Chapter 20 The Application of Land Reform Struggle Tactics in the New Liberated Areas

(February 17, 1948) Comrades from the Central Plains Bureau and Ye Hou: Chou Yuan Dian [1] is known. (1) I agree with your opinion, first establish a poor peasant league, improve the awareness and organization of the poor and hired peasants, and establish the prestige of the poor and hired peasants.In the struggle against the Kuomintang and landlords, the middle peasants were recruited to participate.A few months later, a peasant association uniting all peasants will be established.This point has been stipulated in the Central New Area Land Reform Key Points Instruction [2].Poor peasant leagues and peasant associations must strictly prevent landlords, rich peasants and other speculators from mixing in.The peasant associations and their committees must have two-thirds of the members and committee members of the poor and hired farmers, and it is absolutely necessary that the poor and hired farmers really hold the leadership.

(2) The strategic stage of struggle in the new area must be divided into two major stages: fighting against the landlords first and then fighting against the rich peasants.In the first big stage, it must be divided into several steps, starting with fighting big landlords, bullies, and reactionaries, and gradually expanding the attack area according to the consciousness and organization level of the masses (the total attack area should not exceed the rural areas under normal circumstances. ten percent of the population).This is a general principle.But this is not to say that the peasants want to fight against the rich peasants, small landlords, and even some Baojia chiefs and bullies among the middle peasants that they hate most, and we will not allow it.Especially since there are many villages where there are no big landlords, only small and medium landlords and rich peasants, the peasants should be allowed to do this.There is no contradiction between our attack on the reactionary Baojia chiefs and bullies among the rich peasants and small landlords, and our strategy of reducing the scope of our attack in the first major stage and not alarming the majority of the rich peasants and small landlords for the time being.

Mao Zedong Ugly Shino Printed from manuscript. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] Refers to the telegram sent to Mao Zedong by the Central Plains Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Logistics Department of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army on February 13, 1948 regarding the struggle strategy and organizational form of the new area.The telegram stated that it is completely correct and necessary for the central government to divide the struggle strategy into two stages in the new area, but we feel that there are difficulties and disadvantages in establishing the agricultural association (peasant association) first and then the poor peasant league in terms of organizational form.This is mainly because the poor peasants did not have their own independent organization at the beginning, and the leadership of the peasant association and the fruits of struggle would fall into the hands of the middle peasants, hooligans and even rich peasants.The middle peasants and even a small number of rich peasants entered the political arena before the poor peasants, which greatly hindered the establishment of the core of the poor peasants.In addition, due to the impure composition of the staff sent to the new areas, they often ignored the establishment of the core of poor peasants intentionally or unintentionally.Therefore, we feel that we should pay attention to the cultivation and establishment of the core of poor peasants at the beginning of the struggle, and the best form of organization is to establish both agricultural associations and poor peasant leagues.This is also very consistent with the basic line of relying on the poor peasants and solidly uniting with the middle peasants.If it is necessary to establish an agricultural association first, the members of the agricultural association and poor peasants must account for more than two-thirds of the members of the agricultural association.

[2] Refers to Mao Zedong’s instructions to the party drafted by Mao Zedong on February 15, 1948 for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, "Key Points of Land Reform in Newly Liberated Areas" ("Selected Works of Mao Zedong", Volume Four, People’s Publishing House, 1991 edition, pp. 1283- 1284 pages).