Editing Maoism (section)

==== Nationalism and the appeal of Marxism ====
Along with iconoclasm, radical [[anti-imperialism]] dominated the Chinese intellectual tradition and slowly evolved into a fierce nationalist fervor which influenced Mao's philosophy immensely and was crucial in adapting Marxism to the Chinese model.<ref name="Meisner, Maurice 1999. Page 44">{{Cite book |last=Meisner |first=Maurice |author-link=Maurice Meisner |title=Mao's China and After |title-link=Mao's China and After |date=1999 |publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]] |isbn=978-0-684-85635-3 |pages= |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=44}} Vital to understanding Chinese nationalist sentiments of the time is the [[Treaty of Versailles]], which was signed in 1919. The Treaty aroused a wave of bitter nationalist resentment in Chinese intellectuals as lands formerly ceded to Germany in [[Shandong]] were—without consultation with the Chinese—transferred to Japanese control rather than returned to Chinese sovereignty.<ref name="Meisner, Maurice 1999. Page 44" />{{Rp|page=17}}

The adverse reaction culminated in the [[May Fourth Movement]] in 1919, during which a protest began with 3,000 students in Beijing displaying their anger at the announcement of the Versailles Treaty's concessions to Japan. The protest turned violent as protesters began attacking the homes and offices of ministers who were seen as cooperating with or being in the direct pay of the Japanese.<ref name="Meisner, Maurice 1999. Page 44" />{{Rp|page=17}} The popular movement which followed "catalyzed the political awakening of a society which had long seemed inert and dormant."<ref name="Meisner, Maurice 1999. Page 44" />{{Rp|page=17}}

Another international event would have a significant impact not only on Mao but also on the Chinese intelligentsia. The [[Russian Revolution]] elicited great interest among Chinese intellectuals, although the socialist revolution in China was not considered a viable option until after the 4 May Incident.<ref name="Meisner, Maurice 1999. Page 44" />{{Rp|page=18}} Afterward, "[t]o become a Marxist was one way for a Chinese intellectual to reject both the traditions of the Chinese past and Western domination of the Chinese present."<ref name="Meisner, Maurice 1999. Page 44" />{{Rp|page=18}}