Critique Notes and Annotations on the Resolution on the People's Communes
(February 28, 1959)
Immediately print and distribute to all comrades. This is a good document, worth reading and using as reference.
What is printed here has been truncated, with Sections 1, 6, and 7 omitted. The middle Sections 2,
[1]
3, 4, and 5 are the essence. Read Sections 3, 4, and 5 with emphasis; they are very well articulated.
Ping
VI
Yu
Qiong
Ri
Bai
Xie
Ding
L
Nian
ny
ph
J
QJ
Mao's annotation: Here one should add a sentence: One must also criticize the "Left" adventurist thinking of caring only for the state and the commune's large collective, while disregarding the production brigade's small collective and the individual commune members (the whole nation has a population of several hundred million), resulting in excessive accumulation by the commune and too little distribution to commune members, and establishing too many commune-run and county-run industries, thereby drawing away too much manpower, leaving the production brigades with too little manpower and hindering the fulfillment of agricultural tasks; it must be recognized that at present, the system is still basically brigade ownership, with partial commune ownership.
III
Mao's annotation: Agriculture should be placed first and must occupy the largest portion of the labor force; before mechanization is achieved, this should be so.
[1]

--- Notes

Refers to the Resolution on Rectifying and Consolidating the People's Communes adopted by the 11th Plenary Session of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China in January 1959, revised and issued on February 17. It is divided into seven parts. Part 2 points out that commune rectification must start from production and be grounded in production, mobilizing the broad membership to struggle for a multiplied increase in the output value of industry and agriculture; industrial production must closely coordinate with agricultural development, serving the mechanization and electrification of agriculture; commodity production must be greatly developed to meet the needs of society and increase the commune's cash income. Part 3 points out the need to properly resolve the issue of the distribution system combining the wage system and the supply system. Each people's commune must first reasonably determine the proportional relationship between the wage portion and the supply portion; province-wide, it is generally appropriate for each to account for 50 percent; the wage portion can adopt two methods: the basic labor-day remuneration system based on evaluating work and recording points, and the graded wage system with fixed grades and flexible evaluations; different wage standards and differentials should be allowed among different management districts; implementing the new distribution system requires following the mass line and criticizing "Left" and Right deviationist erroneous thinking. Part 4 points out that in this commune rectification, attention to livelihood must be grasped just like grasping production, so that all cadres understand that the fundamental purpose of developing production is to continuously raise the people's material and cultural living standards. At present, on livelihood issues, public canteens, nurseries, kindergartens, and homes of respect for the elderly must be run well according to the principle of combining large collectives and small freedoms. Part 5 points out that in this commune rectification, the organizational structure and management systems of the people's communes must be established and perfected according to the principle of democratic centralism.


The last paragraph of Part 3 of the resolution states that to implement the distribution system combining the wage system and the supply system, "it is necessary to criticize the departmentalism and individualism of caring only for the interests of the commune and disregarding the interests of the state, or caring only for individual interests and disregarding the interests of the commune. Foster collectivist thinking and a communist style of considering the overall situation and keeping the big picture in mind." After this, Mao added this bracketed annotation.
[2]
Part 5 of the resolution states: "In the use of the labor force, the commune must, according to the principle of simultaneous development of industry and agriculture and the all-round development of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production, and fishery, make unified arrangements for the labor force needed by industry, agriculture, transportation, and service undertakings, and stipulate appropriate proportions." After the word "agriculture" in this passage, Mao added this bracketed annotation.