The legacy of Albert Einstein in Chinese national memory is complicated. It may seem strange for those in the West to think of something as objective as science as up for political debate, but it is important to remember that Western governments have also rejected the words of scientists that do not align with their politics, and that today, the evidence of global climate change is likewise being denied to suit the agenda of governments and corporations. Such was the impact that Einstein and his theories had on the CCP and China throughout the 20th century.
Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity was revolutionary for its time, and ushered in a new era of “post-Newtonian” physics. Mao was fascinated by Einstein’s theories, in particular the idea that light and energy moved in waves rather than linearly. This fundamental principle guided his own approach to Marxist theory and Communism, and influenced his idea that progress itself came in waves and was not linear.1 This was part of the thinking behind his idea for the Great Leap Forward, and the setbacks that China faced were seen by Mao as not only necessary but fundamental to the laws of nature. This Einsteinianism was a principle of Maoist thought, but it was not adopted by all members of the party, and was in particular rejected by the Soviet Union under Stalin. This was indeed part of Mao’s work to distance his take on Marxism from the Soviet Union; rather than use Moscow as the yardstick for Marxism, Mao wanted to forge his own path.2 This was especially important to Mao, as rather than relying on the Soviet Union for nuclear defense, China could begin to use the theories of Einstein to develop its own nuclear arsenal, freeing it from Soviet dependence and promising, “revolutionary transcendence.” 3.
However, with the onset of the Cultural Revolution, a radical shift occurred in the opinions towards Einsteinianism. Chinese physicists, working to align with Mao’s own particular, narrow views on Einsteinian theory and make it syncretic with party politics found themselves behind other countries at physics conferences. The metaphor Mao tried to push between Einstein and Communism became unpopular and actually began to be viewed as anti-socialist by the cultural revolutionaries4. Einstein himself was branded a capitalist and reactionary, having helped the United States to build the atom bomb, and taking the side of the capitalist powers during World War II. When Zhou Enlai claimed that “the two greatest German Jews were Marx and Einstein,” he was decried for linking the founder of socialism with “a mere bourgeoise academic.”5 In addition, the application of wave theory to communism, Mao’s way of looking at the world, was frowned upon by the new leadership under Deng Xiaoping which believed in more linear progress.
During the Cultural Revolution, academics and physics professors that taught the theory of general relativity were purged, along with countless others who were deemed to be reactionary. This was part of a general trend that saw some Maoist policies being repealed and Mao’s rule being examined with a more critical eye. This campaign against rightists and reactionaries is captured in the opening of the sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem, in which a physicist accused of teaching general relativity is beaten to death during a “struggle session.”
After the Cultural Revolution, and Mao’s death in 1976, Einstein’s image was somewhat rehabilitated in China, and his work was accepted as foundational for physics. This was mainly due to the fact that Mao himself had misinterpreted Einstein’s theory somewhat, espousing the idea of “infinite divisibility.” Post-cultural Revolution, these theories were given historical credence, but were no longer used in modern physics, of which Einstein became a hero, and was used to attract young people to science and technology. Einstein became, once more, the foundation of theoretical physics in China.6
Today in the West, Einstein’s own image has come under some scrutiny. His diary from when he visited China was revealed to contain racists sentiments towards the Chinese, despite the fact that Einstein himself condemned racism as “a disease of white people”7and pledged to fight against it. In an age when we are examining not just the racist institutions of many nations, but also the link between capitalism, imperialism, and racism, the fact that he helped to design a weapon of mass destruction that was used on Japanese civilians does not help his case.
- Friedman, Edward. “Einstein and Mao: Metaphors of Revolution.” The China Quarterly, no. 93 (1983): 51–75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/653332, 51.
- Friedman, 52; 56.
- Friedman, 57.
- Friedman,67.
- Friedman,70
- Friedman, 71
- “Albert Einstein’s Travel Diaries Reveal Racist Comments.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, https://www.history.com/news/albertin-einstein-racist-xenophobic-views-travel-journal.
