Chapter 108 Two Talks on Mutual Aid and Cooperation in Agriculture[1]

(October 15, November 4, 1953) one If the agricultural production cooperatives are run well, the mutual aid groups will be greatly developed. In the new area, regardless of whether it is a large, medium or small county, one or two cooperatives should be fully prepared this winter and next spring, at least one, usually one to two, and at most three, depending on the quality of the work.To assign numbers, apportion.More aggressiveness and less right leaning.It’s okay to have it, or not, it’s self-flowing.Can there be more than three? As long as they meet the conditions, comply with the charter and resolution, are voluntary, have a strong leadership backbone (mainly two: fairness, and ability), and do well, it is "General Han Xin, the more the better"[2].

Instruct the prefectural and county party committees to make great efforts to do it well.The Bureau of the Central Committee and the Rural Work Department of the provincial and municipal Party committees must pay close attention to this matter and focus their work on this issue. There must be control figures and apportioned.Apportionment without coercion is not commandism.After the meeting in October, November, December, January and February next year, and March in the north, there are four or five months to work on.At the beginning of next year, there will be a meeting to check, and this time I will explain clearly.It will be inspected early next year to see how it is completed.

Some places are ethnic minority areas, and the land reform has not been completed, so it is not necessary to carry out it.Individual counties, counties with very bad work, for example, 30 to 40% of backward townships, county party secretaries are weak, and troubles will arise if they are messed up. Help to rectify the work and prepare the conditions. After next year's autumn harvest, it will start in winter. The general rule is to go through mutual aid groups and then go to cooperatives, but if you start a cooperative directly, you can also give it a try.If you walk the straight road and walk well, you can get it done quickly. Why not? Yes.

Rural work departments at all levels should regard mutual assistance and cooperation as extremely important.Individual farmers have limited increase in production and must develop mutual assistance and cooperation.As for the rural positions, if socialism does not occupy them, capitalism will inevitably occupy them.Can it be said that neither the capitalist road nor the socialist road should be taken? The capitalist road can also increase production, but it takes a long time and is a painful road.We do not practice capitalism, that is for sure. If we do not practice socialism, we will lose both ways.

The general line, general program, industrialization, and socialist transformation will be held in October, and I will talk about them. "Securing private property" and "four freedoms" are all beneficial to rich peasants and wealthy middle peasants.Why is it written in the law? The law says to protect private property, and there is no word "guarantee".Now farmers are selling their land, which is not good.The law does not prohibit it, but we have to do work to prevent farmers from selling their land.The solution is cooperatives.Mutual aid groups cannot prevent farmers from selling their land. Cooperatives, big cooperatives, are needed.Large cooperatives can also save farmers from renting out their land. A large cooperative of one or two hundred households will solve the problem if a few households are widowed and lonely.Whether small cooperatives can also bring some should be studied.Mutual aid groups also help widows and loneliness.Cooperatives can't set up large ones, but medium ones; if they can't set up medium ones, they can set up small ones.But if you can do it well, you should do it well;A co-operative of one or two hundred households is considered large, and it can even be three or four hundred.Setting up several branches under the big society is also a kind of creation, and it does not necessarily mean disbanding the big society.The so-called good, not all good.All kinds of experience must be absorbed, and one specification should not be used everywhere.

The old districts should be developed more.Some new districts may develop faster than some old districts. For example, Guanzhong may develop faster than northern Shaanxi, and Chengdu Bazi may develop faster than Fuping.It is necessary to break the concept that the new district must be slow.The Northeast is actually not an old area, and Nanman[3] is similar to the post-liberation areas in Guanzhong.It is possible that Jiangsu, Hangjiahu, and the old mountainous areas in Shandong and North China have overtaken them, and they should overtake them.The new districts take their time, which can generally be said in this way, but some places have strong cadres, a concentrated population, flat terrain, and a few models have been established, and they may develop rapidly at once.

There are currently 6,000 cooperatives in North China. Double the number—one apportionment, quadruple—negotiate.Reasonable apportionment and control of numbers, otherwise you will have no idea when you are working.Northeast one, one and a half or two times, the same is true for North China.Control numbers don't have to be too big, places can be overrun, overfulfilled, and emotionally high. To develop cooperatives, we must also achieve large numbers, high quality, and low cost.The so-called low cost means that no waste products are produced; the production of waste products wastes the energy of farmers, and the impact is very bad. It loses money politically and saves food.The final result is to produce more grain, cotton, sugarcane, vegetables and so on.If we can't get more food, there is no way out, and it is not good for the country or the people.

In the suburbs of cities, there is no way out if we want to produce more vegetables, but we cannot produce more vegetables, and it is not good for the country or the people.The land in the outskirts of the city is fertile, flat, and publicly owned, so large communes can be established first.Of course, it must be meticulous. Growing vegetables is not like growing grain, let alone rough.It should be a typical trial run, not rash advances. For the supply of vegetables in cities, it is impossible to rely on individual farmers to go to the city to sell vegetables. This is not enough. We must find a way in terms of production, and the supply and marketing cooperatives must also find a way.There is a great contradiction between the supply and demand of vegetables in big cities.

There are also great contradictions in the supply and demand of grain and cotton, and there will be great contradictions in meat and fat soon.The demand has greatly increased, and the supply is not enough. Starting from solving this contradiction between supply and demand, it is necessary to solve the contradiction between ownership and productivity.Is it individual ownership or collective ownership? Is it capitalist ownership or socialist ownership? The production relationship of individual ownership completely conflicts with mass supply.Individual ownership must transition to collective ownership, to socialism.If there are low-level cooperatives, the land will become a shareholder; if there are high-level cooperatives, the land will be owned by the public and the cooperative owner.

The general line can also be said to solve the problem of ownership.Expansion of state-owned system - new construction, reconstruction and expansion of state-owned enterprises.There are two types of private ownership, those of the working people and those of the bourgeoisie. Only by changing to collective ownership and state-owned ownership (unified into socialism through public-private partnerships) can productivity be increased and the country's industrialization completed.The development of productive forces can solve the contradiction between supply and demand. (October 15) two All work must be done in a practical manner, and it is wrong to be unrealistic.To be realistic is to look at needs and possibilities, which may include political conditions, economic conditions and cadre conditions.The development of agricultural production cooperatives is now necessary and possible, with great potential.If you don't dig, you're going steady and not moving forward.The script is for walking, it would be wrong to stand still all the time.It is wrong to forcibly dissolve cooperatives that are conditionally established, no matter what year it is. "Correcting impetuosity and advancing forward" is always a gust of wind. When it blows down, it also blows down some agricultural production cooperatives that should not be blown down.Those who made mistakes should be found out and explained clearly, and admitted to be wrong, otherwise, the township cadres and activists there will be full of anger.

To engage in socialism. "Ensuring private ownership" is influenced by the bourgeoisie. "It's difficult to live in groups all day long, and it's hard to do small favors with words that are not righteous" [4]. "Not talking about justice" means not talking about socialism, and not doing socialism.Engage in agricultural loans, distribute relief grain, levy according to rate, reduce or exempt according to law, build small water conservancy, dig wells and open canals, deepen plowing and dense planting, apply fertilizer reasonably, promote new-style plows, waterwheels, sprayers, pesticides, oppose "five excesses", etc. , these are good things.However, instead of relying on socialism, and only doing this on the basis of the small-scale peasant economy, that is doing small favors to the peasants.If these good things are connected with the general line and socialism, it will be different, and it will not be Xiaohui.Socialism must be practiced so that these good things are linked to socialism.As for "ensuring private ownership" and "four major freedoms," they are even more small benefits, and they benefit rich peasants and well-to-do middle peasants.Instead of relying on socialism, if you want to make a fuss about the small peasant economy and rely on small benefits on the basis of the individual economy, but hope to greatly increase food production, solve the food problem, and solve the national economy and the people's livelihood, that is really difficult! There is an old saying, "Gang Ju Mu Zhang".Only when you pick up the outline can you open the eyes, and the outline is the theme.The contradiction between socialism and capitalism, and gradually resolve this contradiction, this is the main theme, this is the outline.When this outline is brought up, everything is under the umbrella of overcoming the "five excesses" and various political and economic work to help the peasants. In agricultural production cooperatives, there are contradictions both inside and outside the cooperative.The current agricultural production cooperatives are still semi-socialist, and individual farmers outside the cooperatives are completely privately owned (individual farmers have joined the supply and marketing cooperatives, and the ownership of this part of their shares has also changed, and they are also a little socialist). There is a contradiction between.Mutual aid groups are different from agricultural production cooperatives. Mutual aid groups are only collective labor and do not involve ownership.The current agricultural production cooperatives are still based on private ownership. Individually owned land, large livestock, and large agricultural tools are included in the shares. There are also contradictions between socialist factors and private ownership within the cooperatives. This contradiction must be gradually resolved.In the future, this contradiction will be resolved when the current half-public and half-private system enters collective ownership.The steps we have taken are steady, from the budding mutual aid groups of socialism, to semi-socialist cooperatives, and then to fully socialist cooperatives (in the future, they will also be called agricultural production cooperatives, not collective farms).Generally speaking, mutual aid groups are also the basis of agricultural production cooperatives. At one time, there were several documents that did not mention mutual aid and cooperation, and I always added words such as developing mutual aid and cooperation or carrying out necessary and feasible political and economic work.Some people want to make a fuss about the small-scale peasant economy, so they especially oppose too much interference with the peasants.At that time, there was indeed too much interference, with "five more" at the top, all inserted downwards, making the bottom messy. "Five more" years will not work, not only in rural areas, but also in factories and in the army.The central government has issued several documents against excessive interference, which is beneficial.What is too much interference? Irrespective of needs and possibilities, unrealistic, subjectivist plans, or plans that are unrealistic but implemented in an orderly manner, that is too much interference.Subjectivism and commandism are also undesirable for ten thousand years.Not only is it undesirable for the scattered small-scale peasant economy, it is also undesirable for the co-operatives.However, we cannot take things that need to be done and can be done, and the way of doing things is not command-oriented, which is also called too much interference.Inspection work should use this standard.Anything that is subjectivist and unrealistic is wrong.It is wrong to use commandism to do things.Steady progress, going to the right, trying to do more than is actually possible, and going to the "left" are all subjectivism.It is wrong to advance rashly, it is wrong not to do what can be done, and it is even wrong to force dissolution. "The countryside is suffering", "it's not very good", and "the measures are not suitable for the small peasant economy", there are such arguments inside and outside the party.There are some hardships in the countryside, but proper analysis is required.In fact, the rural areas are not that hard, and only about 10% of the food-deficient households, half of them are very difficult, widowed and lonely, and have no labor force, but mutual aid groups and cooperatives can help them.Their lives are always much better than those of the Kuomintang, and the fields are always divided.The victims were suffering, but relief food was also distributed.Generally, the life of the peasants is good and positive, so 80 to 90 percent of the peasants rejoice and support the government.Among the rural population, about 7 percent of the landlords and rich peasants are dissatisfied with the government.It is said that "the countryside is suffering, it is terrible", I have never looked at it like this.Some people talked about the hardships in the countryside, and they also talked about the scatteredness of the countryside, that is, the decentralized nature of the small peasant economy; but when they talked about the decentralized nature, they didn't talk about the establishment of cooperatives at the same time.Carrying out socialist transformation of the individual economy, engaging in mutual aid and cooperation, and establishing cooperatives are not only the direction, but also the current task. The question of the general line would not have been resolved by many comrades without the financial and economic conferences held in July and August.The financial conference in July and August is mainly to solve this problem.The general line can be summed up in one sentence: gradually realize the socialist industrialization of the country and the socialist transformation of agriculture, handicrafts, and capitalist industry and commerce.The implementation of the planned purchase and supply of grain this time is also a great impetus to socialism.Then this mutual assistance and cooperation meeting was held, which was another great impetus.In view of the fact that the mutual aid and cooperation movement has shrunk in the first half of this year, this meeting should be more active.However, the policy should be clearly stated.It is very important to explain the policy. "Active leadership, steady development", this sentence is very good.For more than half a year, it is not appropriate to shrink a bit and not move forward steadily.However, there are also benefits.For example, fighting a war, fighting a battle, taking a rest, and then launching a second battle.The problem is that some positions have retreated too much, and some positions have not retreated too much, but have not developed, and the development and approval have become illegal.There are many nascent right things in the world, often illegal ones.We were "illegal" in the past, and the Kuomintang was "legal".But these illegal co-operatives have persisted and run well, can you still not recognize them? You have to admit that they are legal, and they still won. The meeting talked about active leadership and steady development, but it must also be estimated that there will be some troubles.You say active and steady, but in doing so, you will not lead actively, or develop steadily.To be active and steady means to have control figures, assign tasks, and then check whether they are completed or not.If it is possible to complete it but not to complete it, that is impossible, and that is lack of enthusiasm for socialism.According to inspections, 5% to 10% of the co-operatives have reduced production and are not doing well. This is the result of lack of active leadership.Of course, a small number of co-operatives failed to run well, and production was reduced, which is unavoidable.But if 20% or more of the cooperatives have cut production, that is a problem. The general line is to gradually change the relations of production.Stalin said that the basis of production relations is ownership[5].This point, comrades, must be clarified.Now, both private ownership and socialist public ownership are legal, but private ownership will gradually become illegal."Ensuring private ownership" on the three acres of land and implementing the "four major freedoms" will result in the development of a small number of rich peasants and the road to capitalism. The work of county and district cadres should gradually be transferred to the field of mutual assistance and cooperation in agricultural production and to the field of building socialism.The secretary of the county party committee and the secretary of the district party committee should regard the work of socialism as a major matter.The secretary must be responsible. I am the secretary of the Central Committee. The secretary of the Central Bureau, the secretary of the provincial party committee, the secretary of the prefectural party committee, the secretary of the county party committee, the secretary of the district party committee, and the secretaries of all levels must be responsible and do it themselves.Seventy to eighty percent of the energy of the central government is now concentrated on the socialist transformation of agriculture.Transforming capitalist industry and commerce is also building socialism.Comrades from the rural work departments at all levels and those present at the meeting must become experts in the socialist transformation of agriculture, experts who understand the theory, the line, the policy, and the methods. The production and supply of urban vegetables must be planned.In big cities and newly developed cities, where the population is concentrated and there is no vegetable to eat, how can we do it? We must solve this problem.In the suburbs of the cities, mutual aid groups are established for vegetable production, and if the supply is not easy to solve, semi-socialist cooperatives or even fully socialist cooperatives can be established without mutual aid groups.This question can be studied. A plan for the development of production cooperatives has been put forward. From this winter to next spring, by next year's autumn harvest, there will be more than 32,000 cooperatives, and by 1957 the number will grow to 700,000.But it should be estimated that sometimes it may suddenly develop, and it may develop to a million, maybe more than a million.In short, it is necessary to do more, but also to do well, actively lead and develop steadily. This time it will be successful.If it is not opened now, it will be too late to open again in January next year, and this winter will be missed.There will be another meeting on March 26 next year to check how the plan is being implemented.This time, we will decide the date of the next meeting and decide to check the implementation of the resolutions of this meeting next time. This is a good way.There will be another meeting next autumn to discuss and define the tasks for next winter. (November 4) Published based on the transcript of the conversation kept by the Central Archives. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] These are the two conversations Mao Zedong had with Chen Boda and Liao Luyan, vice ministers of the Rural Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, before the third agricultural mutual aid and cooperation meeting and on the eve of the end of the meeting.This meeting was held from October 26 to November 5, 1953. [2] "Han Xin generals, the more the better", from "Historical Records Biography of Huaiyin Hou".Once Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, asked General Han Xin how many troops he could command. Han Xin replied: "The more ministers, the better the ears." [3] Nanman refers to the Zhuanghe, Dandong, Tonghua, Linjiang, Qingyuan and the Liaozhong area southwest of Shenyang to the east of the Shenyang-Dalian railway line. [4] See "The Analects of Confucius Duke Ling of Wei". [5] See Stalin's "On Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism" ("Stalin Selected Works" volume two, People's Publishing House, 1979 edition, p. 446-449).