Critique and Revisions to the Draft Resolution of the Eighth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee: "Struggle to Defend the Party's General Line and Oppose Right Opportunism" [1]
(August 2–17, 1959)

Comrade Qiaomu:
There is one revision [2]; please consider it.
Mao Zedong
August 2

[1] Items 1, 2, and 3 of this text are critiques written respectively on the second, third, and fourth revised drafts of the draft resolution "Struggle to Defend the Party's General Line and Oppose Right Opportunism"; Item 4 is a critique written on the amended draft of this resolution submitted for review on the evening of August 16, 1959, by Hu Qiaomu, alternate secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Mao Zedong's secretary; Items 5 to 8 are the finalized portions of Mao Zedong's successive revisions to the draft resolution. The text printed in Song typeface represents words added or rewritten by Mao Zedong.

[2] Mao Zedong's revision to the second revised draft of the resolution primarily involved changing the sentence on page one from "The broad masses of the people across the nation, under the great banner of the General Line, are full of confidence as they struggle to consolidate and expand the great victorious achievements already attained" to: "The broad masses of the people across the nation, under the great banner of the General Line, are full of confidence as they struggle to win this year's great victory." Additionally, there were minor textual revisions.

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Critique and Revisions to the Draft Resolution of the Eighth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee

For immediate delivery to Comrades Chen Boda, Wang Jiaxiang, and Hu Qiaomu:
A section has been added [1]; I deem it necessary. Do you agree? Please discuss it once. A small portion of the analysis and phrasing overlaps with Section [IV]; how to adjust this should also be considered.

Comrade Shangkun:
Mao Zedong
August 6, 9:00 a.m.

Print 20 copies of this document and distribute to the Standing Committee members, Peng Zhen, Boda, Jiaxiang, Qiaomu, the seven regional group leaders [2], and Zeng Xisheng [3].
Mao Zedong
August 8

[1] This passage added by Mao Zedong to the third revised draft of the resolution underwent several subsequent revisions and was finalized as Item 5 of this text.

[2] During this Lushan Conference, group discussions were organized by cooperative regions, with the chairpersons of each cooperative region serving as group leaders. The chairpersons of the cooperative regions were: Ouyang Qin (Northeast), Lin Tie (North China), Ke Qingshi (East China), Tao Zhu (South China), Wang Renzhong (Central China), Li Jingquan (Southwest), and Zhang Desheng (Northwest).

[3] Zeng Xisheng, then First Secretary of the CPC Anhui Provincial Committee.

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IV
There are some revisions [1] on pages 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Mao
August 17

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V
Our country is still in the period of transition from capitalism to socialism. Classes still exist. Although the old socio-economic system has been fundamentally transformed, it has not yet been completely transformed. Capitalists still receive fixed interest payments. Moreover, in the countryside, there remains a small portion of privately owned means of production and primary markets with private activities (of course, under the correct management of the state and the communes, these elements will not develop toward capitalism but will serve the socialist economy).

The force of habit of the bourgeoisie and petty bourgeoisie will still require a very long period to be thoroughly overcome. The remolding of elements such as landlords, rich peasants, counterrevolutionaries, bad elements, and rightists is far from complete. Although the reactionary ideological and political activities of the urban and rural bourgeoisie were dealt a decisive blow during the 1957 Rectification and Anti-Rightist Struggle, they are still far from being thoroughly eliminated. Their reactionary ideological and political activities still find a market among a section of the well-to-do middle peasants and intellectuals, and at the slightest sign of disturbance, they will stir into action. In short, since the residual ideological and political activities of the bourgeoisie exist, they will inevitably find their representatives within the Communist Party. And now a small batch (four persons in the Central Committee) of Right opportunist elements within the Party who speak on their behalf has indeed emerged. Among these people, some are speculators and alien class elements who have infiltrated the Party; some are individual careerists with a bourgeois worldview; some are elements who made mistakes in history, were criticized, and harbor resentment; and some are chronically vacillating elements. Influenced by the bourgeoisie and representing the interests of the bourgeoisie, these Right opportunist elements seize the opportunity to attack the Party majority, the Party's leading organs, and the Party's General Line. This attack is of a rampant nature, creating a sharp contradiction between us and them. However, this contradiction is still a contradiction among the people, not an antagonistic contradiction like the rampant attack of the bourgeois reactionary Rightists in 1957. Except for those verified alien class elements concealed within the Party who must be expelled, as for the ordinary Right opportunist elements, so long as they are adept at conducting themselves properly and do not take the road to ruin, and our policy is appropriate, it is still possible to win them over and cooperate with them anew. These people still have a vague inclination toward socialism, and they will resist imperialist oppression against our country. They are opportunists, accustomed to trimming their sails to the wind; seeing that the general trend is unfavorable to them and feeling isolated, as long as we leave room for maneuver, they can come back over. The pessimistic ideological trend and Right opportunist ideological trend among a section of Communists are a reflection within the Party of the bourgeois anti-socialist ideological trend in society. During the period of transition from capitalism to socialism, the ideological and political struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie is wave-like, rising for a time, falling for a time, then rising again, then falling again, until this struggle completely dies out—that will be the time when the ideological and political influence of the bourgeoisie is finally eliminated.

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VI
For comrades who have committed Right opportunist errors, regardless of the severity of the nature, the Party's policy remains: "Proceeding from the desire for unity, resolve the contradiction through criticism or struggle, so as to achieve a new unity on a new basis"; it remains: "Learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones, and cure the sickness to save the patient," and "strict in criticism, lenient in handling."

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VII
Comrades who have made mistakes must use practical actions to expose and correct their errors. We, on our part, should help them recognize and correct their errors, enabling them to make progress and reunite with us to struggle for the great victory of the Party's General Line.

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VIII
As for those who, proceeding entirely from the standpoint of upholding the General Line, point out to the Party organization the shortcomings and errors in our practical work, their motives and actions are correct. They must be resolutely protected, and no acts of suppression or retaliation are permitted.