At present, our country is in the midst of a great upsurge of the socialist revolution.
The founding of the People’s Republic of China marked the transition of the Chinese revolution from the stage of the bourgeois-democratic revolution to that of the socialist revolution, ushering in a period of transition from capitalism to socialism.
Over the past six years, the work of the first three years was mainly devoted to restoring the national economy and carrying out various social reforms that had not been completed during the previous revolutionary stage, most notably the land reform [2].
Since last summer, the socialist transformation—i.e., the socialist revolution—has been unfolding on an exceptionally broad scale and with extraordinary depth.
In approximately another three years, the socialist revolution can be basically completed nationwide.
The aim of the socialist revolution is to liberate the productive forces.
The transformation of agriculture and handicrafts from individual ownership to socialist collective ownership, and of private industry and commerce from capitalist ownership to socialist ownership, will inevitably lead to a substantial release of productive forces.
This, in turn, creates the social conditions necessary for a major expansion of industrial and agricultural production.
The method we are employing in the socialist revolution is a peaceful one.
In the past, many people both inside and outside the Communist Party expressed doubts about this approach.
However, since last summer, owing to the high tide of the cooperative movement in the countryside and, more recently, the upsurge of socialist transformation in the cities, these doubts have largely been dispelled.
Under our country’s specific conditions, it is entirely feasible to use peaceful means—namely, persuasion and education—not only to transform individual ownership into socialist collective ownership, but also to convert capitalist ownership into socialist ownership.
Over the past few months, the pace of socialist transformation has far exceeded expectations.
Some used to fear that overcoming the “socialist hurdle” would be extremely difficult; now, it appears that even this hurdle can be surmounted relatively easily.
At present, the political situation in our country has undergone a fundamental change.
Many of the difficulties that existed in agriculture before last summer have now been essentially resolved, and numerous tasks once regarded as impossible are now being accomplished.
It is possible that our First Five-Year Plan [3] will be completed ahead of schedule or even surpassed.
The task of the National Outline for Agricultural Development from 1956 to 1967 [4], set against the backdrop of this upsurge in socialist transformation and construction, is to chart a long-term vision for the development of agricultural production and rural work, serving as a goal for farmers and agricultural workers across the nation.
All other sectors of activity must likewise move swiftly to keep pace with the new realities brought about by the current high tide of the socialist revolution.
Our people should formulate an ambitious plan to strive, over several decades, to fundamentally transform China’s backwardness in economic terms and in science and culture, rapidly bringing the country up to the advanced levels prevailing in the world.
To realize this grand objective, the decisive factor is to have a sufficient number of capable cadres and outstanding scientific and technical experts. At the same time, we must continue to consolidate and broaden the United Front of the People’s Democracy, uniting all forces that can be united.
Furthermore, the Chinese people must stand in solidarity with the peoples of all nations in the struggle to safeguard world peace.


Printed in the People’s Daily on January 26, 1956.


Notes: [1] These are the main points of Mao Zedong’s speech at the sixth meeting of the Supreme State Council.
[2] Land reform here refers to the revolutionary movement led by the Communist Party of China after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which abolished the feudal system of land ownership and established peasant ownership of the land. In June 1950, the Central People’s Government promulgated the Land Reform Law of the People’s Republic of China, and beginning in the autumn and winter of that year, land reform campaigns were successively launched in the newly liberated areas. By the winter of 1952, with the exception of Taiwan Province and certain minority regions, land reform had been basically completed nationwide, enabling approximately 300 million landless or land-poor peasants to receive about 700 million mu of land and other means of production.
[3] The First Five-Year Plan is the abbreviated name for the People’s Republic of China’s first five-year plan for developing the national economy, spanning the years 1953 to 1957. Preparation for this plan began in 1951 and continued for four years, undergoing five revisions before its formal adoption at the Second Session of the First National People’s Congress in July 1955. As a result of its implementation, by 1956 the socialist transformation of agriculture, handicrafts, and capitalist industry and commerce had been basically completed, establishing the basic socialist economic system. By 1957, all the construction tasks stipulated in the plan had been successfully fulfilled, with many targets exceeded, thereby laying an initial foundation for the country’s industrialization while significantly improving the people’s living standards.
[4] Namely, the “National Outline for Agricultural Development (Draft) from 1956 to 1967.” This draft was proposed by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and made public in January 1956. A revised draft was published in October 1957. Following further amendments, it was formally adopted and issued as an official document at the Second Session of the Second National People’s Congress in April 1960. The complete outline consists of forty articles, setting out plans for the development of agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fisheries, sideline industries, as well as rural commerce, credit, transportation, postal and telecommunications, radio broadcasting, science, culture, education, and health services in China.