Chapter 5 Chapter 2 "Production must never stop!" ——National Economy in the Early Stage of the "Cultural Revolution"

In August 1966, the "Decision on the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" (16 Articles) passed at the Eleventh Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly stated: "The purpose of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution is to revolutionize people's thinking. As a result, various tasks can be done more, faster, better, and more economically. As long as the masses are fully mobilized and properly arranged, the cultural revolution and production can be guaranteed, and the high quality of various tasks can be guaranteed.” When it is possible to predict the development of the "Cultural Revolution" in the future, this passage naturally reflects a sincere wish of the older generation of revolutionaries, including Zhou Enlai, and the broad masses of cadres and masses.

At this time, the movement was limited to colleges, middle schools and some party and government agencies, and had not yet had a direct impact on industrial and agricultural production, cutting-edge scientific research, and national defense construction.However, compared with previous political movements, the "Cultural Revolution" was more violent, involved a wider area, and its spearheads were increasingly pointed and abused.In this regard, Zhou Enlai, who has been paying attention to the situation of industrial and agricultural production, also said on the one hand that the Cultural Revolution should be carried out well, "taking class struggle as the key link"; Grasp together, carry out the "Cultural Revolution" step by step, in stages and in batches.

The "Red Guard Movement" launched from Beijing in mid-August quickly pushed the "revolution" into society, swept across the country, and began to affect industrial and agricultural production.First of all, the "big series" caused the national railway transportation to be tense, and the production order was seriously disrupted.This actually broke through some of the restrictive regulations on the movement in the "Sixteen Points", and violated the original intention of Zhou Enlai and other revolutionaries of the older generation to stabilize the national economic order.To this end, Zhou Enlai adopted a series of propaganda and administrative measures aimed at ensuring the normal production.

On September 7, the "People's Daily" published an editorial titled "Grasp the Revolution and Promote Production", calling on all production units and business departments to properly divide their labor and form two teams, one for revolution and the other for production.This editorial, which was drafted according to Zhou Enlai’s intention and presided over by Vice Premier Tao Zhu, more typically reflected the ideas of Zhou Enlai and other revolutionaries of the older generation, that is, on the premise of recognizing the Cultural Revolution, separate “revolution” from production and realize the “revolution” of the two. "Dual-track parallel", and "do their own way", without interfering with each other.That night, Zhou Enlai came to the debate venue of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, personally preached the views in the editorial, and pointed out: In terms of my own responsibility, I cannot watch this situation continue, that is, in the course of such a revolution, make the Our most urgent and important business work is affected.

Based on the same understanding, Zhou Enlai also presided over the formulation of the "Notice on Grasping the Revolution and Promoting Production" (Six Articles in Industry) and "Regulations on the Cultural Revolution in Rural Areas Below the County Level" (Five Articles in Rural Areas).The two documents require that all production areas and business departments should immediately strengthen or form production command organizations at all levels, stop collusion, stick to their posts, and ensure the normal progress of revolution and production in their units.Before the document was issued, Zhou Enlai asked Mao Zedong for instructions and suggested "discuss it once in the Politburo and agree on policies."In this regard, Mao Zedong criticized: "You can post it immediately, don't discuss it."Therefore, these two documents were issued in the name of the CPC Central Committee in mid-September.Immediately after the document was conveyed, it was widely welcomed by the cadres and the masses in the front line of production, and they all expressed their support.They said: They were very anxious when they saw the abnormal phenomenon of only grasping the revolution and ignoring production, but they dared not speak up; now that the central government has instructions, they can stand up and speak.

While trying to formulate some specific policies and regulations to limit the "revolution" and ensure production, Zhou Enlai also used public occasions to persuade and explain to the young people. On September 15, at Mao Zedong's third meeting with the Red Guards, Zhou Enlai clearly stated: "In order to facilitate the normal progress of industrial and agricultural production, the Red Guards and revolutionary students in universities and middle schools should not go to factories, business units, or below the county level. Institutions and rural people's communes to carry out revolutionary connections. The revolution there must be carried out in a planned and step-by-step manner in accordance with the original deployment of the "Four Cleansing"; factories and rural areas cannot have holidays like schools and stop production to make revolutions." Contradictions and disputes between the Red Guards and the workers and peasants occurred in some places. Zhou Enlai said that we not only want revolution, but also production. Otherwise, what will we eat?for what?Therefore, any production place should not be affected. A reduction in production is not good for the country or the people.

In addition, Zhou Enlai also expressed clear opinions on pressing ahead with industrial production and scientific research work on some occasions, which already revealed his concern about the development of the situation.In view of the state of industrial production, he reminded that there are bad signs in the industry now. If it continues, not only will it be difficult to complete the annual plan for this year, but it will also affect the plan for next year and the realization of the entire "Three Five-Year Plan".He also said: "Industrial and transportation enterprises must make revolutions in their spare time, adhere to the eight-hour work system, and ensure the normal progress of production activities!" He also emphasized on the problems in national defense scientific research: the more serious problem at present is cutting-edge, and this year has already delayed a year. Months, maybe it will disrupt the five-year vision of the entire cutting-edge industry, so it will be delayed for a year or two instead of a few months!

It is not difficult to see that Zhou Enlai is most concerned about whether the "Cultural Revolution" is still underway, and the leaders of most party and government agencies, enterprises and institutions are still "very incomprehensible, very careless, and very incompetent". Whether this "revolution" can really be launched and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people depends on how the normal order of the entire national economy will not be disrupted, the basic needs of the people's food, clothing, and daily necessities can be guaranteed, and cutting-edge national defense projects can continue as usual. .He once confided his worries to Yu Qiuli and Gu Mu, who were transferred to the State Council to assist in grasping the industry: "You have to help me control the economic work! The economic foundation is stable, and the situation can be maintained. If the economic foundation is chaotic, the situation There is no way to clean up. Therefore, economic work must be firmly grasped, and production must not be stopped. If production stops, what will the country do? If there is no farming, no food to eat, how can the people survive? What kind of revolution can there be?"

On the balance between "revolution" and production, Zhou Enlai's center of gravity actually shifted to the side of production. After the Central Work Conference in October of the same year, a wave of "criticizing the bourgeois reactionary line" was set off across the country.Instigated by the slogan of "kicking out the party committees and making revolution", not only the "four major" movements were carried out in government agencies and schools, but many industrial and mining enterprises, rural communes, commercial departments, and scientific research institutes also established mass organizations one after another to communicate with each other. Collusion, keen to "rebel", aiming the spearhead of the struggle at the party and government leaders of the unit, the system, and the region.As a result, the impact on the national economy has become even greater, and a large number of disruptive and destructive factors that are difficult to control have begun to appear in various sectors of industrial and agricultural production, especially within the industrial transportation system.Like the vast majority of party and government agencies, the leading groups of many industrial and mining enterprises are also paralyzed or semi-paralyzed, resulting in a severe situation of failure of production command and stagnation of economic construction.Zhou Enlai was extremely anxious about this.In view of the increased resistance to issuing administrative documents at this time and the limited implementation, he decided to continue to strengthen the explanatory propaganda of "grasping revolution and promoting production" while formulating a number of policy regulations.

On the evening of November 9, Zhou Enlai personally presided over the meeting to discuss the editorial draft of "People's Daily" "Re-discussion on "Grasp the Revolution and Promote Production"".At the meeting, he reiterated that economic construction could not be stagnated or interrupted, and rationally refuted the argument that he only talked about grasping revolution but not production at all.The next day, this editorial approved by Zhou Enlai solemnly declared to the whole party and the people of the whole country the policy of "grasping revolution and promoting production", "whether in urban industrial and mining enterprises, public institutions, or in all scientific research and design departments, in all In rural areas, it is completely applicable, without exception, and must be firmly observed and observed at all times." Because, "a slight interruption in industrial and agricultural production will affect the economic life of the people. The national economy is a whole, and industrial production is As a whole, one link is deducted from another link; as long as a certain part is out of touch, it may affect the overall situation. This is something within the scope of common sense, and everyone will understand."

At the critical juncture when the "Cultural Revolution" is about to fully involve in the field of industrial and agricultural production, this editorial resolutely flashes a "red light" and publicly warns some people not to do things beyond the "common sense". figurative.The facts of the past few months have clearly demonstrated the irreconcilable contradiction between "revolution" and production.Under such circumstances, Zhou Enlai unswervingly adhered to the slogan of "grasping revolution and promoting production" in order to dispel the worries of the cadres and the masses so that they can let go of production and business; , "Rebellion", those who oppose the grasp of production have nothing to say in front of the basic facts.In this way, whether it is public opinion propaganda or administrative documents, they all endowed "grasp revolution and promote production" with a specific meaning, creating certain conditions conducive to maintaining and promoting economic work in an unfavorable political climate.