Revolutionary base area

In Mao Zedong's original formulation of the military strategy of people's war, a revolutionary base area (革命根据地 gémìng gēnjùdì), or simply base area, is a local stronghold that the revolutionary force conducting the people's war should attempt to establish, starting from a remote area with mountainous or forested terrain in which its enemy is weak.

This kind of base helps the revolutionary conducting force to exploit the few advantages that a small revolutionary movement has&mdash;broad-based popular support, especially in a localized area, can be one of them&mdash;against a state power with a large and well-equipped army. To overcome a lack of supplies, revolutionaries in a base area may storm isolated outposts or other vulnerable supply caches controlled by the forces of an opponent.