Lin should be able to keep China together without nuclear hellfire happening, and tamp down the Cultural Revolution. That alone will make him popular. But I'd argue that Maoist radicalism doesn't truly win out under Lin Bao, because compared to the Gang of Four he's quite a moderate.
Well I was interested in a Maoist China radical enough to export revolution and for there to be a substantial "Maoist International" of pro-China groups and regimes. It doesn't have to be most radical of all possible Chinas.
The Cultural revolution will end on schedule, but will be seen as a good thing and be likely imitated in Peru, Nepal et al. That in itself is quite radical by OTL standards
True, but he was more Maoist than Marxist-Leninist, which is what mattered.
Point taken.
I do think Che's ego is probably big enough that he eventually breaks with China eventually.
Yep. I can see that happening, just as the Cultural Revolution is being phased out, we'll have Che arguing for a permanent CR.
Maoism has always been an ideology with more than a few screws loose. Modern Maoists are probably in their own league there.
In the US, "Modern" Maoists run the gamut from:
Kasama (Mostly sane, if misguided. Not too different from your average Trot/Anarchist group)
Freedom Road Socialist Organization (Big-Tent Pro-CCP Socialists)
MIM / LLCO / RAIM ("Third-Worldist" Extremists. Fond of bashing "AmeriKKKa")
RCP (A Political Cult, totally based around a single individual)
WWP and PSL aren't Maoist, but they support any regime/movement that is anti-US, and remotely "socialist".
So, yeah, a varied bunch-- not as screwy as one might expect. ITTL There'd probably only be a single CPUSA (M-L) pushing Maoism in the US. Its numbers might actually be bigger than the pro-soviet CPUSA. The SDS split might still happen, but the New Communist Movement might unify around a pro-China party instead of splintering into pieces.
A more pragmatic solution would be to send millions of Red Guards to a less hotter flashpoint. Africa.
Maybe ITTL, UNITA remains pro-Chinese rather than go all the way towards embracing Anti-Communism. The Cubans fighting the Chinese in Angola might be very interesting.
Or failing that, there is always Somalia, or perhaps Tanzania.
There's also the chance that the Gang of Four end up prevailing ITTL. If that happens, China ends up as North Korea crossbred with the Khmer Rouge. Drew does this in Fear, Loathing and Gumbo on the Campaign Trail '72, though with Mao Yuanxin ultimately sidelining Jiang Qing. The "Greater Mao" is ultimately seen in a much better light due to the horribleness of the "Lesser Mao," as amazing as that sounds.
Yeah, but if we work with POD of Mao dying '68 or '69, A Lin Biao takeover is more likely. Besides, even the Gang of Four's radicalism had limits, and had mostly agreed to clamp down on the more radical groupings such as the aforementioned "Shengwulian group" and "workers communes" forming across China.
Of course, there is always a chance of Lin being succeeded by somebody even more radical than the Gang of Four. Some of the members of the Cultural Revolution Group might back Lin against Jiang Qing in their power struggle, and thus be in that position. Once more, the cultural revolution being seen as a good thing might mean that a new one is unleashed every generation or so.
Maybe the headlines of 1986 would consist of Chen Boda's China launching the Second Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.