Book: On Protracted War

Introduction
"On Protracted War" was written in 1938 by Mao Tse-Tung amid the full-scale Japanese invasion of China. The essay offers a strategic and political analysis explaining why China could not win a quick, conventional victory and instead must wage a long war that leverages the country's strengths and exhausts the invader. It frames the conflict as one of attrition in which persistence, popular mobilization, and flexible tactics are decisive.

Central Thesis
Mao argues that Japan's initial military superiority and industrial advantage cannot translate into lasting control without extensive political and logistical costs. He asserts that protracted warfare, by turning China's weaknesses into strengths, can wear down Japanese resources, morale, and international standing. The heart of the thesis is that time, terrain, and people favor a resilient, patient defender.

Strategy: Defensive to Offensive
The strategic arc Mao outlines moves from strategic defensive through strategic stalemate to strategic offensive. The early stage emphasizes preserving forces, avoiding decisive conventional engagements, and using mobility and terrain to frustrate the attacker. As the enemy becomes overextended and domestic resistance deepens, the balance shifts toward larger operations and, ultimately, offensive actions to reclaim territory.

Tactics: Guerrilla plus Regular Forces
Guerrilla warfare is elevated from a temporary expedient to a central instrument of national resistance, working in concert with conventional forces when conditions allow. Small, mobile units harass supply lines, gather intelligence, and maintain continuous pressure, while larger formations engage selectively to exploit enemy weaknesses. This dual approach seeks to combine the political reach of popular warfare with the military effect of coordinated campaigns.

Political Mobilization and Organization
For Mao, military victory is inseparable from political work. The success of protracted war depends on mobilizing peasants, building base areas, and extending party influence throughout the countryside. Political education, land reform promises, and local governance are presented as tools to win hearts and minds, secure supplies, and isolate collaborators, transforming popular support into sustained logistical and moral power.

Economics and Logistics
Sustaining a long war demands alternative economic arrangements and decentralized logistics. Mao emphasizes self-reliance, production in liberated areas, and flexible supply systems that deny the invader fixed targets. Starving the enemy of resources and continuously shifting economic bases are depicted as ways to convert material scarcity into strategic leverage.

United Front and Diplomacy
The essay underscores the necessity of a wide national united front to present a cohesive resistance that can attract international sympathy and assistance. Cooperation with non-communist forces, mass organizations, and foreign supporters is advocated as a pragmatic means to broaden the base of resistance and secure material and diplomatic relief without ceding political aims.

Lessons on Leadership and Morale
Leadership is characterized by endurance, adaptability, and a deep connection to the population. Mao stresses discipline, political instruction, and the cultivation of morale as vital to sustaining long campaigns. The moral dimension of resistance, framing the struggle as just and patriotic, is central to maintaining popular commitment over years of hardship.

Legacy and Impact
"On Protracted War" became a foundational statement of revolutionary military doctrine, influencing both the conduct of the Chinese Communist movement during the Sino-Japanese War and later insurgent movements worldwide. Its synthesis of political mobilization with flexible military strategy provided a template for movements confronting stronger conventional foes, and it remains a key text in studies of irregular warfare and people's war.