Explores Asian Communist movements’ extensive and enduring commitment to violence. There are two principal reasons for this commitment: (1) parliamentary, party-centered politics remain weak or nonexistent in much of Asia; and (2) there is an interaction between important aspects of traditional Asian political culture and certain political-ideological tendencies characteristic of European communism. Analyzes these in terms of changing patterns of leadership, the strong rural element present in the rank and file, the problem of “modernization” once these basically peasant-rural movements come into power, the role of ideology, and the effects of nationalism, localism, and internationalism in shaping the movements. Consciously or unconsciously, the young Asian Communist states are separating ideology and intellectualism, and this is resulting in a vulgarization of political ideas that will eventually result in further fundamental changes in Asian communism.
