The author describes and explains the strange collection of beliefs that made up the Marxism of Mao Zedong. He seeks to understand why the communist leadership of China, like that of the USSR, tried to spur economic growth by abandoning the market modalities common to developed economies. A. James Gregor's conceptual framework is both original and makes more comprehensible the history of Marxism and the history of China. Among the major topics he covers are imperialism, political democracy, economics, and alternatives to Maoism and Marxism for China.