Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung SPEECH AT THE ASSEMBLY OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SHENSI- KANSU-NINGSIA BORDER REGION November 21,1941 Members of the Assembly!Comrades!Today's inauguration of the Border Region Assembly of Representatives is of great significance.The Assembly has but one objective,the overthrow of Japanese imperialism and the building of a China of New Democracy or,in other words,a China of the revolutionary Three People's Principles.In the China of today there can be noother objective. For our chief enemies now are not domestic,but are the Japanese fascists and the German and Italian fascists.At this moment the Soviet Red Army is fighting for the destiny of the Soviet Union and of the whole of mankind,and we,for our part,are combating Japanese imperialism.Japanese imperialism is continuing its aggression with the purpose of subjugating China.The Communist Party of China stands for uniting all the anti-Japanese forces throughout the country to overthrow Japanese imperialism,and for co-operating with all anti-Japanese parties,classes and nationalities; everyone,excepting traitors,must unite in the common struggle.This has been the consistent stand of the Communist Party.For more than four years the Chinese people have been heroically waging the War of Resistance,a war that has been maintained through the co-operation of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party and of all classes,parties and nationalities.But it is not yet won,and to win it we have to fight on and ensure that the revolutionary Three People's Principles are put into effect. Why must we put the revolutionary Three People's Principles into effect?Because up to the present time Dr.Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary Three People's Principles have not been translated into reality in all parts of China.Why don't we demand that socialism be put into effect now?Of course socialism is a superior system and has long been in operation in the Soviet Union,but in China today the conditions for it are still lacking.It is the revolutionary Three People's Principles that have been put into effect in our Shensi-Kansu-Ningsia Border Region.We have not gone beyond them in solving any of our practical problems.As far as these principles are concerned,today the Principle of Nationalism means overthrowing Japanese imperialism,and the Principles of Democracy and People's Livelihood mean working in the interests not of just one section but of all the people who are against Japan.Throughout the country the people should enjoy freedom of the person,the right to take part in political activity and the right to protection of property.Throughout the country the people should have the opportunity of voicing their opinions,and they should have clothes to wear, food to eat,work to do and schools to attend;in short,some provision should be made for everyone. Chinese society is small at both ends and big in the middle,that is,the proletariat at one end and the landlord class and big bourgeoisie at the other each constitute only a small minority,while the great
Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung SPEECH AT THE ASSEMBLY OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SHENSIKANSU-NINGSIA BORDER REGION November 21, 1941 Members of the Assembly! Comrades! Today's inauguration of the Border Region Assembly of Representatives is of great significance. The Assembly has but one objective, the overthrow of Japanese imperialism and the building of a China of New Democracy or, in other words, a China of the revolutionary Three People's Principles. In the China of today there can be noother objective. For our chief enemies now are not domestic, but are the Japanese fascists and the German and Italian fascists. At this moment the Soviet Red Army is fighting for the destiny of the Soviet Union and of the whole of mankind, and we, for our part, are combating Japanese imperialism. Japanese imperialism is continuing its aggression with the purpose of subjugating China. The Communist Party of China stands for uniting all the anti-Japanese forces throughout the country to overthrow Japanese imperialism, and for co-operating with all anti-Japanese parties, classes and nationalities; everyone, excepting traitors, must unite in the common struggle. This has been the consistent stand of the Communist Party. For more than four years the Chinese people have been heroically waging the War of Resistance, a war that has been maintained through the co-operation of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party and of all classes, parties and nationalities. But it is not yet won, and to win it we have to fight on and ensure that the revolutionary Three People's Principles are put into effect. Why must we put the revolutionary Three People's Principles into effect? Because up to the present time Dr. Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary Three People's Principles have not been translated into reality in all parts of China. Why don't we demand that socialism be put into effect now? Of course socialism is a superior system and has long been in operation in the Soviet Union, but in China today the conditions for it are still lacking. It is the revolutionary Three People's Principles that have been put into effect in our Shensi-Kansu-Ningsia Border Region. We have not gone beyond them in solving any of our practical problems. As far as these principles are concerned, today the Principle of Nationalism means overthrowing Japanese imperialism, and the Principles of Democracy and People's Livelihood mean working in the interests not of just one section but of all the people who are against Japan. Throughout the country the people should enjoy freedom of the person, the right to take part in political activity and the right to protection of property. Throughout the country the people should have the opportunity of voicing their opinions, and they should have clothes to wear, food to eat, work to do and schools to attend; in short, some provision should be made for everyone. Chinese society is small at both ends and big in the middle, that is, the proletariat at one end and the landlord class and big bourgeoisie at the other each constitute only a small minority, while the great
majority of the people consists of the peasants,the urban petty bourgeoisie and the other intermediate classes.No political party that wants to run China's affairs properly can do so unless its policy gives consideration to the interests of these classes,unless some provision is made for the members of these classes,and unless they have the right to voice their opinions.The policies put forward by the Chinese Communist Party seek to unite all the people who oppose Japan and take into account the interests of every class that does so,and especially the interests of the peasants,the urban petty bourgeoisie and the other intermediate classes.The policies of the Communist Party, which give all sections of the people the opportunity to voice their opinions and make sure they have work to do and food to eat,are policies embodying the genuinely revolutionary Three People's Principles.In agrarian relations,on the one hand we carry out reduction of rent and interest so that the peasants will have food,and on the other we provide for the payment of the reduced rent and interest so that the landlords,too,can live.In the relations between labour and capital,on the one hand we help the workers so that they have both work and food,and on the other we pursue a policy of developing industry so that the capitalists may obtain some profit.In all this our purpose is to unite the people of the whole country in the common endeavour of resistance to Japan.This is what we call the policy of New Democracy.It is the kind of policy that really suits the conditions in present-day China,and we hope that its application will not be limited to the Shensi-Kansu-Ningsia Border Region,or to the anti-Japanese base areas in the rear of the enemy,but will spread throughout the country. We have pursued this policy with success and have won the approval of the people all over China. But there have also been shortcomings.Some Communists still do not know how to co-operate with non-Party people in a democratic way and have an exclusive,"closed-door"or sectarian style of work;they still do not understand the basic principle that Communists are in duty bound to co- operate with people outside the Party who are against Japan,and have no right to shut them out. This principle means that we should listen attentively to the views of the masses,keep in close touch with them and not become alienated from them.There is an article in the Administrative Programme of the Shensi-Kansu-Mngsia Border Region which stipulates that Communists should co-operate democratically with non-Party people and must not act arbitrarily or keep everything in their own hands.It is directed precisely at the comrades who still fail to understand the Party's policy.Communists must listen attentively to the views of people outside the Party and let them have their say.If what they say is right,we ought to welcome it,and we should learn from their strong points;if it is wrong,we should let them finish what they are saying and then patiently explain things to them.A Communist must never be opinionated or domineering,or think that he is good in everything while others are good in nothing;he must never shut himself up in his little room,or brag and boast and lord it over others.Apart from the die-hard reactionaries who are in league with the Japanese aggressors and with the traitors and are sabotaging resistance and unity, and who of course have no right to speak,everyone is entitled to freedom of speech,and it does not matter even if what he says is wrong.Affairs of state are the public affairs of the whole nation and not the private affairs of a single party or group.Hence Communists have the duty to co-operate democratically with non-Party people and have no right to exclude them and monopolize everything.The Communist Party is a political party which works in the interests of the nation and people and which has absolutely no private ends to pursue.It should be supervised by the people and must never go against their will.Its members should be among the people and with them and
majority of the people consists of the peasants, the urban petty bourgeoisie and the other intermediate classes. No political party that wants to run China's affairs properly can do so unless its policy gives consideration to the interests of these classes, unless some provision is made for the members of these classes, and unless they have the right to voice their opinions. The policies put forward by the Chinese Communist Party seek to unite all the people who oppose Japan and take into account the interests of every class that does so, and especially the interests of the peasants, the urban petty bourgeoisie and the other intermediate classes. The policies of the Communist Party, which give all sections of the people the opportunity to voice their opinions and make sure they have work to do and food to eat, are policies embodying the genuinely revolutionary Three People's Principles. In agrarian relations, on the one hand we carry out reduction of rent and interest so that the peasants will have food, and on the other we provide for the payment of the reduced rent and interest so that the landlords, too, can live. In the relations between labour and capital, on the one hand we help the workers so that they have both work and food, and on the other we pursue a policy of developing industry so that the capitalists may obtain some profit. In all this our purpose is to unite the people of the whole country in the common endeavour of resistance to Japan. This is what we call the policy of New Democracy. It is the kind of policy that really suits the conditions in present-day China, and we hope that its application will not be limited to the Shensi-Kansu-Ningsia Border Region, or to the anti-Japanese base areas in the rear of the enemy, but will spread throughout the country. We have pursued this policy with success and have won the approval of the people all over China. But there have also been shortcomings. Some Communists still do not know how to co-operate with non-Party people in a democratic way and have an exclusive, "closed-door" or sectarian style of work; they still do not understand the basic principle that Communists are in duty bound to cooperate with people outside the Party who are against Japan, and have no right to shut them out. This principle means that we should listen attentively to the views of the masses, keep in close touch with them and not become alienated from them. There is an article in the Administrative Programme of the Shensi-Kansu-Mngsia Border Region which stipulates that Communists should co-operate democratically with non-Party people and must not act arbitrarily or keep everything in their own hands. It is directed precisely at the comrades who still fail to understand the Party's policy. Communists must listen attentively to the views of people outside the Party and let them have their say. If what they say is right, we ought to welcome it, and we should learn from their strong points; if it is wrong, we should let them finish what they are saying and then patiently explain things to them. A Communist must never be opinionated or domineering, or think that he is good in everything while others are good in nothing; he must never shut himself up in his little room, or brag and boast and lord it over others. Apart from the die-hard reactionaries who are in league with the Japanese aggressors and with the traitors and are sabotaging resistance and unity, and who of course have no right to speak, everyone is entitled to freedom of speech, and it does not matter even if what he says is wrong. Affairs of state are the public affairs of the whole nation and not the private affairs of a single party or group. Hence Communists have the duty to co-operate democratically with non-Party people and have no right to exclude them and monopolize everything. The Communist Party is a political party which works in the interests of the nation and people and which has absolutely no private ends to pursue. It should be supervised by the people and must never go against their will. Its members should be among the people and with them and
must not set themselves above them.Members of the Assembly and Comrades,this Communist Party principle of democratic co-operation with non-Party people is fixed and unalterable.So long as parties exist,people who join them will always be a minority while those outside them will always be the majority;hence our Party members must always co-operate with non-Party people, and they should make a good start right here in the Assembly.With this policy of ours,I believe that Communist members of the Assembly will get very good training here and overcome their"closed- doorism"and sectarianism.We are not a small opinionated sect and we must learn how to open our doors and co-operate democratically with non-Party people,and how to consult with others. Perhaps even now there are Communists who may say,"If it is necessary to co-operate with others, then leave me out."But I am sure there are very few.I can assure you that the overwhelming majority of out members will certainly be able to carry out the line of the Central Committee of our Party.At the same time I wish to ask all non-Party comrades to realize what we stand for,to understand that the Communist Party is not a small sect or clique pursuing private ends.No!The Communist Party sincerely and honestly wishes to set the affairs of state to rights.But we still have many failings.We are not afraid to admit them and are determined to get rid of them.We shall do so by strengthening education within the Party and by co-operating democratically with non-Party people.It is only by subjecting our failings to such a crossfire,both from within and from without, that we can remedy them and really set the affairs of state to rights. Members of the Assembly!You have taken the trouble to come here for this meeting,and I am happy to greet this distinguished gathering and wish it success. Transcription by the Maoist Documentation Project. HTML revised 2004 by Marxists.org Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung RECTIFY THE PARTY'S STYLE OF WORK February 1.1942 [This speech was delivered by Comrade Mao Tse-tung at the opening of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The Party School opens today and I wish it every success. I would like to say something about the problem of our Party's style of work
must not set themselves above them. Members of the Assembly and Comrades, this Communist Party principle of democratic co-operation with non-Party people is fixed and unalterable. So long as parties exist, people who join them will always be a minority while those outside them will always be the majority; hence our Party members must always co-operate with non-Party people, and they should make a good start right here in the Assembly. With this policy of ours, I believe that Communist members of the Assembly will get very good training here and overcome their "closeddoorism" and sectarianism. We are not a small opinionated sect and we must learn how to open our doors and co-operate democratically with non-Party people, and how to consult with others. Perhaps even now there are Communists who may say, "If it is necessary to co-operate with others, then leave me out." But I am sure there are very few. I can assure you that the overwhelming majority of out members will certainly be able to carry out the line of the Central Committee of our Party. At the same time I wish to ask all non-Party comrades to realize what we stand for, to understand that the Communist Party is not a small sect or clique pursuing private ends. No! The Communist Party sincerely and honestly wishes to set the affairs of state to rights. But we still have many failings. We are not afraid to admit them and are determined to get rid of them. We shall do so by strengthening education within the Party and by co-operating democratically with non-Party people. It is only by subjecting our failings to such a crossfire, both from within and from without, that we can remedy them and really set the affairs of state to rights. Members of the Assembly! You have taken the trouble to come here for this meeting, and I am happy to greet this distinguished gathering and wish it success. Transcription by the Maoist Documentation Project. HTML revised 2004 by Marxists.org Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung RECTIFY THE PARTY'S STYLE OF WORK February 1, 1942 [This speech was delivered by Comrade Mao Tse-tung at the opening of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.] The Party School opens today and I wish it every success. I would like to say something about the problem of our Party's style of work
Why must there be a revolutionary party?There must be a revolutionary party because the world contains enemies who oppress the people and the people want to throw off enemy oppression.In the era of capitalism and imperialism,just such a revolutionary party as the Communist Party is needed. Without such a party it is simply impossible for the people to throw off enemy oppression.We are Communists,we want to lead the people in overthrowing the enemy,and so we must keep our ranks in good order,we must march in step,our troops must be picked troops and our weapons good weapons.Without these conditions the enemy cannot be overthrown. What is the problem now facing our Party?The general line of the Party is correct and presents no problem,and the Party's work has been fruitful.The Party has several hundred thousand members who are leading the people in extremely hard and bitter struggles against the enemy.This is plain to everybody and beyond all doubt. Then is there or is there not any problem still facing our Party?I say there is and,in a certain sense, the problem is quite serious. What is the problem?It is the fact that there is something in the minds of a number of our comrades which strikes one as not quite right,not quite proper. In other words,there is still something wrong with our style of study,with our style in the Party's internal and external relations and with our style of writing.By something wrong with the style of study we mean the malady of subjectivism.By something wrong with our style in Party relations we mean the malady of sectarianism.By something wrong with the style of writing we mean the malady of stereotyped Party writing.[1l All these are wrong,they are ill winds,but they are not like the wintry north winds that sweep across the whole sky.Subjectivism,sectarianism and stereotyped Party writing are no longer the dominant styles,but merely gusts of contrary wind,ill winds from the air-raid tunnels.(Laugher:It is bad,however,that such winds should still be blowing in the Party.We must seal off the passages which produce them.Our whole Party should undertake the job of sealing off these passages,and so should the Party School.These three ill winds, subjectivism,sectarianism and stereotyped Party writing,have their historical origins.Although no longer dominant in the whole Party,they still constantly create trouble and assail us.Therefore,it is necessary to resist them and to study,analyse and elucidate them. Fight subjectivism in order to rectify the style of study,fight sectarianism in order to rectify the style in Party relations,and fight Party stereotypes in order to rectify the style of writing-such is the task before us. To accomplish the task of overthrowing the enemy,we must accomplish the task of rectifying these styles within the Party.The style of study and the style of writing are also the Party's style of work. Once our Party's style of work is put completely right,the people all over the country will learn from our example.Those outside the Party who have the same kind of bad style will,if they are good and honest people,learn from our example and correct their mistakes,and thus the whole nation will be influenced.So long as our Communist ranks are in good order and march in step,so long as our troops are picked troops and our weapons are good weapons,any enemy,however powerful,can be overthrown
Why must there be a revolutionary party? There must be a revolutionary party because the world contains enemies who oppress the people and the people want to throw off enemy oppression. In the era of capitalism and imperialism, just such a revolutionary party as the Communist Party is needed. Without such a party it is simply impossible for the people to throw off enemy oppression. We are Communists, we want to lead the people in overthrowing the enemy, and so we must keep our ranks in good order, we must march in step, our troops must be picked troops and our weapons good weapons. Without these conditions the enemy cannot be overthrown. What is the problem now facing our Party? The general line of the Party is correct and presents no problem, and the Party's work has been fruitful. The Party has several hundred thousand members who are leading the people in extremely hard and bitter struggles against the enemy. This is plain to everybody and beyond all doubt. Then is there or is there not any problem still facing our Party? I say there is and, in a certain sense, the problem is quite serious. What is the problem? It is the fact that there is something in the minds of a number of our comrades which strikes one as not quite right, not quite proper. In other words, there is still something wrong with our style of study, with our style in the Party's internal and external relations and with our style of writing. By something wrong with the style of study we mean the malady of subjectivism. By something wrong with our style in Party relations we mean the malady of sectarianism. By something wrong with the style of writing we mean the malady of stereotyped Party writing. [1] All these are wrong, they are ill winds, but they are not like the wintry north winds that sweep across the whole sky. Subjectivism, sectarianism and stereotyped Party writing are no longer the dominant styles, but merely gusts of contrary wind, ill winds from the air-raid tunnels. (Laugher.)It is bad, however, that such winds should still be blowing in the Party. We must seal off the passages which produce them. Our whole Party should undertake the job of sealing off these passages, and so should the Party School. These three ill winds, subjectivism, sectarianism and stereotyped Party writing, have their historical origins. Although no longer dominant in the whole Party, they still constantly create trouble and assail us. Therefore, it is necessary to resist them and to study, analyse and elucidate them. Fight subjectivism in order to rectify the style of study, fight sectarianism in order to rectify the style in Party relations, and fight Party stereotypes in order to rectify the style of writing-such is the task before us. To accomplish the task of overthrowing the enemy, we must accomplish the task of rectifying these styles within the Party. The style of study and the style of writing are also the Party's style of work. Once our Party's style of work is put completely right, the people all over the country will learn from our example. Those outside the Party who have the same kind of bad style will, if they are good and honest people, learn from our example and correct their mistakes, and thus the whole nation will be influenced. So long as our Communist ranks are in good order and march in step, so long as our troops are picked troops and our weapons are good weapons, any enemy, however powerful, can be overthrown
Let me speak now about subjectivism. Subjectivism is an improper style of study;it is opposed to Marxism-Leninism and is incompatible with the Communist Party.What we want is the Marxist-Leninist style of study.What we call style of study means not just style of study in the schools but in the whole Party.It is a question of the method of thinking of comrades in our leading bodies,of all cadres and Party members,a question of our attitude towards Marxism-Leninism,of the attitude of all Party comrades in their work.As such,it is a question of extraordinary,indeed of primary,importance. Certain muddled ideas find currency among many people.There are,for instance,muddled ideas about what is a theorist,what is an intellectual and what is meant by linking theory and practice. Let us first ask,is the theoretical level of our Party high or low?Recently more Marxist-Leninist works have been translated and more people have been reading them.That is a very good thing.But can we therefore say that the theoretical level of our Party has been greatly raised?True,the level is now somewhat higher than before.But our theoretical front is very much out of harmony with the rich content of the Chinese revolutionary movement,and a comparison of the two shows that the theoretical side is lagging far behind.Generally speaking,our theory cannot as yet keep pace with our revolutionary practice,let alone lead the way as it should.We have not yet raised our rich and varied practice to the proper theoretical plane.We have not yet examined all the problems of revolutionary practice-or even the important ones-and raised them to a theoretical plane.Just think,how many of us have created theories worthy of the name on China's economics,politics, military affairs or culture,theories which can be regarded as scientific and comprehensive,and not crude and sketchy?Especially in the field of economic theory:Chinese capitalism has had a century of development since the Opium War,and yet not a single theoretical work has been produced which accords with the realities of China's economic development and is genuinely scientific.Can we say that in the study of China's economic problems.for instance.the theoretical level is already high?Can we say that our Party already has economic theorists worthy of the name? Certainly not.We have read a great many Marxist-Leninist books,but can we claim,then,that we have theorists?We cannot.For Marxism-Leninism is the theory created by Marx,Engels,Lenin and Stalin on the basis of practice,their general conclusion drawn from historical and revolutionary reality.If we merely read their works but do not proceed to study the realities of China's history and revolution in the light of their theory or do not make any effort to think through China's revolutionary practice carefully in terms of theory,we should not be so presumptuous as to call ourselves Marxist theorists.Our achievements on the theoretical front will be very poor indeed if, as members of the Communist Party of China,we close our eyes to China's problems and can only memorize isolated conclusions or principles from Marxist writings.If all a person can do is to commit Marxist economics or philosophy to memory,reciting glibly from Chapter I to Chapter X. but is utterly unable to apply them,can he be considered a Marxist theorist?No!He cannot.What kind of theorists do we want?We want theorists who can,in accordance with the Marxist-Leninist stand,viewpoint and method,correctly interpret the practical problems arising in the course of history and revolution and give scientific explanations and theoretical elucidations of China's economic,political,military,cultural and other problems.Such are the theorists we want.To be a theorist of this kind,a person must have a true grasp of the essence of Marxism-Leninism,of the Marxist-Leninist stand,viewpoint and method and of the theories of Lenin and Stalin on the
Let me speak now about subjectivism. Subjectivism is an improper style of study; it is opposed to Marxism-Leninism and is incompatible with the Communist Party. What we want is the Marxist-Leninist style of study. What we call style of study means not just style of study in the schools but in the whole Party. It is a question of the method of thinking of comrades in our leading bodies, of all cadres and Party members, a question of our attitude towards Marxism-Leninism, of the attitude of all Party comrades in their work. As such, it is a question of extraordinary, indeed of primary, importance. Certain muddled ideas find currency among many people. There are, for instance, muddled ideas about what is a theorist, what is an intellectual and what is meant by linking theory and practice. Let us first ask, is the theoretical level of our Party high or low? Recently more Marxist-Leninist works have been translated and more people have been reading them. That is a very good thing. But can we therefore say that the theoretical level of our Party has been greatly raised? True, the level is now somewhat higher than before. But our theoretical front is very much out of harmony with the rich content of the Chinese revolutionary movement, and a comparison of the two shows that the theoretical side is lagging far behind. Generally speaking, our theory cannot as yet keep pace with our revolutionary practice, let alone lead the way as it should. We have not yet raised our rich and varied practice to the proper theoretical plane. We have not yet examined all the problems of revolutionary practice-or even the important ones-and raised them to a theoretical plane. Just think, how many of us have created theories worthy of the name on China's economics, politics, military affairs or culture, theories which can be regarded as scientific and comprehensive, and not crude and sketchy? Especially in the field of economic theory: Chinese capitalism has had a century of development since the Opium War, and yet not a single theoretical work has been produced which accords with the realities of China's economic development and is genuinely scientific. Can we say that in the study of China's economic problems, for instance, the theoretical level is already high? Can we say that our Party already has economic theorists worthy of the name? Certainly not. We have read a great many Marxist-Leninist books, but can we claim, then, that we have theorists? We cannot. For Marxism-Leninism is the theory created by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin on the basis of practice, their general conclusion drawn from historical and revolutionary reality. If we merely read their works but do not proceed to study the realities of China's history and revolution in the light of their theory or do not make any effort to think through China's revolutionary practice carefully in terms of theory, we should not be so presumptuous as to call ourselves Marxist theorists. Our achievements on the theoretical front will be very poor indeed if, as members of the Communist Party of China, we close our eyes to China's problems and can only memorize isolated conclusions or principles from Marxist writings. If all a person can do is to commit Marxist economics or philosophy to memory, reciting glibly from Chapter I to Chapter X, but is utterly unable to apply them, can he be considered a Marxist theorist? No! He cannot. What kind of theorists do we want? We want theorists who can, in accordance with the Marxist-Leninist stand, viewpoint and method, correctly interpret the practical problems arising in the course of history and revolution and give scientific explanations and theoretical elucidations of China's economic, political, military, cultural and other problems. Such are the theorists we want. To be a theorist of this kind, a person must have a true grasp of the essence of Marxism-Leninism, of the Marxist-Leninist stand, viewpoint and method and of the theories of Lenin and Stalin on the