Critique and Revisions on Comrade Liu Shaoqi's Draft Report for the Second Session of the Eighth National Congress
V
"Always" is incorrect. Could things be like this during the period when the erroneous line held sway?
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The contradictions among the imperialist countries, primarily among the United States, Britain, and France, have intensified, although at present they are still linked together through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Baghdad Pact Organization, and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, with the aim of opposing communism, opposing the people, and opposing national independence movements.
VII
The slogans put forward by Comrade Mao Zedong—catching up with and surpassing Britain in fifteen years; building socialism by going all out, aiming high, and achieving greater, faster, better, and more economical results; being a promoter of progress, not a promoter of retrogression; building the country and managing households through diligence and frugality; and fighting hard for three years to fundamentally change the appearance of most areas—all these calls have been swiftly grasped by a labor army comprising several hundred million people and have become an immensely great material force.
VIII
Many comrades who once harbored doubts about the policy of building socialism with greater, faster, better, and more economical results have learned a lesson from this reversal; but some have not yet learned their lesson, saying: "We'll settle accounts with you after autumn." Let them wait to settle accounts, they are bound to lose.
A saddle-shaped pattern, high at both ends and low in the middle. The high tide—low tide—higher high tide, that is, the leap forward—conservatism—great leap forward, manifested on the production front in 1956—1957—1958, is it not perfectly clear to everyone? The saddle-shaped pattern taught the Party a lesson, taught the masses a lesson.
IX
Of our country's more than 600 million people, over 500 million are peasants. They are a most formidable force in both revolutionary struggle and construction work. Only by relying on this great allied army and fully mobilizing their initiative and creativity can our country's working class achieve victory. The question of the peasantry as an allied force is of extreme importance—both in the revolutionary period and still in the period of construction. No matter when, political mistakes are always linked to this question.
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Critique and Revisions on Comrade Liu Shaoqi's Draft Report for the Second Session of the Eighth National Congress
X
As for the words and deeds of those who aim to undermine socialism and restore capitalism, we have never granted them the right to exist legally, for this is not permitted by the socialist system; but we do allow poisonous weeds that oppose socialism to grow, to set up opposites before the people, so that the people can see them clearly through comparison, arouse public indignation, and rise up together to hoe them out, thereby training the masses' ability in struggle and opening up a vast realm for socialist flowers to bloom in full splendor. This policy has been publicly announced, has been adopted in the past, and will still be adopted in the future. Poisonous weeds exist objectively, and they will still exist ten thousand years from now, except that the poisonous weeds of the distant future will not bear the character of today's class struggle. Since poisonous weeds exist objectively, if they are not allowed to grow in their original form, they will still grow in various disguised forms, secretly poisoning the people. It is better openly to tell them: Poisonous weeds are illegal, they will be hoed out when they grow, but we do not forbid you to grow; let anyone who wishes to come out and struggle do so. This policy is highly effective: large numbers of poisonous weeds launched frenzied attacks and were hoed out by the people. Those not yet hoed out still rose to struggle, not taking warning from the overturned cart ahead. Those not yet hoed out will certainly rise again whenever an opportunity presents itself in the future, and then they will have to be hoed again. Hoeing poisonous weeds is a question of dealing with contradictions between the enemy and ourselves; letting flowers bloom is a question of dealing with contradictions among the people. Two types of contradictions, two kinds of methods. The reactionary bourgeois Rightists styled themselves as one of the socialist flowers, but that is a false claim and cannot count.
XI
We should learn from Comrade Mao Zedong and many other comrades (including large numbers of leading figures within the Party and among the masses at the central, provincial, prefectural, county, and township levels) who maintain close ties with the masses, learn from their example of constantly applying Marxism-Leninism, applying dialectics and materialism in practical work, learn from their example of integrating the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete practice of the Chinese revolution, integrating the spirit of strict principles with a lively spirit of creative initiative, and learn from their example of standing together with the hundreds of millions of the masses, discerning the correct direction, seizing truth, and then fighting for truth with an irresistible force that sweeps all obstacles before them.
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