Chapter 135 Speech at the Symposium on the Socialist Transformation of Capitalist Industry and Commerce

(October 29, 1955) Just now Vice Premier Chen Yun said a lot, so I would like to add a few comments.These opinions were shared with some friends two days earlier. In general, this is a question that people ask: What is the future of the socialist transformation of industry and commerce? Or what is the trend? We held the Sixth Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Party a few weeks ago, and many people also raised the issue of agricultural cooperatives like this The question: What is the future? What is the trend? This question exists among the vast number of people across the country, because we are now going to change the social system.Now there are two kinds of private ownership in our country: one is the private ownership of individual small producers, and the other is capitalist private ownership.In the process of changing these two kinds of private ownership, all those who are in these two kinds of private ownership will face the question of what the future will be or what the trend will be. They are all in a turbulent situation and do not know what the future will be like.Originally, our Constitution has clearly stipulated the future issue. At the first National People's Congress last year, Comrade Liu Shaoqi's report on the draft constitution and Premier Zhou Enlai's government work report all talked about the five-year plan. All kinds of documents have also been mentioned.Why does this problem still occur frequently? The reason is that people in such a position naturally have the problem of not knowing what will happen tomorrow when changing such a system.Say you don't know at all? Not really.I know a little bit, but problems still occur, and I still have to ask such a question.Therefore, I would like to contribute a little opinion on this issue, that is to say, I have to control my own destiny.It's not good if you can't control your own destiny, and it's hard to live every day.The old society was like that, no matter which class they were in, they could not control their own destiny.Workers, peasants, and other working people are ruled, they have little rights, and their fate is in the hands of others.The ruling class cannot control its own destiny, such as the Kuomintang government, which is also uneasy.We have a certain development direction and a law of social development that we can grasp, so we should feel at ease.But be clear about it, and often.If you don't talk about it often, if you are safe today, you may be uneasy tomorrow.For example, whether or not the united front is still needed? This question often occurs now.This is not a matter of a political party (the Communist Party or its Central Committee), a group, a small number of people or individual people.This depends on whether the existence of the united front is beneficial or not, whether it is beneficial to the cause of the working people and to the socialist road.Vice Premier Chen Yun said just now that our road is very broad, and we are not afraid that there will be nothing to do in the future.We are completely different from the Kuomintang at that time. Our business is very broad and develops every year. We are not afraid of having too many people.We have proved in the long revolution that a united front is better than none.During the Revolutionary War, we couldn't find many people. How could we have such an opportunity like today, where many people were found to sit here for a meeting.At that time, the Kuomintang didn’t allow it. They didn’t agree with us. They said a lot of bad things about the Communist Party, saying that the Communist Party didn’t look good. It had not only one head, but three heads, and it was ugly. In a word, it was terrible. Suitable for China's national conditions.The Kuomintang has spread this kind of talk everywhere, and many people seem to believe it.At that time, it was difficult to find someone to talk to and establish a broad united front.It has now been proved that the establishment of a united front is helpful to us, not only beneficial to the bourgeois-democratic revolution against imperialism and feudalism in the past, but also beneficial to the struggle for the cause of socialism now.Therefore, the United Front must persist, as stipulated in the Constitution.

In short, our cause is growing day by day, contrary to the fact that the cause of the Kuomintang is shrinking day by day.Now our cause includes fighting against imperialist bullying, including domestic economic construction, cultural construction, and other construction work.Construction work has only just begun, so everyone should rest easy.I always advise my friends, after you persuade more people, everyone can calm down, don't fetch water with fifteen buckets, and go up and down.I suggest reducing buckets and increasing water pumps. It is best to use all water pumps, because the water pumps are not in a hurry.In this way, sleep is better.What Vice Premier Chen Yun said just now is also in the nature of a water pump.Don't worry, it will be difficult at first.For example, whether the work arrangements and political arrangements are appropriate, etc., there will be some problems.However, after consultation, consideration, and investigation, a solution can always be found in a realistic manner.In this way, everyone can control their own destiny.Our goal is to make our country far more developed, richer and stronger than it is now.Now, our country is neither rich nor strong, and is still a very poor country.my country is a big country, but it is neither rich nor powerful.Airplanes cannot be built, cannons cannot be built, tanks cannot be built, cars cannot be built, precision machines cannot be built, we cannot make many things, and we are only now learning how to make them.We are still an agricultural country.On the basis of an agricultural country, it is neither strong nor rich.However, now that we implement such a system and such a plan, we can become richer and stronger year by year, and we can see that we become richer and stronger year by year.And this wealth is the common wealth, and this strength is the common strength. Everyone has a share, including the landlord class.After a few years, the landlord has the right to vote, so he is no longer called a landlord, but a peasant.The bourgeoisie, one day, within about three five-year plans, they will no longer be called bourgeoisie, they will become workers.There is still a class of farmers, but they have also changed. They are no longer farmers with individual private ownership, but farmers with collective ownership of cooperatives.This kind of common prosperity is assured, and it is not something that we do not know tomorrow today.The situation of not being able to control one's own destiny should gradually come to an end within a few five-year plans.At that time, there were only workers, peasants and intellectuals in the whole country.The intellectuals are the intellectuals of the workers and peasants.

Just now Vice Premier Chen Yun said that publicity is included in the overall plan for industrial and commercial transformation, and publicity and education should be strengthened.Now, we are very happy to hear that there are learning organizations in the business circles of major cities.The number of people participating in the study should be gradually expanded, each city should have several thousand people, and gradually more people should come to learn the things that should be learned.There is a problem here, that is, there must be a relatively small number of core figures.We have such a basic requirement for this meeting. We hope that there will be dozens or hundreds of core figures in each big city.In the industrial and commercial circles, these people are more enlightened and progressive than other people, and they educate other people through them.Is this possible? It should be possible.We see that in the past few years, some people in the industrial and commercial circles have had a relatively high level of awareness. They understand the country's principles and policies. Therefore, we think it is entirely conceivable that after the work of the Federation of Industry and Commerce, the Democratic National Construction Association, and various democratic parties, Expand such a team to reach thousands of people across the country.To change capitalist private ownership requires several years of preparatory work.I once said to some of my friends that I did not say today that communism will happen tomorrow[1], that’s not what I mean, but preparation for communism.Socialism and communism should be widely publicized.This thing has always been said to be bad by others, and it was once said very badly by Chiang Kai-shek.Although the situation has changed in recent years, there are still some people who are uneasy about the implementation of socialism.When one system changes to another, they are bound to be uneasy, because it is still changing; after the change, they will still feel uncomfortable for a period of time, because the remnants of the old system still exist in their minds.Propaganda of the new system will take a long time, and it must be propagated step by step so that the ideas of the new system are gradually strengthened and the remnants of the old system are gradually reduced.People in the business world are also uneven, some are more enlightened, some are not, and in the end there are even some diehards.The bourgeoisie, including their families, number about seven million.The urban petty bourgeoisie, that is, small merchants and peddlers and independent handicraftsmen (not including shop assistants and workers in handicraft factories), has 20 million and several million people.The two together have about 30 million people.Facing such a large team, there should be a whole publicity and education plan.Many friends in the industrial and commercial circles commented that the five-year plan report did not mention enough publicity and education.I said that this suggestion was well put forward. In the past, there was indeed this shortcoming, and there was no comprehensive plan.Comrades from many government departments and comrades from the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China attended the meeting today. You didn’t care about this matter.Moreover, when propagating, we must do it properly and seek truth from facts. When evaluating and analyzing the situation, we should say good when it is good, say bad when it is bad, and talk about the shortcomings to the extent of their shortcomings. Do not exaggerate. .From our point of view, over the past few years, the entire industrial and commercial circles have made progress, the work of the democratic parties has made progress, the basic situation is good, and they have taken a step forward on the road of socialist transformation.To make such a general estimate, in my opinion, is in line with the facts and necessary.If we do not have a proper basic estimate, we will not be able to build confidence, the business community itself will have no confidence, and the people who work with them will also have no confidence. They feel that there is no way to reform, there is no hope, and private ownership is no matter what. I can’t pull it out, I can’t dig it out! So what can I do? I’ve been working in vain for five or six years, but there’s been no, or very little, results. wrong.Is it possible to say that? In my opinion, it cannot be said that way.Can it be said that the industrial and commercial circles have done nothing good and achieved nothing in the areas of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea, economic construction, processing orders, public-private partnerships, buying public bonds, etc.? In my opinion, it cannot be said that, and I have not heard anyone say that.For the entire industrial and commercial circles and the various democratic parties, we should affirm their achievements, otherwise we will lose confidence, and the following will be difficult to manage. Moreover, that kind of statement is totally untrue, because there have indeed been achievements in the past few years.Of course, affirming the achievements does not mean to erase the shortcomings, there will be shortcomings.If it is a shortcoming, say it is a shortcoming, and say as many shortcoming as there are.This is called seeking truth from facts and comprehensive analysis.We don't want that unrealistic method, and we don't want one-sided analysis methods.Not seeking truth from facts is subjectivism, and one-sided analysis is untenable.

Talk about the issue of communism openly, to the point, and often, so you won’t be afraid if you talk about it with a few friends.In my opinion, communism is a good thing, and there is nothing to fear. You will know it and see it.National overall planning, this power is very powerful.Capitalist private ownership greatly hinders overall planning and hinders the prosperity of the country, because it is anarchic in nature and contradicts the planned economy.Changes in capitalist private ownership need to be discussed.Of course, we should also pay attention to it. Don’t be unable to sleep at night when you talk about it, and you will suffer from neurasthenia, saying that the Communist Party will be born tomorrow morning.no.When we talk about several years of preparation, we have to go through several steps: the first step is processing and ordering; the second step is public-private partnership; the third step is to discuss it at that time.We always have to discuss with you the exact year of nationalization.Nationalization will not be like dropping an atomic bomb, and the whole country will be realized in one morning, but will be realized gradually.For now, it is still a matter of publicity and education.By doing work for one month, two months, one year or two years, we will gradually let our new system penetrate into everyone's minds, gradually reduce anxiety, increase core members, expand core groups, and let everyone understand The new system is indeed feasible and beneficial.If the new system does not prove to be substantially more advantageous than the old system, then the new system is not desirable.The reason why the new system should be adopted is that it is much more beneficial than the old system, not just for a few people, but for the whole people.

Our current socialist transformation of capitalist industry and commerce is actually using the redemption policy proposed by Marx, Engels, and Lenin.It is not that the state uses a sum of money or issues public bonds to buy capitalists’ private property (not means of subsistence, but means of production, that is, machines, factory buildings, etc.), nor does it use a sudden method, but proceed gradually and extend the time for transformation , let’s say fifteen years, during which time the workers will produce part of the profits for the industrialists and merchants.This part of the profit is the part of the profits produced by workers that is distributed to private individuals. Some say it is four to five billion a year, while others say it is not so much. It is probably a few hundred million a year, and several tens of billions in ten years.This is the kind of policy we have in place.The valuation of the fixed assets of capitalists across the country is as follows: 2.5 billion yuan in industry and 800 million yuan in commerce, totaling 3.3 billion yuan.I think that if fifteen years are added to the recovery period of three years, the total will be eighteen years, and the profits produced by the working class for the bourgeoisie will exceed this figure.For capitalist industry and commerce, should we adopt the method of confiscating all bureaucratic capital and not giving a single cent as it did in 1949, or delay it for fifteen or eighteen years, and let the working class produce part of the profits for them, while the entire Is it better to gradually turn the classes around? There are two ways: one for evil and one for good; one forcibly and the other for peace.The method we are adopting now is to go through many transitional steps, to go through a lot of propaganda and education, and to make arrangements for the capitalists. It should be said that this method is better.There are two main arrangements for capitalists, one is jobs and the other is political status, which must be arranged properly.In terms of political status, there is nothing to do with the issue of the right to vote, because we have already announced that we will not deprive the national bourgeoisie of its political rights, and adopt a different policy from the landlord class and the bureaucratic bourgeoisie.The political rights of the landlord class and the bureaucratic capitalist class need to be deprived of their political rights for a period of time. For example, the landlord class usually takes five years, and some may even be extended.To adopt a policy of cooperation with the national bourgeoisie, they already have political rights. In the future, their class composition will change. They will no longer be capitalists, but it will be better to become workers, because the working class is more popular than the bourgeoisie.In the past, rich people were very popular, but now it seems that they have to be a working class to be comfortable.Do you think there is any hope of becoming a working class? There is definitely hope, and I can write you a check.This is a bright political position with a bright future.If individual private ownership and capitalist private ownership are abolished, only the working class, peasant class and intellectuals will remain in society.Only then will the entire nation have a brighter future and more hope for development.

Our goal is to catch up with the United States and surpass the United States.The United States has a population of just over 100 million, while my country has a population of over 600 million. We should catch up with the United States.Comrade Li Fuchun [2] made a report, didn't he say that it would take a hundred years to catch up with the United States? I also agree with this view.Exactly how many decades it will take depends on everyone's efforts, at least fifty years, maybe seventy-five years, seventy-five years is the fifteen five-year plans.When we catch up with the United States and surpass the United States, we will breathe a sigh of relief.Now we don't look like we are going to be bullied.We are such a big country, it sounds like a big cowhide, with a history of thousands of years, a vast land and abundant resources, and a large population, but it only produces two million tons of steel a year, and it is only now starting to make cars, and the output is still very small. look.Therefore, all walks of life in the country, including the business circles and the democratic parties, must work hard to build our country into a prosperous and strong country.We should have this duty in the whole world.There are only one of us among the four people in the world. If we don't live up to it, that's not okay. We must fight for it.

Let's talk about leadership.The method of leadership can be better or worse.Leaders must be able to adapt to the laws of objective development.If the leadership is better and the objective laws are better suited, there will be fewer shortcomings and mistakes, and the work will be better.If the leadership is poorer, the adaptation to objective laws is worse, and the work is worse.Therefore, we must pay attention to the method of leadership. All parties, federations of industry and commerce, the central government and local governments must pay attention to the methods used to make everyone more conscious.Why do companies evade and evade taxes? The very important reason is that our leaders have not educated them enough.The more you study, the less tax evasion and tax evasion, and the less you learn, the less tax evasion and tax evasion.Therefore, tax evasion and tax evasion also have problems with our leaders, and we cannot just blame others.Of course, we are not the only leaders here. All of you here are leaders. Many of you are representatives of the people, deputy mayors, members of the Federation of Industry and Commerce, members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and leaders of democratic parties. You are all responsible.You see, in the final analysis, the problem has been brought to you again.Of course, I also have to take a little responsibility, and I can’t do without it! We all have to take responsibility and take responsibility together. This is a problem for the entire nation.

With regard to the issue of going back to convey, I feel that there are some points that need your attention.That is to say, don't create a gust of wind, saying that communism is going to happen, that's not what it means.Today there are millions of capitalists, large, medium and small, and the number of capitalists is uneven, and the degree of progress is also uneven.If there is a gust of wind, it is impossible to destroy it at all.All in all, don't say that communism is about to happen, and cause a gust of wind, like a typhoon, that is not good.With regard to socialist transformation, we need to be fully prepared, including ideological preparation, publicity and education, and many other tasks, which must be carried out in an orderly and step-by-step manner, not in a gust of wind, so as not to incur some possible losses.We must strive to ensure that the loss is as small as possible.Therefore, the core members are very important. Only with the core can there be leadership and orderly progress.

We have made achievements in socialist transformation, and we can see great achievements in the future.There are many goods on the counters and shelves of our store, which have not been broken since the founding of the People's Republic of China.After such a big revolution, our goods have not been broken, which is a great event.Many foreigners are envious when they see that we have enough goods.The socialist transformation of our country, including the socialist transformation of industry and commerce, has not only national but also international significance.The whole world wants to take the road of socialism. In terms of socialist transformation of private industry and commerce, we are ahead of the world. Chinese capitalists will be advanced in the future, and I can also write this check.The Chinese are going to be ahead. (Zhou Enlai: It refers to relatively backward countries.) Of course, I am not saying that all countries will follow our direction, but that relatively backward countries will learn from us.Aren't we talking about the socialist climax now? I'm afraid that if I'm not ready, a climax will come.Please be aware of this.To do good deeds is a principle.I have talked to many friends, the more good things the better.The more good deeds you do, the better your future, the more benefits you will get, and the more prestigious you will be in society.While participating in the bourgeois-democratic revolution and in the process of socialist transformation, the more you do good for the people, the better your work performance will be, and the more rewards you will receive from the people, and it will not be inversely proportional.It can't be said that if you have made meritorious service, you will have to be unlucky.It's not such a trend, it's unreasonable, it doesn't make sense, and people don't agree with it.Setting such a standard can encourage people to move forward, to do more good deeds, and to do better.Of course there will be variations.You are all progressives and say you want to have an orgasm.However, there are millions of big, medium and small capitalists, and tens of millions of small businessmen and peddlers. There will be various waverings and hesitations. In the end, it will take many repetitions to achieve no wavering and no hesitation.The same is true for a farmer. He has to think about joining a cooperative many times. After family discussions, he wants to join but does not want to join. After doing it several times, he makes up his mind.You said, the industrial and commercial circles don't think about it again and again, and don't hold family meetings and peer meetings to discuss? We will finally guide them to the road of socialism and stop wavering.To gradually lead to that step, we must first have advanced elements who are unwavering, and then gradually make more people reduce doubts, hesitation, and wavering.The socialist transformation of industry and commerce must always be carried out in an orderly and step-by-step manner, so that it may seem slow, but in fact it is fast.Two days earlier, I told my friends that the goal is to make things happen when things are ripe.Such words are good words.It is more natural when the melons are ripe and the fruits will fall, and when things will happen naturally.This is not the "nature" of "letting things take their course", but the "nature" achieved through persuasion, education, criticism, and overcoming many difficulties.In carrying out socialist transformation, there are bound to be difficulties and damage.In some places where cooperatives have been implemented, some cattle have died, and the number of pigs has also decreased. There have been "three calls": human calls, pig calls, and cow calls.Cooperation must be carried out step by step and in an orderly manner, in order to be able to achieve "three no calls".To "three don't call", people must have food to eat, and pigs and cows must also have something to eat.It is not easy to mention the "three don'ts" for you in the industrial and commercial circles. It is necessary to not call people, but not to call when the machine is not good.All in all, socialist transformation needs to reduce losses, proceed step by step and in an orderly manner, and make full preparations. The more adequate the preparations are, the better it will be done.

Published based on the transcript of the speech kept by the Central Archives. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] The "communism" mentioned in this article refers to the nationalization of capitalist industry and commerce. [2] Li Fuchun, then Vice Premier of the State Council and Director of the State Planning Commission.