I. From the 1840s to the mid-1940s—over a span of one hundred and five years—virtually every major, medium-sized, and small imperialist power in the world invaded China and waged war against it. With the exception of the last conflict, the War of Resistance Against Japan, which ended with the surrender of Japanese imperialism due to various domestic and international factors, none of these wars concluded other than in China’s defeat and the signing of humiliating treaties that ceded national rights and sovereignty.
The reasons for this were twofold: first, corruption within the social system; second, backwardness in economy and technology. Today, our social system has changed, thereby essentially addressing the first cause; however, it has not yet been completely resolved, as class struggle still persists in society. As for the second cause, certain improvements have begun to take place, but to achieve a thorough transformation will require at least several more decades. If we fail to make decisive progress over the next few decades in overcoming our vast economic and technological inferiority relative to the imperialist powers, being subjected to aggression will be unavoidable.
Of course, imperialism is now in a period of decline, while our country, the socialist camp, and the revolutionary struggles of oppressed peoples and nations worldwide are all advancing. Under such circumstances, a global war may possibly be averted. Thus, there exist two possibilities: that war can be avoided, or that it is inevitable. Nevertheless, we should base our planning on the likelihood of facing aggression, striving to overcome our socioeconomic and technological backwardness within a relatively short time frame. Otherwise, we shall err.

(September 1963)

II. We must not follow the old path of technological development taken by other countries, crawling step by step behind them. We need to break with convention, adopt advanced technologies as much as possible, and, within a not-too-long historical period, transform our country into a strong, modern socialist nation. What we refer to as the Great Leap Forward embodies precisely this objective. Is it truly unattainable? Is it mere boasting or empty rhetoric? No, it is achievable. It is neither boastful nor exaggerated. A glance at our history suffices to demonstrate this. Did we not fundamentally overthrow seemingly formidable imperialist, feudal, and capitalist forces within our own country? And did we not, starting from a foundation of utter poverty and backwardness, reach an appreciable level in all aspects of the socialist revolution and socialist construction after fifteen years of strenuous effort? Did we not also successfully detonate an atomic bomb? Has not the label once imposed upon us by Westerners—the “Sick Man of East”—already been discarded? Why then could the Western bourgeoisie accomplish something that the Eastern proletariat cannot? The great Chinese revolutionary and our predecessor, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, stated at the beginning of this century that China would experience a great leap forward. This foresight is bound to be realized within several decades. It represents an inexorable trend that no reactionary force can ever halt.

(December 13, 1964)

Printed according to Volume II of Selected Works of Mao Zedong, published by the People’s Publishing House in 1986.

Note [1]: Section I consists of a passage added by Mao Zedong when he reviewed the “Draft on Issues Concerning Industrial Development.” This draft was never formalized into an official document. Section II comprises a passage appended by Mao Zedong while reviewing a draft of Premier Zhou Enlai’s Government Work Report for the First Session of the Third National People’s Congress.