Kemal Okur: Five Long Meetings of 197 Days by Chinese Communists Which Changed China’s Destiny in 1978 and 1979
ABSTRACT:
After defeating the state plot of ultra-leftist in October 1976, Chinese communists made great efforts to set things right in the Party and government. On May, 1978, the 60th issue of “Theoretical Dynamics”, an internal publication of the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China, published the article “Practice is the Only Criterion For Testing Truth” After this publication, the years 1978 and 1979 saw important debates and meetings, the five 197-Days-Long leaders meetings arranged in these two years were unprecedented compared to western standards. Among them the 5-Day meeting the -Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC became a turning point by changing the leadership of the Party and the government.
After the wave of ideological and political public debate on the issue of criterion of truth, a Central Work Conference was held in Beijing from November 10 to December 15, 1978. (36 days) by the invitation of Central Committee of the CPC led by Hua Guo Feng. In this long meeting Deng Xiaoping delivered an important speech titled “Liberate the Mind, Seek Truth from Facts, Unite and Look Forward”, clarifying the guiding ideology for the upcoming Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/deng-xiaoping/1978/110.htm
Let us review the events, meetings and debates which had led to this 36-Days meeting
In order to achieve the set goals of the ten-year plan, China sent many delegations to visit overseas countries in 1978 to learn about overseas large-scale production experience and technological development. For example, the Hong Kong and Macao economic inspection team headed by Duan Yun visited Hong Kong and Macao, a CPC Party delegation headed by Li Yimeng visited Yugoslavia and Romania, the Chinese economic delegation headed by Lin Hujia visited Japan, and Gu Mu led a big delegation to five Western European countries. The information fed back from the visit strengthened the leaders’ awareness of urgency of economic and technological development and reform, prompted high-level officials to reflect on China’s development model and path, and directly promoted the convening of a long State Council meeting.
The State Council (Government organ of the PRC) working meeting was held from July 6 to September 9th.(33 Days)
The theme of the meeting was to study the issue of accelerating China’s four modernizations program, and the meeting discussed issues such as foreign technology introduction, reform and planning. Although this meeting was an confidential consultation meeting and no resolution was made, Li Xiannian’s summary speech on September 9 concentrated on the main results of the meeting. The report states: To achieve modernization, we must bravely reform all production relations that do not adapt to the development of productive forces and superstructures that do not adapt to the requirements of the economic base, and give full play to the role of economic means and economic organizations.
In line with the spirit of the State Council meeting, the National Planning Conference held from September 5 to October 22, 1978 (48 Days) determined for the first time that the work in economic front must implement “three major changes.”
In September 1978, Deng Xiaoping solemnly raised the issue of shifting the focus of the Party and the Government’s work in his “Northern Inspection Talk.”
On November 5, 1978, top leader Hua Guofeng talked with the team of important “scholars”. Hua Guofeng said: “It is clear that the shift will start on January 1 next year. This will happen resolutely”. After soliciting the opinions of local comrades, the Standing Committee of the Political Burau CPC discussed it and everyone agreed for the shift of focus.” In this way, by the end of 1978, the top leaders of the party reached a consensus on when to “shift the focus.” But this did not mean that the angle and depth of understanding were the same among the leaders. There were still serious differences in understanding on how to achieve the shift in work priorities. When Deng Xiaoping talked about the shift in the focus of the party’s work, he repeatedly talked about the relationship between developing productive forces and class struggle.
But Hua Guofeng still advocated the political slogan of “governing the country by grasping the key points”, that is, “still taking class struggle as the key point” or he emphaiszed “promoting exposing and criticizing the ‘Gang of Four’ as the key point”, and advocated achieving a “shift in focus”with such an evaluation. Hua Guofeng repeatedly stated: “The purpose of emancipating the mind is not to belittle the Chairman Mao’s thoughts… Emancipating the mind does not mean to be liberated from the Chairman Mao’s thinking.”
These issues were discused a Central Working Conference at the Jingxi Hotel in Beijing by the invitation of the Party Central Committee from November 10 to December 15, 1978 (36 Days), with the participation of 350 party and government leaders from whole China. It can be said that in this Central Work Conference, the party had basically completed the historical turning point in the shift of work priorities, and the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party was more significant in completing personnel adjustments of this change. The issue of “transfer of power” from Hua GuaFeng to Deng Xiaoping had actually exceeded the issue of shifting the focus of Government and Party work. During this Central Work Conference on December 13, Deng Xiaoping made a speech entitled “Emancipate the Mind, Seek Truth from Facts, and Unite as One to Look Forward”. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/deng-xiaoping/1978/110.htm
Important Large Scale Work Meetings after theThird Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee
After the Enlarged Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC, (from December 18 to 22, 1978) a great historical turning point was achieved and gratifying results were achieved in Chinese socialism.
A few people who insisted on “left” errors attacked the Third Plenary Session of the Central Committee for departing from Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. At the same time, there was an erroneous tendency to doubt the Four Cardinal Principles within the party and society. (Translator. a liberal tendency)
To this end, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a nation-wide theoretical work conference in Beijing from January 18 to April 3, 1979. (75 Days). The first phase of the conference was convened by the invitation of Central Propaganda Department and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, with more than 100 people participating from the central level and Beijing theoretical propaganda units and liaison officers from provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. The second phase of the conference was convened by the central government, with nearly 500 participants. The purpose was: to summarize the experience and lessons learned on the theoretical propaganda front in the past two years and unify the thinking of the members of the Party and to study the fundamental tasks of theoretical propaganda work after the shift of the focus of the whole party’s work to economic work. When preparing his speech at the second stage of the theoretical work conference, Deng Xiaoping talked with Hu Yaobang and Hu Qiaomu on March 27.
In response to the trend of bourgeois liberalization within the party and society, Deng Xiaoping clearly pointed out: we should promote “Four musts”. We should adhere to the socialist road, adhere to the dictatorship of the proletariat, adhere to the leadership of the communist party, and adhere to the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. It is now the time to clearly advocate these Four Cardinal Principles. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/deng-xiaoping/1979/115.htm
On March 30, 1979, Deng Xiaoping delivered a long speech on “Uphold the Four Cardinal Principles” at a theoretical work conference, responding to the ideological situation which had appeared within the party and the trend of thought which had appeared in the society some time ago.
Discussions in the Formation of the Theory of the Primary Stage of Socialism
The theory of the primary stage of socialism is a significant theoretical innovation in the process of sinicization of Marxism and is the cornerstone of Deng Xiaoping Theory. It accurately defines the development stage and historical orientation of Chinese socialism, ensuring the stability and continuity of the Party’s line, principles, policies, and development strategies in the new era after 1978. On the day when we are participating the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, let us revisit the proposal of this theory and its inclusion in the Central Party documents, scientifically grasp the national conditions of our country, and continuously promote the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. As early as September 1979, Party leader Ye Jianying explicitly stated in his speech at the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China: “The socialist system is still in its infancy… To achieve modernization in our country, there must be a process from primary to advanced.” This is the first time in central party literature that the term “socialist system is still in its infancy” was used. In June 1981, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China passed the Resolution on Several Historical Issues of the Party Since the Founding of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Resolution), which clearly pointed out for the first time that “China’s socialist system is still in its primary stage.” Six years later, at the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in October 1987, the theory of primary stage of socialism was systematically expounded, indicating the arrival of a new era of socialist construction. From the initial proposal of the theory of the primary stage of socialism to becoming the overall basis for building socialism with Chinese characteristics, there were very little-known twists and turns in the process.
More on the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee
The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing from December 18 to 22, 1978. The central topic of the plenary session was to discuss shifting the focus of the entire party’s work to socialist modernization.
And, the plenary session made the strategic decision to shift the focus of the party’s work to socialist modernization starting in 1979. On the issue of economic construction, starting from correcting the erroneous tendency to rush for quick results and the whole party paying attention to solving problems such as serious imbalances in major proportions of the national economy, the meeting decided that a series of new major measures must be taken to adjust the imbalanced proportions of the national economy and decide to embark on serious reform of the over-centralized economic management system.
The plenary session reaffirmed the correct ideological line of the Communist Party of China, criticized the erroneous policy of “two whatevers”, fully affirmed the need to fully and accurately grasp and apply the scientific system of Mao Zedong Thought, and spoke highly of the discussion on the criterion of truth. And also the guiding principles of emancipating the mind, using our brains, seeking truth from facts, and uniting as one to look forward was determined.
The Plenary Session re-established the correct political line of the Communist Party of China, decisively stopped using the slogan “taking class struggle as the key link” which was not suitable for socialist society, and negated the so-called “proletarianism” of the “Cultural Revolution” and the idea of “continuing the revolution under class dictatorship” and that the “Cultural Revolution” will be carried out many times in the future, etc…. advocated by the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (1977).
The plenary session re-established the correct organizational line of the Communist Party of China and decided to improve party rules and disciplines in the organization, improve the party’s democratic centralism, oppose the acceptance and creation of personality worship, and strengthen collective leadership.
The plenary session also reviewed and resolved a number of major unjust, false and wrongful cases in the history of the Chinese Communist Party and discussed the merits and demerits of some important leaders, including the erroneous criticism and erroneous conclusions about Peng Dehuai and others at the 1959 Lushan Conference, and the erroneous conclusions about “Bo Yibo and other 61 traitor group” case. The plenary session discussed and corrected erroneous documents on “countering the right-leaning trend of overturning convictions” and the Tiananmen Incident (1976), as well as evaluations of Deng Xiaoping’s work in 1975. The plenary session held that the past method of setting up special agencies to review cadres without supervision from the party and the masses was extremely harmful and must be abolished forever.
The plenary session put forward the requirement to pay attention to solving the serious imbalance of major proportions of the national economy, formulated a decision to accelerate agricultural development, and agreed to incorporate the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Issues Concerning Accelerating Agricultural Development (Draft)” and the “Regulations on the Work of Rural People’s Communes (Trial) Draft) was sent to provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government for discussion and trial implementation. It was decided: “in order to develop agriculture, we must first carry out reforms in rural areas and implement the joint-production remuneration responsibility system.
The plenary session put forward the tasks of improving socialist democracy and strengthening the socialist legal system.
These changes of great significance marked that the party re-established the Marxist ideological line, political line and organizational line, and began to form the period led by the second generation central leadership collective with Deng Xiaoping at its core.
The plenary session additionally elected Chen Yun as member of the Political Bureau, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, and Vice Chairman, and Deng Yingchao (female), Hu Yaobang, and Wang Zhen as members of the Political Bureau; additionally elected Huang Kecheng, Song Renqiong, Hu Qiaomu, Xi Zhongxun, Wang Renzhong, Huang Huoqing, Chen Zaidao, Han Guang and Zhou Hui are members of the Central Committee (approved by the preparatory meeting of the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on August 30, 1982). In order to uphold party rules and laws and effectively improve the party’s style, the plenary session decided to establish the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Discussions in the Formation of the Theory of the Primary Stage of Socialism
The theory of the primary stage of socialism is a significant theoretical innovation in the process of sinicization of Marxism and is the cornerstone of Deng Xiaoping Theory. It accurately defines the development stage and historical orientation of Chinese socialism, ensuring the stability and continuity of the Party’s line, principles, policies, and development strategies in the new era after 1978. On the day when we are participating the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, let us revisit the proposal of this theory and its inclusion in the Central Party documents, scientifically grasp the national conditions of our country, and continuously promote the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. As early as September 1979, Party leader Ye Jianying explicitly stated in his speech at the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China: “The socialist system is still in its infancy… To achieve modernization in our country, there must be a process from primary to advanced.” This is the first time in central party literature that the term “socialist system is still in its infancy” was used. In June 1981, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China passed the Resolution on Several Historical Issues of the Party Since the Founding of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Resolution), which clearly pointed out for the first time that “China’s socialist system is still in its primary stage.” Six years later, at the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in October 1987, the theory of primary stage of socialism was systematically expounded, indicating the arrival of a new era of socialist construction. From the initial proposal of the theory of the primary stage of socialism to becoming the overall basis for building socialism with Chinese characteristics, there were very little-known twists and turns in the process.
Proposal of the “Underdeveloped Stage of Socialism”, A Speech Which Stirred Up Big Waves
Since the 1960s, the authoritative view in the CPC on the stage of socialist society has been that the whole period from the victory of the proletarian revolution to the advanced stage of communist society, will belong to the transitional period from capitalism to communism, and there will be no longer a division of stages in between. And this entire transitional period belongs to the period of proletarian dictatorship. With the development of the times and the continuous liberation of people’s thinking, this authoritative viewpoint was challenged after the 1978 discussion on the issue of “what is the criterion of truth?”
Less than half a month after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, the Central Committee held a theoretical work conference. This meeting lasted for three months and was attended by hundreds of theoretical and propaganda workers from various provinces and cities. At this meeting, two theoretical workers put forward different views from the mainstream ideas on the issue of the socialist stage at that time. One was Feng Lanrui from the Political Research Office of the State Council, and the other was Su Shaozhi, who was then the deputy director of the Marxism-Leninism Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. They had previously collaborated and jointly written some articles, and this time they also participated in the theoretical study conference. The two theory workers agreed to give a joint speech on the issue of the socialist stage at this meeting.
This speech presented a different view on the prevailing view at the time, stating that the view about the socialist society as the “entire transitional period from capitalist society to communist society” and as the “period of proletarian dictatorship without dividing stages” for a long time in the past was one-sided and incorrect, neither in line with the principles of scientific socialism nor in line with socialist reality. They argued that the long historical period from capitalism to communism should be divided into stages, that is, China was still in the “underdeveloped socialist stage” at that time, and this stage should first transit to developed socialism, and then transit to communist society. The editor in charge of the Economic Research Journal who attended the meeting saw the speech in the briefing and believed that the viewpoints were good. After obtaining consent, they published their speech in the Economic Research Journal. It should be noted that in the political atmosphere of that time, proposing such insights demonstrated a rare theoretical courage. Once the issue of the stages of socialism was raised, it was like a stone stirring up a thousand waves, immediately causing a huge response.