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How did Lin Biao promote Mao Zedong’s ideas among army recruits?

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Lin Biao, Zhou Enlai, and other Chinese officials stand in uniform, holding up Little Red Books during a 1967 Red Guard rally in China. — Lin Biao At a 1967 Red Guard rally, Lin Biao (left) and Zhou Enlai publicly display copies of *The Little Red Book*.

Lin Biao promoted Mao Zedong’s ideas among army recruits by developing a simplified and dogmatized version of Mao’s thought. This collection was published as the Quotations from Chairman Mao, widely known as the "Little Red Book," which was specifically designed to popularize Maoist ideology among relatively uneducated military personnel.123

As minister of defense, Lin sought to transform the People’s Liberation Army into a model organization that combined technical virtuosity with ideological purity. By emphasizing this rigorous political education, Lin aimed to ensure that all soldiers complied with the political standards set by Mao’s leadership. This effort was part of a broader strategy to make the military an "ideal type" of Maoist organization, which eventually led to national campaigns calling on the Chinese public to "learn from the PLA".142