All past experience has proven that: … (The text from the beginning of this section to the part about establishing a provisional revolutionary regime is the same as in the article "The Land Investigation Movement Is a Central and Major Task in the Vast Regions." Therefore, it is omitted here.) … establishing a provisional revolutionary regime (a Revolutionary Committee), setting up local worker-and-peasant armed forces and mass organizations—only thus can the correct execution of the class line be ensured and the goal of eradicating remnant feudal forces be achieved. Any work style of bureaucratism or commandism that divorces itself from the masses is the greatest enemy of the Land Investigation Movement. The mass work in the Land Investigation Movement mainly involves explaining classes, determining classes, confiscation and distribution, and providing correct leadership to trade unions and poor peasant leagues.

I. Explaining Classes (Conducting Propaganda)

(1) The strategy of the Land Investigation Movement is to have the workers as the leadership, rely on the poor peasants, unite with the middle peasants, weaken the rich peasants, and eliminate the landlords. The content of propaganda must clearly explain this strategy to the masses.

(2) In order to explain this strategy, it is necessary to make clear what a landlord is, what a rich peasant is, what a middle peasant is, what a poor peasant is, and what a worker is. In this explanation, it must be demonstrated that landlords are feudal exploiters and rich peasants are feudal exploiters. Therefore, only by adopting the policy of eliminating the landlords and weakening the rich peasants can the benefits of the agrarian revolution fully accrue to the middle peasants, poor peasants, and workers.

(3) However, there is a distinction between rich peasants and landlords. Rich peasants engage in labor themselves, whereas landlords do not. Therefore, a policy of elimination is adopted toward landlords, while a policy of weakening is adopted toward rich peasants. Hence, any tendency toward the elimination of rich peasants is erroneous, and at the same time, rich peasants should not be treated as landlords.

(4) The strategy toward the middle peasants—uniting with the middle peasants—is the central strategy of the agrarian revolution. The inclinations of the middle peasants bear upon the success or failure of the agrarian revolution. Therefore, it is essential to repeatedly explain this strategy to the masses, making clear that any infringement upon the interests of the middle peasants is absolutely impermissible. In order to unite with the middle peasants without infringing upon their interests, it is necessary to address the issue by bringing up the "well-to-do middle peasants" and to focus on clarifying the boundary between rich peasants and middle peasants, so as to stabilize the well-to-do middle peasants. It is necessary to expose the deception by landlords and rich peasants targeting the middle peasants, so that the middle peasants break away from the influence of the landlords and rich peasants, unite closely with the poor peasants, and wage a consistent struggle against the landlords.

(5) It is necessary to expose every deceptive slogan of the landlords and rich peasants and to provide extensive explanations to the masses. Attention must be paid to landlords and rich peasants exploiting backward ethnic and local concepts to deceive and sabotage the poor and middle peasants.

(6) It must be explained that the Land Investigation Movement is a weapon to smash the enemy's encirclement campaigns. Because once the remnant feudal forces are cleaned out and the troublemakers hidden by the enemy in the Soviet area are removed, the revolutionary fervor of the broad masses will be raised, making tasks such as expanding the Red Army and economic construction easier to accomplish.

(7) Specific slogans should be raised according to the local environment. For example, in backward villages, it is necessary to identify the causes of backwardness and propose concrete slogans to mobilize the masses. For instance, if a reactionary landlord in that area is threatening the masses, so that they dare not rise up in struggle, a slogan calling for the charge against this landlord must be raised. Another example: if local government personnel have committed serious errors that alienate them from the masses, causing public dissatisfaction, propaganda must begin by exposing these personnel's errors, thereby igniting the masses' struggle.

(8) The above covers the content of propaganda. Next, the methods of propaganda are discussed. The targets of the Land Investigation Movement are as follows: first, speeches must be given to activists at the township level (township Soviet representatives, heads of various mass organizations) so that they understand first and then propagate to the masses. Second, speeches must be given at meetings of the trade unions and poor peasant leagues so that the member masses understand. Third, speeches must be given at village mass meetings so that every individual among the masses understands.

(9) Propagandists are mainly drawn from among the township-level activist cadres, who attend mass meetings in a planned manner to speak. Secondly, propaganda teams should be organized, trained, and then dispatched to speak among the masses.

(10) Methods of propaganda: first, oral speeches; second, posting proclamations; third, writing slogans; fourth, issuing leaflets; fifth, staging new dramas; sixth, writing articles on wall newspapers, etc.

II. Investigating Classes

(1) The Land Investigation Movement is about investigating classes, not about investigating land acre by acre. Investigating land acre by acre would cause panic among the masses and is absolutely wrong.

(2) Investigating classes means investigating the classes of landlords and rich peasants, investigating exploiters, investigating those few persons who hide among the peasants but are not actually peasants themselves. It is absolutely not about investigating the middle peasant, poor peasant, or working-class status, and therefore, it must not be conducted household by household. Investigating household by household would cause panic among the masses and is absolutely wrong.

(3) Before investigating classes, a stage of propaganda must be carried out, specifically the stage of explaining classes. To proceed with the investigation without first going through an open and universal stage of explaining classes would cause panic among the masses and is absolutely wrong.

(4) Investigating classes must mobilize members of the trade unions, the poor peasant leagues, and the majority of other masses to conduct the investigation. The masses must report findings at any time to the poor peasant league and the Land Investigation Committee. It should not be only a small number of people carrying out the investigation. A small number of people conducting the investigation would cause panic among the masses and is absolutely wrong.

(5) Class investigation must be thorough. Whether it is a landlord or a rich peasant, their past exploitation and living conditions must be clearly investigated so that the person concerned admits guilt and the masses are satisfied. If a conclusion is drawn based merely on a rough investigation, mistakes are easily made: the person concerned does not admit guilt, the masses are not satisfied, and the Land Investigation Movement is hindered. As for those with middle-peasant background, even more careful investigation must be made, so that middle peasants are not wrongly classified as rich peasants, nor rich peasants as landlords.

(6) The materials uncovered from investigating a family's class background should be filled in on a "Class Status Investigation Form" so that everyone can review and discuss them and they can be followed up later. If it is merely orally transmitted and memorized, or just written in two or three lines in a notebook, it is liable to be lost, which is not good.

III. Determining Classes

(1) Determining classes means deciding a person's class status. This is the moment when decisions about an individual are made, and therefore, extreme caution is necessary. Only those whose backgrounds have been clearly investigated can be proposed for determination.

(2) The sequence of determination: first, it goes to the poor peasant league. A general meeting of the poor peasant league must be convened. After discussion by all, approval by a majority show of hands counts as being passed in the poor peasant league. If there are doubts, the matter is deferred to the next discussion and should not be approved this time.

(3) Second, it goes to the township Land Investigation Committee, which reviews the opinions of the poor peasant league: correct opinions are approved; incorrect ones are corrected; and doubtful cases are reinvestigated.

(4) Third, it goes to the district Land Department. If the district Land Department cannot decide, it submits the case to the district Land Investigation Committee. If the district Land Investigation Committee cannot decide, it submits the case to the county Land Department.

(5) Fourth, it goes to the village mass meeting. A mass meeting must be convened in the person's own village, where the person's exploitation and living conditions are reported to the masses to see whether the masses approve or not. Those who gain approval are determined; those who do not must be reinvestigated. Under no circumstances should approval be forced through. Forcing approval will cause dissatisfaction among the masses, and this is commandism, which must be resolutely opposed.

(6) The above four steps in determining classes are indispensable. In particular, approval by the mass meeting is most important. In many places, confiscations are carried out without approval by a mass meeting, which is wrong.

(7) If errors were made in the past, such as classifying a middle peasant as a rich peasant, a rich peasant as a landlord, or a landlord as a rich peasant, the original decision should be overturned. At the mass meeting, it is necessary to explain why the past decision was wrong and why the correction is now being made, so as to gain the satisfaction of the masses.

(8) For those wrongly classified in the past whose status is now corrected: if they are middle peasants, their land and property must be compensated. Even if the land has already been distributed, it must be drawn back and returned to them as compensation. If they are rich peasants and there are assets to compensate, compensation is made now; if there truly is nothing to provide, other means must be found for them in the future. This kind of compensation is extremely effective in winning over the masses. To let errors stand uncorrected and refuse to make changes is entirely wrong.

IV. Confiscation and Distribution

(1) Confiscating the land and property of landlords, and confiscating the land, surplus draft cattle, farm implements, and houses of rich peasants can only be carried out after obtaining the consent of the masses at the village mass meeting. Under no circumstances should confiscation be carried out without the consent of the masses, nor should it ever be done at night.

(2) After confiscating a landlord's property, except for cash and valuable documents, which should be handed over to the government's Finance Department, all other items should be distributed to the masses. This is an effective way to heighten the masses' enthusiasm for the struggle.

(3) At the village mass meeting when class statuses are being determined, a Provisional Confiscation and Distribution Committee should be elected to immediately carry out confiscation and conduct distribution on the spot. There must be no delay in confiscation, no delay in distribution, and goods must not be carried off to the government premises before distribution is discussed.

(4) Distribution should be conducted within the village; equal sharing across the entire township should not be practiced (except in the case of large landlords).

(5) Priority in distribution should be given to families of Red Army soldiers, hired farmhands, workers, and others among the poor masses. Equal distribution regardless of class or stratum shall not be practiced.
(6) Pigs, chickens, and similar items should be cooked and shared by everyone at the mass meeting; they must not be consumed by a small number of staff members.

(7) Government staff members should, ideally, not ask for goods, in order to set an example. If they are critically short of necessary items, they must obtain the consent of the masses and secure approval at the mass meeting. Staff members freely taking things must be prevented.

(8) Confiscated draft cattle and important farm tools, with the consent of the masses, shall be organized into ox-ploughing cooperatives by those who receive the allocations, for collective use.

(9) Delaying the distribution of confiscated land is wrong. Except for land reserved as public fields for the Red Army and for public welfare undertakings, distribution must be carried out promptly. First, it should be distributed to those who have not received any land before or have received too little. If there is a surplus, it should be shared equally on a village basis. Mountain forests, fish ponds, houses, and latrines should likewise be promptly distributed to the masses.

(10) At the moment when enthusiasm for struggle is at its highest during each distribution of goods, slogans such as expanding the Red Army and developing cooperatives should be opportunely raised, leading the masses to enthusiastically participate in the revolutionary war and in the construction of the Soviet.

V. Trade Unions and Poor Peasant Leagues

(1) Only by mobilizing the trade unions and the poor peasant leagues can the various tasks of explaining classes, investigating classes, determining classes, confiscation, and distribution achieve the greatest results. Trade unions should become the leaders of the rural class struggle, and poor peasant leagues are the pillars of the rural class struggle.

(2) Carrying out the Land Investigation Movement correctly depends on the trade unions guiding their own members to join the poor peasant leagues and to play an active role within the poor peasant leagues.

(3) The poor peasant leagues must be developed so that they become organizations that the broad masses of poor peasants join voluntarily and freely.

(4) Bad elements hiding within the poor peasant leagues must be cleared out.

(5) The poor peasant leagues must hold meetings frequently during the Land Investigation Movement and firmly grasp the movement as their central task.

(6) It is necessary to rally the middle peasants around the poor peasant leagues. Meetings of the poor peasant leagues should draw in middle peasants to attend as observers.

(7) The trade unions and poor peasant leagues, in leading the Land Investigation struggle, must not violate the principles described in the preceding sections.

Only by mobilizing the broad masses in accordance with the strategies and methods described above can the Land Investigation Movement achieve full success. Any situation where there is no propaganda, or the propaganda is incorrect, unserious, or not universal; where class investigation, class determination, confiscation, and distribution do not follow the class line and the mass line, or fail to gain the endorsement and consent of the masses—all such cases cannot yield results from the Land Investigation Movement. Instead, they will cause mass dissatisfaction and obstruct the progress of the movement. Therefore, opposing the "left" opportunist tendency of infringing upon middle peasants and eliminating rich peasants, opposing the right opportunist tendency of shielding landlords and rich peasants, and opposing bureaucratism in leadership and work methods are essential conditions for correctly carrying out the Land Investigation Movement.

("On the Land Investigation Movement")