<P> "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun" is a slogan popular among Marxist - Leninist - Maoists . The quote came from Mao Zedong, as the final conclusive comments during the exigent meeting called by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China during August 1927, as a consequence of the collapse of the Kuomintang - Communist cooperation . By the means of the quote, Mao suggested to the cadres that in order to take the outright political control, the armed struggle is an absolute necessity . </P> <P> The phrase was uttered on 6 November 1938 during Mao's concluding speech while addressing the "Problems on War and Strategy" on the party's sixth Central Committee's sixth Plenary session . </P>

Who said power comes from the barrel of a gun