Mao Zedong "Problems of War and Strategy," November 6, 1938 Selected
Works of Mao Tse-Tung, vol. 2, 1975, pp. 219-20

"I. China's Characteristics and Revolutionary War

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
Marxist-Leninist principle of revolution holds good universally,  for
China and for all other countries.

But while the principle remains the same, its application by the  party
of the proletariat finds expression in varying ways according  to the
varying conditions. Internally, capitalist countries practise  bourgeois
democracy (not feudalism) when they are not fascist or  not at war;
in their external relations, they are not oppressed by,  but themselves
oppress, other nations. Because of these  characteristics, it is the task
of the party of the proletariat in the capitalist countries to educate the
workers and build up strength  through a long period of legal struggle,
and thus prepare for the  final overthrow of capitalism. In these
countries, the question is  one of a long legal struggle, of utilizing
parliament as a platform, of economic and political strikes, of organizing
trade unions and  educating the workers. There the form of organization
is legal and  the form of struggle bloodless (non-military). On the issue
of war,  the Communist Parties in the capitalist countries oppose the
imperialist wars waged by their own countries; if such wars occur,  the
policy of these Parties is to bring about the defeat of the  reactionary
governments of their own countries. The one war they  want to fight is
the civil war for which they are preparing. But this insurrection and war
should not be launched until the bourgeoisie  becomes really helpless,
until the majority of the proletariat are determined to rise in arms
and fight, and until the rural masses are  giving willing help to the
proletariat. And when the time comes to  launch such an insurrection and
war, the first step will be to seize  the cities, and then advance into
the countryside, and not the other  way about. All this has been done
by Communist Parties in  capitalist countries, and it has been proved
correct by the October  Revolution in Russia."