ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONAL PROGRAM OF POOR-PEASANT GROUPS

13 July 1933

[Text]  Generally speaking, Poor-peasant Groups have played an important role in the land revolution. By uniting the broad masses of hired farm laborers and poor peasants and aligning with middle peasants, around them, and under the leadership of the Communist Party and the soviets, they have exerted their overwhelming revolutionary strength in overthrowing the feudal and semi-feudal forces in the rural areas and seized from the landlord class land on which they have actively promoted production. Moreover they have also played a great part in the important work of war mobilization, economic mobilization and cultural construction. Such great revolutionary achievements of the Poor-peasant Groups fully deserve to be commended. However, viewed from present conditions such achievements have not been made by Poor-peasant Groups in all areas. Then, too, in the light of these achievements we cannot ignore a number of shortcomings and errors which exist in their organization and in the execution of their program. On the contrary, only by reviewing their past achievements and at the same time detecting their shortcomings and errors or the inadequacies of their achievements in certain respects can they strive to correct these organizational and operational shortcomings and errors and win still greater victories in the future and fulfil their assigned responsibilities in the soviet movement.

Based on materials from many sources, the Poor-peasant Groups have shown many weaknesses from the organizational and operational standpoint and in some areas they exist in name only and have no actual work at all. Summing up these materials, we can divide them into two situations: (1) In some localities a Poor-peasant Group does not exist in a township but only in a village where the Poor-peasant Group has a sub-group under it. In some other localities there is no Poor-peasant Group in a village but only in a township where the Poor-peasant Group has a sub-group under it. In still other localities a Poor-peasant Group exists both in a township and in a village; the village Poor-peasant Group has a sub-group under it. Under a township or a village Poor-peasant Group there is an executive committee comprised of three operational sections: chairman, organization and propaganda and all sub-groups are directed by the executive committee. Meetings are held regularly; in some cases full executive meetings are held once every 10 days, and sub-group meetings once

every 5 days; in other cases full executive committee meets once a week and sub-groups meet once every 5 days. Any one who wishes to join a Poor-peasant Group, regardless of whether he is a hired farm laborer or a coolie and-moll poor peasant, must be introduced by 3 persons or he cannot become a member. Thus many of these farm laborers and peasants are being excluded from the door of the Poor-peasant Group, thereby retarding the development of members and reducing the effectiveness of the Poor-peasant Group.

(2) Even worse than the above is another kind of situation: in some localities it was summarily declared that except landlords, rich peasants and middle peasants, all others were made members of a Poor-peasant Group with someone appointed as its chairman by a Communist Party branch or a township soviet. With this done, a township is deemed to have organized its Poor-peasant Group. But this chairman does not know how many members there are, or what kind of work is expected to be done, and no meeting has been held in 3 or 4 months, or even in 6 months or a year. This kind of Poor-peasant Group hanging up an empty name is in reality nothing at all. Its tasks and the role it is destined to play in the rural areas cannot remotely be expected to be accomplished. Among Poor-peasant Group under the first situation, a few have taken over the functions of a government. For example, such conditions exist in Poor-peasant Group in Lu-keng township, Wu-yang district, and in Hsi-huang-hsien and Pai-fu township, Jui-chin county. The Poor-peasant Group under the second situation described above has no regular work schedule and is disorganized and ineffectual. Both of these phenomena are not good. However, in many localities in the soviet sector the Poor-peasant Groups are organizationally and operationally healthy and well-developed. The majority of the members, imbued with an intense spirit for struggle, are capable of actively discussing various issues of revolutionary struggle and yet do not encroach upon the functions of their township administration. They are not only radically different from the Poor-peasant Group of the second type (hanging up an empty name) but also more advanced than those of the first type (with errors). They are truly a model of Poor-peasant Group in the soviet sector and deserve to be emulated by Poor-peasant Groups in all areas. With a view to summing up the past experience of struggle of Poor-peasant Group, unifying their organization, extensively establishing their regular operations, and thus fulfilling their important tasks in the present stage of the revolution, the Central Government, based on its experience in the development of the land struggle and acting on the proposal of the Poor-peasant Group People's Congress of eight counties of Jui-chin, Hui-ch'ang, Yu-tu, Sheng-li, Po-sheng, Shih-ch'eng, Ninghua and Ch'ang-ting, promulgates this Organization and Operational Program of the Poor-peasant Groups and it is hoped that the broad masses of poor peasants in rural areas of the whole country will be united in solidarity and in action under this Program:

(1) A Poor-peasant Group is not purely an organization of one single class but one embracing the broad masses of poor peasants under the jurisdiction of the township soviets. At the same time farm laborers must take part and form themselves into workers' sub-groups in order to assume the role of positive leadership inside the organization and unite the poor peasants to become the most reliable pillar of the soviet political power under the leadership of the proletariat.

(2)  The function of a Poor-peasant Group is to assist the government in implementing all its laws and decrees but it does not substitute for the work of the government. It should express its own views on various questions concerning the interests and rights of the workers and peasants and present proposals to the government.

(3)  A Poor-peasant Group should pay particular attention to the interests and rights of middle peasants, thus enabling them to center around the Poor-peasant Group, form a solid alliance between them and become a strong link in the coalition between the proletariat and the middle peasants, thereby facilitating the struggle to eliminate the landlords and oppose the rich peasants.

(4)  Only under the leadership of the Communist Party and the soviets can the Poor-peasant Group correctly accomplish all their tasks without being trammelled by such backward peasant ideologies as absolute equalitarianism and localism. In localities where no Poor-peasant Groups have been set up, they can be promoted by farm labor unions and activist elements among poor peasants. Farm laborer and handicraft workers' unions must generally accomplish their participation en masse in Poor-peasant Groups in order to realize the constant leadership of the proletariat in Poor-peasant groups.

(5)  Activist elements among poor peasants should be absorbed into Poor-peasant Groups during the initial period of its formation in order that it will gradually become an organization of all poor peasants. With a view to attracting the latter to participate in Poor-peasant Groups (those bad elements who sabotaged the land revolution and protected landlords and rich peasants naturally cannot join even if they are poor peasants), old members of Poor-peasant Groups should constantly be responsible for carrying out extensive propaganda work and actively looking for poor peasants and farm laborers to join without the formality of introduction but opening the door wide and leading them into Poor-peasant Groups. Participation in Poor-peasant Groups should be based on the principle of one's own free will. All farm laborers and poor peasants, men and women, old and young, may enroll and join. It is wrong to use the method of deputizing people from each household. With a view to strictly preventing landlords and rich peasants from sneaking into Poor-peasant Groups, all new members, whether they were found by old members or voluntarily enrolled themselves, must be scrutinized according to the criteria of analyzing classes and they should be immediately expelled if they were discovered to be incorrect elements. This will protect the Poor-peasant groups from being infiltrated by landlords and rich peasants.

(6)  During the period when land struggle is being launched or land ownership investigation movement is being carried out, if Poor-peasant Group has produced a contrary effect because it was wrongly organized and ineffectual in the past or because it was dominated by a small minority of landlords and rich peasants, it would be totally incorrect to adopt the method of commandism by dissolving and reorganizing the Poor-peasant Group for this would be departing from the masses. The proper measure to take at such time is to unite the activist elements among poor peasants and intensify their education so that they will

initiate vigorous struggle within the Poor-peasant Group to expose the swindles of landlords and rich peasants, strive to keep the members from being influenced by them, and resolutely purge them as well as those bad elements who can no longer be individually re-educated from the Poor-peasant Group, thereby strengthening the fighting power of the Poor-peasant Group and seizing a real victory of the land struggle and land ownership investigation movement. If the Poor-peasant Group has middle peasants as members, it is impossible to treat them as landlords and rich peasants and consider the case done once they are purged. It is necessary to go through a process of clear explanation by telling them why they need not take part in the Poor-peasant Group and that after leaving the Poor-peasant Group they can still attend its meetings as observers and all middle peasants are welcome to attend and listen.

(7)  As the Poor-peasant Group is not purely an organization of one single class, it does not require a strict organizational form of a trade union, nor does it need definitely by-laws or payment of membership dues (when money is needed, members may be asked to make temporary contributions at general meetings). Still less does it need a structural system at a provincial, county or district level. It is only necessary to organize the Poor-peasant Group at a township level. A township Poor-peasant Group has sub-groups under it. A sub-group takes one house (one tiny hamlet) as a unit with members of each house forming a sub-group. If, however, a house has very few families and thus very few members, then 2 or 3 neighboring houses can form themselves into a sub-group. On the other hand, if one house contains a score or more of families and thus a great number of members, it can be organized into several sub-groups.

(8)  To facilitate the work of the Poor-peasant Group, the people's congress should nominate 3 persons (most activist elements) to form a committee. The Poor-peasant Group in a larger township or with many members may nominate 5 persons to 7 persons to form a committee. A chairman is nominated by the committee to take charge of over-all work and no other working section will be established. Poor-peasant Groups should practice a liberal system of revolutionary democracy. Important questions must be discussed by the people's congress called for that purpose; only ordinary questions are discussed by the committee alone or with the participation of sub-group chiefs at its request.

(9)  Meetings of Poor-peasant Group people's congress, committee and sub-groups should not be mechanically scheduled at fixed time to avoid formalism and diminish the interests of the members. A meeting should be called promptly when important questions arise. During the period when class struggle becomes particularly intense in rural areas such as during land distribution and land ownership investigations, membership meetings should be held once every 1 or 2 days or 5 or 6 days, and committee and sub-group meetings once every 2 or 3 days.

(10)  The work of the Poor-peasant Group should be focused on the interests of workers, poor peasants and middle peasants at all times and undertaken to strive for the consolidation and development of the soviet political power. The important items of the work of Poor-peasant Groups are enumerated as follows:

(a) On the question of confiscating and distributing land, houses, farm implements and other property of local tyrants, evil gentry and landlords and the land, surplus draft animals, farm implements and houses of rich peasants. Discussion of this question should be centered on how to deal with the resistance of landlords and rich peasants and how to let the benefits of the land revolution fall into the hands of workers, poor peasants and middle peasants. Here special attention must be paid not to harm the interests of middle peasants but to effect a closer alignment with them. Attention must be given to the total elimination of feudal influence in rural areas. Without letting landlords and rich peasants pretend themselves to be middle peasants and poor peasants in order to steal their land benefits and no effort should be spared to the extent that not a single landlord shall be allowed to keep a strip of land and not a single rich peasant shall be allowed to steal one strip of good land.

(b) Discussion of questions of farm production such as how to carry out the movements of spring planting, summer planting, autumn harvest and autumn planting, how to increase manpower and fertilizer, improve seeds, develop conservancy works, redistribute draft animals, buy farm implements, eradicate pests, reclaim barren land, plant trees, and protect mountains and forests.

(c) Discussion of questions of economic mobilization. In addition to the development of farm production as described above, the main question to be discussed is how to develop cooperatives such as cooperatives of food-grains, consumers, credit, production and farm cattle in order to promote the large-scale development of the national economy to resist the cruel exploitation of merchants and smash the economic blockade of the enemy, thereby further improving the livelihood of the masses and substantially reinforcing the powerful strength of the revolutionary war.

(d) Discussion of questions of relief to famine and starvation such as how to render mutual help in food, seeds, farming cattle and farm implements during periods of famine and how to devise ways and means of giving relief to victims in areas harassed by enemy disturbances.

(e) Discussion of questions of public health of the masses such as initiating universal health campaigns, talking about sweep-out and clean-up campaigns to combat sickness and pestilence and protect the health and living of the masses.

(f) Discussion of questions of preferential treatment of Red Army personnel such as the cultivation, harvest and conservation of Red Army public land, helping Red Army families till their land and carrying out the regulations governing the preferential treatment of Red Army personnel.

(g) Discussion of questions of war mobilization. Here the first question is the expansion of the Red Army, the second is the raising of funds to help the Red Army, the third is to comfort the Red Army, and the fourth is to expand the Red Guard contingents and the Red Guard Young Pioneers units.

These are all extremely important questions of war mobilization.

(h) Discussion of questions of participation in soviet election and accusation campaigns such as to insure the election of activist elements among workers and poor peasants during elections and attract the best elements of middle peasants to take part in soviet work. When alien class elements are found to have sneaked into the soviet ranks or when corrupt, passive and sabotaging elements are discovered, participate in accusation campaigns called by the workers' and peasants' investigatory department and initiate self-criticism by soviet workers in order to insure the absolute health of soviet work.

(i) Discussion of questions of how to completely carry out all soviet laws, decrees, resolutions and orders in all local townships.

(j) Discussion of any major questions which arise at any time. Poor-peasant Groups must constantly discuss all of the above questions, actively present proposals to the government, and resolutely participate in all struggles on the revolutionary front under the leadership of the government for the complete fulfilment of serious revolutionary tasks. Only thus can they constantly have their own work and truly earn benefits for workers, poor peasants and middle peasants without becoming an empty organization which exists in name only.

(11) With a view to further strengthening the proletarian leadership of the peasant masses in rural areas, Poor-peasant Group committees (a few activist poor peasants may be elected to go along) may propose to hold joint meetings with the leading bodies of farm labor unions and handicraft workers' unions. Such joint meetings should be called by labor unions. They may be held to discuss, for example, the organization of Support the Red Army Committee, Anti-imperialism and Support Soviet League, Revolutionary Mutual Help Society, and certain commemorative and demonstration mass meetings and to strive for their realization by common effort and with unanimous consent.

Mao Tse-tung, Chairman of the Central Government

Hsiang Ying, Chang Kuo-t'ao, Vice Chairman

15 July 1933

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