How to Analyze Classes¹
(October 10, 1933)
I. What Is a Landlord?

A landlord is a person who owns land (no matter how much), does not engage in
labor himself, or does so only to a very small extent, and lives entirely by
exploitation.²
The collection of land rent (including the collection of rent from school land)
is his main mode of exploitation of the peasants; in addition, he may also lend
money, hire labor, or engage in industry or commerce. But his exaction of land
rent from the peasants is his principal form of exploitation. The administration of
ancestral temples³ is also a type of exploitation through land rent. Among the
landlords, the exploitation by the small landlords is even more ruthless. There
are a few landlords who, although they are already bankrupt, still do not engage
in labor, but live by swindling or plundering others or by receiving assistance
from relatives and friends.⁴ Such people should still be classified as landlords.
Warlords, bureaucrats, local bullies, and bad gentry are the political representatives of the landlord class and are particularly ferocious elements among the
landlords.⁵
The landlord class is the main enemy of the revolution; the policy of the
soviets toward the landlords is to confiscate all their property and to eliminate
the landlord class.

Our source for this document is Mao Zedong ji, Vol. 3, pp. 265-68, which reproduces the
text as first published in Hongse Zhonghua no. 89, June 29, 1933. Although it had thus
appeared earlier, this directive was officially promulgated by the Central Soviet Government on October 10, 1933, at the same time as the longer decisions on the agrarian
struggle translated below (see Nianpu, Vol. 1, pp. 412-13). We have therefore used that
date, which appears at the end of the version in the Mao Zedong ji.
Those persons who assist landlords in collecting rent and managing property,
and who rely on landlord exploitation of the peasants for their livelihood, shall
be treated in the same way as landlords.
Those who rely solely or in large part on exploitation by usury for their
livelihood are called usurers. Although these people are not landlords, usury is
feudal exploitation. All of their property should be confiscated and usurers
should be eliminated.

II. What Is a Rich Peasant?
As a rule, rich peasants own land. Some, however, own only part of their land and
rent the remainder. There are also some who have no land of their own at all and rent
all their land (the latter two kinds are the minority). Rich peasants generally have
rather more and better instruments of production and more liquid capital, and engage
in labor themselves, but they always rely on exploitation for part of their livelihood
or even, in the case of some, for the greater part of their livelihood.
The rich peasant's main form of exploitation is the hiring of labor (long-term
laborers). In addition, he may let part of his land and practice exploitation
through land rent or may lend money or engage in commerce or small-scale
industry. Most rich peasants also engage in the administration of ancestral temples. There are, however, some Chinese rich peasants who, apart from their
own labor, do not hire laborers, but exploit the peasants by means of land rent,
loan interest, or in other ways." Rich peasants regularly practice exploitation,
and many derive their main income from this source.
The policy of the soviets toward the rich peasants is to confiscate their land, but
to confiscate only the surplus portion of their draft animals, farm implements, and
houses, and yet to distribute to them land which is relatively hard to work

III. What Is a Middle Peasant?
Many middle peasants own land. Some own part of their land and rent the rest.
Others have no land of their own at all and rent the whole of their land. All of

them have a fair number of farm implements. They rely solely or mostly on their
own labor.
In general, they do not exploit others. Many are themselves exploited by
others, by having to pay some amount¹² in land rent and in interest on loans.
Generally speaking, however, middle peasants do not sell their own labor power.
Another portion of the middle peasants (including the well-to-do middle peasants) does practice exploitation to some extent,¹³ but this is not their regular or
principal [source of income). All of these people are middle peasants.
The policy of the soviets toward middle peasants is to unite firmly with
them. The land of the middle peasants may not be redistributed without the
consent of the person concerned. Middle peasants with insufficient land
should have land distributed to them in the same way as poor peasants and
farm laborers.

IV. What Is a Poor Peasant?

Among the poor peasants, there are some who own part of their land and have a
few odd farm implements. Others own no land at all, but only a few odd farm
implements. As a rule poor peasants have to rent the land they cultivate and are
subjected to exploitation, having to pay land rent and interest on loans and to hire
themselves out to some extent.¹⁴ (In general, a poor peasant must sell part of his
labor power.) All such persons are poor peasants.
In the redistribution of land, poor peasants should gain the same benefits as
middle peasants and farm laborers. None of the land and farm implements
owned by them originally should be confiscated.

V. What Is a Worker?

As a rule they¹⁵ have no land or farm implements at all, though some do own a
small portion of their land and farm implements. They make their living wholly
or primarily by selling their labor power. Such persons are workers (including
farm laborers).
In the agrarian revolution, workers in the rural areas should receive the same
share of land as poor peasants and middle peasants. The small amount of land
and farm implements owned by some of them originally should not be confiscated. If a family member works in the city, he is a worker. If his family in the
rural areas has land to let and money to make loans, and if his family does not

depend on the collection of rent and interest as the main source of income, its
land should not be confiscated. In addition, his family should receive a share of
land like that of ordinary peasants. If his family relies on the collection of land
rent and loan interest as its main source of livelihood, its land should be confiscated. His wife and children should, however, be given land. He himself does not
receive land, since he is in the city.

--- Notes

1. The title in the Chinese edition of the Selected Works is "How to Analyze Classes in
the Rural Areas"; the English edition renders this as "How to Differentiate the Classes in
the Rural Areas."

2. Lives entirely by exploitation. → Lives by exploiting the peasants.

3. The administration of ancestral temples. → The administration of ancestral temples
and the collection of rent from school land.

4. Receiving assistance from relatives or friends. → Receiving assistance from relatives
or friends, and are better off than the average middle peasant.

5. Among the landlords. → Among the landlords. Relatively minor local bullies and
bad gentry are also often to be found among the rich peasants.


6. For their livelihood, → As their main source of livelihood, and are better off than
the average middle peasant.

7. Who rely solely or in large part on exploitation by usury for their livelihood
→Who rely primarily on exploitation by usury for their livelihood, and who are better off
than the average middle peasant,

8. Are called usurers → Are called usurers and are treated in the same way as
landlords.

9. May lend money or engage in commerce or small-scale industry → May lend
money or engage in industry and commerce

10. Rich peasants who, → Rich peasants who own a fair amount of good land, and
who,

11. Or in other ways. →Or in other ways; in such circumstances, they should also be
treated as rich peasants.


12. Some amount. → A small amount

13. To some extent, → To a slight extent,

14. To some extent. → To a small extent.

15. As a rule they→ As a rule workers (including farm laborers)