Speech at a Meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee[1]

(June 3, 1937)

The question of tactics in mass struggles is an important issue worthy of study. Connected with this question are also the issues of intra-Party relations and propaganda and education, which are extremely important as well. These questions bear upon whether the Party's political line can be realized. Comrade Shaoqi's report is basically correct, with errors only on a few individual points. Comrade Shaoqi has rich experience on this question. Throughout his life, in leading mass struggles and handling intra-Party relations in practical work, he has been basically correct; he understands the dialectics of practical work. He has systematically pointed out the maladies from which the Party has suffered in the past on this issue; he is a doctor who goes straight to the heart of the matter.

The development or shrinkage, the success or failure, of the Party's work among the masses is not entirely determined by subjective factors but is also determined by objective ones. When objective conditions are favorable but things are handled badly, or when objective conditions are unfavorable but matters are prevented from becoming too dire—these are due to subjective causes. However, major development inevitably occurs when objective conditions are favorable. Subjective guidance is limited by objective possibilities—this is Marxist materialism. The Party has committed Rightist and "Leftist" errors in its general line, causing losses to the revolution. This is a fact that cannot and should not be denied. However, the Party rank and file and the vast body of cadres

[1] From May 17 to June 10, 1937, the CPC Central Committee convened a conference of Party representatives from White Areas in Yan'an. The conference was chaired by Liu Shaoqi and others. At the start of the conference, Liu Shaoqi delivered a report titled "On the Party and Mass Work in the White Areas." During the discussions of Liu Shaoqi's report, disagreements arose among the delegates. Some delegates, not having shed the influence of "Leftist" thinking, believed Liu Shaoqi's report had Rightist inclinations and criticized some of his correct viewpoints. Consequently, from June 1 to 4, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee met to discuss work in the White Areas. This is a portion of Mao Zedong's speech at the Political Bureau meeting on June 3.

have never committed errors in the general line, and this is the primary reason why the Party has not suffered fatal wounds and has been able to rectify its mistakes quickly. Errors in the general line only occur and spread from within the highest leading organs, and such errors have been committed only during a few very short periods. Apart from having committed "Left" and Right opportunist line errors in certain periods, the Party has also, in nearly every period, committed "Left" and Right errors of principle on a number of individual issues. These have occurred in matters of struggle tactics, propaganda and education, and intra-Party relations, and some still exist now and will be unavoidable in the future. They must be resolved and prevented in accordance with the principles of Marxism. To sum up, the Party has led the Chinese Revolution with courage and determination and has achieved great results. The Party has in the past committed many errors—large and small, "Left" and Right—that contravened the principles of Marxism, but the Party has also been tempered and become stronger through the struggles against these errors, and the achievements of the revolution have also been attained through the struggles to overcome the errors. Over these fifteen years, the Party has forged and is forging a revolutionary and Bolshevik tradition, which is the orthodox tradition of our Party. But within our Party there also exists a certain erroneous tradition, namely, the existence of "Left" closed-doorism, sectarianism, adventurism, formulaism, commandism, and punitive-ism in methods and harmful practices concerning mass work, propaganda and education, and intra-Party relations. This has not yet been completely wiped out throughout the Party, and some aspects are just beginning to be systematically raised for resolution. The "Left" tradition arises from several causes: (1) The dual oppression of the nation and society has created extreme hardships in the lives of the masses and in the Party's environment; these hardships oppress us, and this is the origin of the view that "'Left' is always better than Right." (2) The existence of petit-bourgeois and immature proletarian elements within the Party, and in large numbers. (3) The tradition of Marxist theory and practice is not yet very deep. (4) In overcoming erroneous lines, the errors on the three questions of struggle tactics, propaganda and education, and intra-Party relations have not been thoroughly overcome. To overcome the "Left" tradition, it is necessary to popularize and deepen the methodology of Marxism (materialist dialectics) among the majority of cadres.