Chapter 2 The purpose of the socialist revolution is to liberate the productive forces[1]

(January 25, 1956) At present our country is in the climax of the great socialist revolution.The founding of the People's Republic of China marked the transition of the Chinese revolution from the stage of the bourgeois democratic revolution to the stage of the socialist revolution, that is, the transition period from capitalism to socialism.In the past six years, the work of the first three years was mainly to restore the national economy and carry out various social reforms that were not completed in the previous revolutionary stage, mainly land reform[2].Since last summer, socialist transformation, that is, the socialist revolution has unfolded on an extremely broad scale and in an extremely profound degree.In about three more years, the socialist revolution can be basically completed nationwide.

The purpose of the socialist revolution is to liberate the productive forces.The transformation of agriculture and handicrafts from individual ownership to socialist collective ownership, and the transformation of private industry and commerce from capitalist ownership to socialist ownership will inevitably greatly liberate the productive forces.In this way, social conditions have been created for the great development of industrial and agricultural production. The methods we use to carry out the socialist revolution are peaceful methods.Many people, both inside and outside the Communist Party, expressed doubts about this method.But since last summer, due to the upsurge of the co-operative movement in the countryside and the upsurge of socialist transformation in the cities in recent months, their doubts have been largely resolved.Under the conditions of our country, peaceful means, that is, persuasion and education, can not only change individual ownership into socialist collective ownership, but also change capitalist ownership into socialist ownership.The speed of socialist transformation in the past few months has greatly exceeded people's expectations.In the past, some people were afraid that the test of socialism would be difficult, but now it seems that this test is still easy to pass.

The current political situation in our country has undergone fundamental changes.Much of the difficult situation in agriculture that existed before last summer has now basically changed, and many things that were once considered impossible are now possible.my country's first five-year plan [3] may be completed ahead of schedule or overfulfilled.The task of the National Agricultural Development Program[4] from 1956 to 1967 was to point out a long-term perspective for the development of agricultural production and rural work on the basis of this high tide of socialist transformation and socialist construction, as a The goal of farmers and agricultural workers across the country.All kinds of work other than agriculture must also catch up quickly in order to adapt to the new situation of the climax of the socialist revolution.

The people of our country should have a long-term plan, and strive to change our country's backwardness in economy, science and culture, and quickly reach the advanced level in the world within a few decades.In order to achieve this great goal, it is necessary to have cadres and a sufficient number of outstanding scientific and technical experts; at the same time, we must continue to consolidate and expand the people's democratic united front and unite all possible forces that can be united.The people of our country must also unite with the people of other countries in the struggle to maintain world peace.

According to January 26, 1956 "People's Daily" was published. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] This is the main point of Mao Zedong's speech at the sixth meeting of the Supreme State Council. [2] Land reform, here refers to the revolutionary movement that after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party led the peasants to abolish the feudal land ownership system and realize the peasants' land ownership system.In June 1950, the Central People's Government promulgated the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Land Reform." From the fall and winter of the same year, land reform movements were successively carried out in the newly liberated areas.By the winter of 1952, with the exception of Taiwan Province and some ethnic minority areas, the land reform was basically completed throughout the country, and the 300 million landless or landless farmers were allocated about 700 million mu of land and other means of production.

[3] The first five-year plan is the abbreviation of the first five-year plan for the development of the national economy of the People's Republic of China from 1953 to 1957.The preparation of this plan began in 1951, lasted four years, and changed its draft five times. It was officially approved by the Second Session of the First National People's Congress in July 1955.As a result of implementation, by 1956, the socialist transformation of agriculture, handicrafts, and capitalist industry and commerce had been basically completed, and a basic socialist economic system had been established; The construction tasks were successfully fulfilled, and many indicators were exceeded, which laid the initial foundation for the country's industrialization, and at the same time, people's lives were greatly improved.

[4] That is, "National Agricultural Development Program from 1956 to 1967 (Draft)".This draft was put forward by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and announced in January 1956.In October 1957, the revised draft was announced.It was revised later and issued as an official document after being adopted at the Second Session of the Second National People's Congress in April 1960.The full text of the Outline consists of 40 articles, and puts forward the development plan of my country's agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fishery, sideline industry, rural commerce, credit, transportation, post and telecommunications, broadcasting, science, culture, education, health and so on.