REAL tired of claims like this from people who OBVIOUSLY haven’t read the classic texts on PPW

so allow me to now write

AN MLM PRIMER ON PPW: (thread 1/???) https://twitter.com/JohnBal65747831/status/1388997989419601924

first off- WHY care about PPW? WHY do marxists care about WAR?

here’s thoughts from Mao:

“The seizure of power by armed force, the settlement of the issue by war, is the central task and the highest form of revolution. This ML[M] principle of revolution holds Universally”

“In China war is the main form of struggle and the army is the main form of organization. Other forms such as mass organization and mass struggle are also extremely important and indeed indispensable and in no circumstances to be overlooked, but their purpose is to serve the war”

this coincides with theorizing by the CPP which states:

“Between armed struggle and parliamentary struggle, the former is principal and the latter is secondary”

and

“There is only 1 road which the working class under the leadership of the CPP must take. It is the road of -

ARMED REVOLUTION to smash the armed counter-rev...”

“ The CPP must engage in the national UF in order to tap all positive forces in the armed and legal fronts against the enemy. The UF policy is pursued in order to expand the influence of the revolutionary ARMED FORCES...”

so...

WHAT ARE THE FORCES OF ARMED STRUGGLE?

the forces of armed struggle (which can differ to an extent) in general INCLUDE:

regular standing army
regular mobile forces (at times synonymous with previous)
people’s guerillas
people’s militias
mass org self defense units
cntd-

self-defense corps
armed city partisans
(CPP specifically differentiates this - CPI maoist also uses different categories in urban areas, though these are not really generalized to other countries)

USUALLY - the regular army (standing/mobile) is the overall principal force

however Gonzalo identified the People’s GUERILLA Army as the principal force in the Peruvian rev.

the name of the people’s army (inclusive body of armed forces that encompass most subcategories) of the CPI (Maoist) is similarly the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army

THERES (generally) 3 TYPES OF WARFARE

mobile warfare
guerilla warfare
positional warfare

and UNIVERSALLY 3 PHASES OF WARFARE

strategic defensive
strategic equilibrium
strategic defensive

(some try to claim theres sort of 4, with “accumulation of forces” occurring first)

at least those are the specific subcategories most applied in PPW

then there’s REGULAR WARFARE which emerges in the

STRATEGIC OFFENSIVE*** (3rd PHASE)

(this can/often does include positional warfare)

MOBILE WARFARE: the form in which regular armies wage quick-decision offensive campaigns and battles along extensive fronts and over big areas of operation. At the same time, it includes "mobile defence", which is conducted when necessary to facilitate such offensive battles

it also includes positional attack and positional defence in a supplementary role. Its characteristics are regular armies, superiority of forces in campaigns and battles, the offensive, and fluidity.

1 of the characteristics of mobile warfare is fluidity, which requires a field army; to advance and to withdraw in great strides.

NOTE: IN GENERAL THE GOAL OF GUERILLA WARFARE IS TO DEVELOP INTO MOBILE WARFARE - to develop (quant & qual) these forces into a regular standing army

though this regular army MAY still employ guerilla TACTICS

POSITIONAL WARFARE: kind of what it sounds like - a form of conventional warfare based on holding/attacking a position (such as a city, supply route, etc.)

characterized in WWI by trench warfare and relevant tactics

GUERILLA WARFARE:

Whats basic guerrilla strategy? it must be based primarily on alertness, mobility, and attack. It must be adjusted to the enemy situation, the terrain, the existing lines of communication, the relative strengths, the weather and the situation of the people.

In guerrilla warfare, select the tactic of seeming to come from the east and attacking from the west; avoid the solid, attack the hollow; attack; withdraw; deliver a lightning blow, seek a lightning decision. When guerrillas engage a stronger enemy, they withdraw when he advances

harass him when he stops; strike him when he is weary; pursue him when he withdraws. In guerilla strategy, the enemy's rear, flanks, and other vulnerable spots are his vital points, and there he must be harassed, attacked, dispersed, exhausted and annihilated.

Guerillas often (though not necessarily) COME FROM THE MASSES and usually start as small forces which can grow.

this brings me to the STAGES OF PPW:

STRATEGIC DEFENSICE: the initial stage of PPW is characterized in terms of power imbalances between the people’s army (led by the communist party) which is weak, and the dominant classes of the state & its army - which are initially strong, and in a strategic OFFENSIVE of its own

here the communist forces principally (in general) employ mobile warfare with auxiliary guerilla forces in contexts where they can (if they have built an army), and generally just guerilla warfare otherwise

there can be positional skirmishes, but generally pos warfare is avoided

in terms of positions- the goal is to establish any gain TERRITORY in which POLITICAL POWER can be built- this takes the form of the establishment, within territory, of levels of presence and development ranging from GUERILLA ZONES, to red BASE AREAS

importantly: retreat happens

BASE AREAS aren’t necessarily kept as weaker forces draw enemies deep within their territory, and then encircle them with much greater (quantitatively) forces - in order to annihilate the enemy and reap the rewards of technology and other qualitative advantages

meanwhile..

guerillas are employed to encircle and flank the enemy where tactically possible and this is used to gain new territory over the course of battles

by the end of this phase, all 3 magic weapons have been built, are dispersed widely as possible, & there are base areas w red power

in wars of invasion by imperialists, at some point before the end of this first stage, they will have established areas of THEIRS in which they govern (in/directly), and to qualify as the next stage, they will begin to employ THEIR OWN STRATEGIC DEFENSIVE in THEIR MAIN AREAS

importantly to note - the enemy’s strategic defensive may differ from our own. as, our strategic defensive still (universally) employ TACTICAL OFFENSIVES while the enemy’s may utilize more tactical defensives - such as in utilizing positional warfare - since they don’t employ PPW

STRATEGIC EQUILIBRIUM: this is characterized by GUERILLA WARFARE as principal (even w the regular army). these attack enemy areas and expand our RED BASE AREAS and guerilla zones, and develop new ones. in terms of power, we have grown significantly while the enemy weakens

the enemy-occupied territory as a whole will fall into three categories: first, the enemy base areas; second, our base areas for guerrilla warfare; and, third, the guerrilla areas contested by both sides.

gonna continue this thread now

first- a UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE:

FIGHT QUICK DECISION VICTORIES FROM EXTERIOR LINES