Directive Transmitting the Report on Implementing Political and Cultural Education in the Armed Forces

(December 11, 1951)

To all departments of the Military Commission, all major military regions, to be forwarded to military regions at all levels, with copies to the Volunteer Army and all central bureaus:

(1) The December 9, 1951, report of the General Political Department of the Military Commission on implementing political and cultural education and developing literary and artistic work in the armed forces is hereby approved. This report is deemed correct and is issued to you for compliance and implementation.

[1] The key points of the General Political Department’s report are as follows: (1) In 1952, military training shall focus primarily on cultural education. The policy is to require the entire army to universally eliminate illiteracy among existing cadres and soldiers, raising them to the level of lower primary school graduates; to universally raise cadres and soldiers who have already attained lower primary school graduation to the level of higher primary school graduation; and to raise cadres who have already attained higher primary school graduation to a level equivalent to the first year of junior middle school. (2) In the cultural education of all military personnel, cadres shall take precedence. For all cadres with an educational level below junior middle school, their studies shall focus on cultural subjects. (3) The implementation of the 1952 cultural education plan shall be led by Party committees, with leading cadres assuming responsibility. Cultural education committees shall be established under the leadership of Party committees at the regimental level and above to strengthen guidance. The specific implementation of cultural education shall be led and carried out by political organs at all levels. (4) The “accelerated literacy method” created by Qi Jianhua, a cultural officer of the 16th Army of the Southwest Military Region, shall be promoted throughout the entire army. (5) To achieve the effectiveness and objectives of cultural education, certain necessary material guarantees shall be provided under the principle of frugality. (6) Political education work in 1952 shall aim to further enhance the army’s spirit of patriotism and internationalism, establish the ideology of protracted struggle against U.S. imperialism, heighten a strong sense of war preparedness, and prevent the emergence of new slackness and complacency. (7) Drastically reduce those newspapers and periodicals that are not absolutely necessary, and concentrate efforts on running those that are essential. (8) Organize, plan, and focus on launching an ideological remolding study campaign for literary and artistic workers throughout the entire army to ensure that the army’s literary and artistic work is elevated to a higher level.

(2) While carrying out Party consolidation and implementing political education, during the first few months of 1952, a period of time shall be designated according to the circumstances of each department and military region. Throughout the entire army, following the methods used to suppress counterrevolutionaries, a serious struggle against corruption, waste, and bureaucracy shall be launched on a grand scale, mobilizing the masses. All personnel guilty of or erring in acts of corruption, waste, and bureaucracy shall be punished or criticized according to the severity of their cases, and results must be achieved.

Mao Zedong
December 11, 1951