The principal contradiction lies between feudalism and democracy, rather than between capitalism and socialism. Therefore, it is necessary to implement land reform in the countryside over a period of two to three years. During this time, we will simultaneously carry out democratic land reform in rural areas and immediately begin taking over bureaucratic capitalist enterprises in cities, transforming them into socialist ones; establish a socialist state bank; and start building socialist state-owned commerce and cooperative commerce nationwide. Moreover, over the past few years, we have already begun adopting state-capitalist measures toward private capitalist enterprises. All of these actions reflect the intricate and complex picture of the early years of our country’s transitional period.
Four
From the founding of the People’s Republic of China until the basic completion of socialist transformation, there existed a transitional period. The Party’s general line and general task for this transitional phase were to gradually achieve national socialist industrialization and, over a considerably long period, progressively carry out socialist transformation of agriculture, handicrafts, and capitalist industry and commerce. This general line serves as a guiding beacon for all our work; any deviation from it would lead to either rightist or “leftist” errors.
Il l
Five
The essence of the Party’s general line during the transitional period is to make socialist ownership of the means of production the sole economic foundation of our country and society. We must do this because only by completing the transition from private ownership of the means of production to socialist ownership can we effectively promote the rapid development of social productive forces, initiate a technological revolution, and transform the current situation—where simple and backward tools are still used in the vast majority of our socio-economic sectors—into one characterized by the use of various machines, including the most advanced equipment. In doing so, we can achieve large-scale production of both industrial and agricultural goods, meet the ever-growing needs of the people, raise their living standards, firmly strengthen national defense against imperialist aggression, and ultimately consolidate the people’s democratic regime while preventing the restoration of counter-revolutionary forces. To accomplish this task, roughly three five-year plans will be required—approximately fifteen years (counting from 1953, with basic completion expected around 1967; adding the three years of economic recovery brings the total to eighteen years, of which four have already passed). By then, China will essentially have been built into a great socialist country.
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It is imperative for the state to carry out socialist transformation of capitalist industry and commerce because the contradictions between capitalist ownership and socialist ownership, between capitalist ownership and the social nature of production under capitalism, between the anarchic character of capitalist production and the state’s planned economic construction, and between workers and capitalists within capitalist enterprises are insurmountable. Due to these contradictions, such enterprises suffer from low equipment utilization rates, poor labor productivity, high costs, extensive waste of capital, and limited or even nonexistent capacity for expanded reproduction. Consequently, industrial products remain in short supply on the market, and the state’s economic plans are disrupted. Unless this situation is changed, a substantial portion of our social productive forces will be unable to develop fully and rationally to meet the needs of the national economy and the people’s livelihood, and our socialist industrialization cannot be completely realized.
Seven
Collective leadership is the highest principle governing our type of Party organization. It prevents factionalism and curbs the illegal activities of individual ambitious figures within the Party—for example, Zhang Guotao in China and Beria in the Soviet Union. Therefore, we must particularly emphasize and earnestly implement the system of collective leadership within the Party, never unduly exaggerating the role of any single individual nor allowing Communist Party members to degenerate from their noble qualities of wholehearted, diligent service to the people into the base individualism of the bourgeoisie.
[1]
Zhang Guotao, who once served as a member of the CPC Central Committee, a Politburo member, a Standing Committee member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Eyuwan Central Bureau, and Chief Political Commissar of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, opposed the Central Committee’s decision in 1935 to march northward with the Red Army. He engaged in activities aimed at splitting both the Party and the Red Army, establishing a rival central leadership. In June 1936, he was forced to dissolve his second central leadership. In April 1938, taking advantage of an opportunity to pay homage at the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor, he fled the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region and joined the Kuomintang secret service, becoming a traitor to the Chinese revolution and subsequently expelled from the Party.
[2]
Beria, who had served as First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union and Minister of Internal Affairs, was purged from the Party in June 1953 for crimes against the Party and the state and executed in December of the same year.

Archival photo
Early 1953: The Central People’s Government Committee adopted a resolution on convening the National People’s Congress and local people’s congresses at all levels. On December 8, Mao Zedong and other central leaders entered the polling station in the Qinzhen Hall to cast their votes. The photo shows Mao Zedong voting to elect representatives to the first session of the Xidan District People’s Congress.
In December 1953, Mao Zedong met with Du Ruo, Secretary of the Xidan District Committee.


Letter to Dai Yuben [Door]
(December 9, 1953)
Comrade Yuben:
I have received your letter dated the first day of this month and apologize for my delayed reply. You are doing very well at the Workers’ Hospital, and I hope you will continue working there. Moving to a new place may present some difficulties, but you should persistently and gradually overcome them. After a while, things will surely go more smoothly. Both you and the country will benefit from this approach. Sincerely,
JI阪祝
Effort
Mao Zedong
December 9, 1953
川
Dai Yuben studied at the Self-Study University founded by Mao Zedong and others after the May Fourth Movement. At that time, he was working at the Tangshan Workers’ Hospital.

Letter to Dai Yuben
．晏委央中黛震共圄中
Manuscript of Mao Zedong’s letter to Dai Yuben.