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On Protracted War: A Beacon for the Middle East

For all nations in the Middle East

On Protracted War: The Strategic Beacon Lighting Victory in the War of Resistance and the Founding of New China

In May 1938, at a time of grave national peril, Mao Zedong wrote the over 50,000-word work On Protracted War in Yan’an . It thoroughly refuted the “doctrine of national subjugation” and the “doctrine of quick victory,” scientifically mapped out the entire course of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and became a programmatic document guiding China to drive out invaders and march toward the founding of the People’s Republic of China .

I. Historical Background: An Ideological Torch in the Mist

- With the full outbreak of the War of Resistance, Japanese troops advanced rapidly. The “doctrine of national subjugation” (“China is doomed to defeat if the war continues”) and the “doctrine of quick victory” (“Japan can be defeated in three months”) were rampant, plunging the people into panic .
- Mao Zedong delivered a lengthy speech at the Yan’an Symposium on the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, systematically answering three critical questions: Why must the war be protracted? How to fight a protracted war? And why will final victory belong to China?

II. Core Logic: Four Characteristics Determine Inevitable Victory

The Sino-Japanese War was a life-or-death struggle between semi-colonial, semi-feudal China and imperialist Japan. Four fundamental contradictions shaped its course :

1. The enemy is strong while we are weak: Japan boasted superior military and economic power; China was relatively weak → Quick victory was impossible.
2. The enemy is retrogressive while we are progressive: Japan’s aggression was unjust and morally bankrupt; China had the Communist Party, an awakened people, and progressive forces → Victory was inevitable.
3. The enemy is small while we are large: Japan had limited territory, a small population, and scarce resources; China had vast land, abundant resources, and a large population → We could sustain a long war of attrition.
4. The enemy has few allies while we have many: Japan was isolated and lacked international support; China enjoyed widespread international sympathy and backing for its just cause .

Conclusion: The War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression would be a protracted war, and final victory would belong to China .

III. Scientific Foresight: Three Stages of the War (Fully Verified by History)

1. First Stage: Enemy’s Strategic Offensive, Our Strategic Defense (1937–1938)

- Japanese forces occupied major cities and transportation lines; our main form of combat was mobile warfare, supplemented by guerrilla warfare and positional warfare .
- The Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army penetrated behind enemy lines, established base areas, and initially formed the rear battlefield .

2. Second Stage: Strategic Stalemate (1938–1943) — The Key Hub of Victory

- Japan halted its strategic offensive and shifted to consolidating occupied areas; our main form of combat was guerrilla warfare, supplemented by mobile warfare .
- The rear battlefield became the main battlefield, wearing down Japanese forces and building up our strength. This was the most arduous stage but also the turning point from weakness to strength .

3. Third Stage: Our Strategic Counteroffensive, Enemy’s Strategic Retreat (1943–1945)

- We launched from local to full-scale counteroffensives, using mobile warfare and positional warfare to recapture lost territory .
- In August 1945, Japan surrendered, marking the complete victory of the War of Resistance .

IV. The Magic Weapons for Victory: People’s War + Flexible Strategy

- The soldiers and the people are the foundation of victory: The greatest strength of war lies in the masses. Mobilizing the entire nation to fight plunged the enemy into an ocean of people’s war .
- Guerrilla warfare as the basic form, mobile warfare when conditions are favorable: Wear down the strong with the weak, and turn small victories into great triumphs .
- Three conditions for certain victory: The Chinese Anti-Japanese National United Front, the International Anti-Japanese United Front, and revolutionary movements within Japan and its colonies (the great unity of the Chinese people is the core) .

V. Historical Significance: From Victory in the War of Resistance to the Birth of New China

1. Ideological anchor: Clarified confusion, boosted confidence, and rallied the entire nation’s will to resist .
2. Strategic roadmap: The war unfolded exactly as the three-stage plan predicted, proving its scientific foresight .
3. Cornerstone of victory: Guided by the protracted war thought, the Chinese people led by the Communist Party of China won the War of Resistance, accumulating strength and winning popular support for the subsequent Liberation War and the founding of New China .
4. Theoretical milestone: Developed the strategic theory of a weak nation defeating a strong one, representing a pinnacle of Mao Zedong’s military thought .

VI. Conclusion

On Protracted War is not merely a military work but an ideological guide for national independence and people’s liberation . It led the Chinese people to drive out invaders and laid the strategic foundation for the birth of the People’s Republic of China, and its truth still shines brightly today .