Chapter 21 The CCP launched a rectification movement

Entering the second ten days of April, the "People's Daily" said "release" every day, which caused the "temperature" of public opinion across the country to soar. On April 21st and 22nd, "People's Daily" published "Tianjin Professors' Discussion on "A Hundred Schools of Thought Controversy"". On April 22, the "People's Daily" published two more reports from the literary and artistic circles, "How can literary and artistic publications implement the policy of "letting go"?" " and "Literary and Artistic Creation Don't Be Restrained by Dogmatism", these two reports dealt with the trend of the literary and artistic circles:

Mao Dun, Minister of Culture, believes, "According to the current situation, the main thing is to overcome dogmatism and sectarianism. Because there are still various concerns about the criticism of dogmatism." Down, the windward door is ajar."Mao Dun said, "I think it's better to open it wide first." Zhou Yang, deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said: "Now we don't want to let go of the small, we want to let go!" The famous writer Lao She believes: "Poisonous weeds can be released, but things that are promiscuous and thieves cannot be released. They are poisonous snakes."

The writers in the army also had sharp opinions. They believed that the article "Our Opinions on Current Literary and Art Work" by Chen Qitong and others contained "wrong understanding, rude attitude, inconsistent with the facts, and bad consequences." On April 25th, "People's Daily" published "New Atmosphere in Shanghai Intellectual Circle", which said: "People think that this big discussion is three words: good! good! good! put forward opinions without hesitation, This is the first good; the full exchange of opinions is the second good, and it is beneficial to the correct handling of conflicts among the people, which is the third good.”

From this day on, the "People's Daily" continuously published reports under the title "I was greatly encouraged after listening to Chairman Mao's speech, and intellectuals from all over the country talked about "a hundred schools of thought contend". "People's Daily" added "Editor's Note" and pointed out: "The editorial department of this newspaper recently notified reporters from all over the country to interview famous people in the cultural, educational, and scientific circles. Most of these people have gone to Beijing to listen to Chairman Mao. Their speeches. Their experience and opinions are widely representative. The editorial department decided to publish the conversations of intellectuals from all over the country.”

The interview records from various places outline the atmosphere of the times in China at that time: Jinan——Yu Heiding, chairman of the Shandong Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said: "At present, intellectuals have two concerns: one is that they are afraid that they will be brutally attacked if they make mistakes; the other is that they are afraid that correct opinions will not be effective." Nanjing——Fu Baoshi, a famous Chinese painter, said, "I didn't dare to 'let go' in the past because I was afraid of hats." Hangzhou——Chen Lijie, deputy mayor of Hangzhou City and vice chairman of the Zhejiang Preparatory Committee of the China Association for the Promotion of Democracy, made it very clear: Zhejiang intellectuals "have concerns about 'release' and 'song'" because they are "afraid of" Fishing' and Fear of Getting Feared"!

Chengdu - Luo Chenglie, deputy director of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Education, said, "Rough criticism will make people suspect that the purpose of 'ming' and 'release' is to cast a long line and catch big fish."Chang Sumin, vice chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles, mentioned that Sichuan published a piece of "Grass and Trees", "I was panicked, and there was a tendency to end the day."He thought, "Even if there are a hundred pieces of "Grass and Trees", the world will not be in chaos."

... The aspirations of these intellectuals show that they are preparing for a big "song" and a big "release", but they are worried about "playing a long line and catching big fish". Mao Zedong was always observing the situation in China, and he read the "People's Daily" every day.He believed that the time for the CCP to carry out the rectification movement was ripe. Although he clearly proposed "to carry out the rectification movement next year" at the Second Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on November 15, 1956, he never implemented it.His plan at the time was to "issue a notice in the first half of the year, rectify in the second half of the year, with a few months in between."

Mao Zedong's "notice issued in the first half of the year" was implemented on April 27, 1957.On this day, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the "Instructions on the Rectification Movement". "People's Daily" "moved upon hearing the wind", and published the "Instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Rectification Movement" in full on May 1.On May 2, the editorial "Why Rectification" was distributed.On May 7, another editorial was published, "Why use gentle wind and light rain to rectify the wind".

"Instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Concerning the Rectification Movement" stated: "Over the past few years, bureaucratism, sectarianism, and subjectivism that are divorced from the masses and reality have grown in our party. Therefore, the Central Committee believes that it is necessary to start from the desire for unity and go through criticism and self-criticism. , achieve a new unity on a new basis, carry out a general and in-depth rectification movement against bureaucratism, sectarianism, and subjectivism throughout the party, and raise the ideological level of Marxism in the entire party. Improve the style of work to meet the needs of socialist transformation and socialist construction."

The "Directive" believes that the rectification movement has actually begun!The text states that: "This rectification campaign should be guided by the two reports made by Comrade Mao Zedong on behalf of the Central Committee at the enlarged Supreme State Council in February this year and at the Central Propaganda Conference held in March this year, and take the correct handling of contradictions among the people as a The theme of the current rectification movement. The two reports of Comrade Mao Zedong have been conveyed among the vast number of cadres and intellectuals, and will continue to be conveyed among all party members and the masses in the future. These two reports have aroused heated discussions inside and outside the party. , as far as our party is concerned, in fact, this is the beginning of the rectification movement.”

The "Instructions" emphasized that this rectification movement "is a serious and gentle ideological education movement", "resolutely implement the 'knowledge everything, talk endlessly; whoever speaks is innocent, and those who hear it are warnings; Then add encouragement' principle". The "Instructions" also mentioned, "Non-party members are willing to participate in the rectification movement, which should be welcomed, but it must be completely voluntary, not forced, and they are allowed to withdraw freely at any time." After the "Instructions" were issued, the second rectification movement in the history of the CCP began vigorously.