Comments on the Document “Changes in Soviet Propaganda Regarding References to Stalin” (April 28, 1954)

Comrade Liu Shaoqi: This document [1], together with a file compiled last winter by the Central Propaganda Department concerning the struggle against personality cult and dogmatism [2], are both important documents. They should be treated as internal materials and distributed to members and alternate members of the Central Committee both in Beijing and in the provinces. Certain comrades in Beijing who ought to read them annually—such as Li Weihan and An Ziwen [3]—should also receive copies. Please consider and decide accordingly.

Mao Zedong April 28, 1954 Printed from the manuscript.

Notes [1] Refers to a document titled “Changes in Soviet Propaganda Regarding References to Stalin,” submitted on March 27, 1954, by Zhang Wentian, China’s Ambassador to the Soviet Union, to the General Office of the CPC Central Committee. The document notes that over the past year, there have been certain changes in how Stalin is referred to in Soviet propaganda. These changes first became apparent in April 1953 and by July were quite evident. They are mainly reflected in two areas: First, whereas Stalin’s achievements had previously been overstated, exhibiting tendencies toward a personality cult, efforts are now being made to correct this bias. Consequently, current Soviet accounts of accomplishments in various fields—including national industrialization, agricultural collectivization, the cultural revolution, and the Great Patriotic War—generally emphasize the role of the masses, the leadership of the Party, and the collective leadership of the Party Central Committee, which includes Lenin’s other disciples. Stalin’s personal contributions are seldom mentioned, let alone singled out for separate discussion. Second, with regard to the evaluation of Lenin and Stalin, it was once common to juxtapose the two figures, even giving Stalin greater prominence than Lenin; this practice has now been corrected, with particular emphasis placed on Stalin as Lenin’s successor. This year, many articles in Soviet newspapers commemorating the anniversary of Stalin’s death have used the headline “Stalin Is the Great Successor to Lenin’s Cause.” The document also describes changes in how Soviet periodicals address specific issues related to Stalin’s revolutionary activities and theoretical contributions.

[2] Refers to two reference materials submitted on December 25, 1953, by the Research Office of the Chinese Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Central Propaganda Department, and published in Issues 3 and 4 of the Central Propaganda Department’s journal “Propaganda and Education Dynamics” for 1954. One is “Several Problems in Soviet Propaganda Work,” which focuses on the anti-Party propaganda campaign launched in the Soviet Union after July 1953, exposing manifestations of personality cult in the social sciences—particularly in history, philosophy, literature, and the arts—and offering a theoretical critique of such cults while stressing the decisive role of the people and the collective leadership of the Party. The other is “The Struggle Against Dogmatism in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union’s Propaganda Work,” which examines the situation following the Party’s Nineteenth Congress, pointing out that dogmatism in propaganda manifests itself as follows: (1) interpreting the theoretical principles of Marxism-Leninism apart from concrete circumstances and conditions, and divorced from Party policy and the practical work undertaken to implement that policy; (2) reducing vivid, substantive explanations of Marxist-Leninist doctrines to pages filled with citations and obscure, incomprehensible formulas; (3) reducing political education to abstract definitions of terms and producing numerous pamphlets offering interpretive commentary on classic Marxist-Leninist texts; and (4) failing to connect theory with current realities.

[3] Li Weihan was at the time Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee. An Ziwen was at the time Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.