Mao Zedong: Stalinism must be maintained, and correcting its shortcomings and mistakes is a good thing

Beginning in late November 1956, Mao Zedong presided over a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee almost every night to study and analyze the situation.

From the events in Hungary to the Anglo-French invasion of Egypt, from the Eastern European party to the Western European party, from Tito to Dulles, the participants carefully studied how to answer various phenomena and views. Meetings begin every day at the beginning of the illumination and remain open until the sun rises in the east.

Mao Zedong was clear-cut. He was well aware that the crux of the whole problem lay in the so-called "Stalinism".

Mao said that the so-called Stalinism is nothing more than Stalin's ideas and views; the so-called Stalinists are nothing more than those who agree with Stalin.

What about Stalin's ideas and views? We believe that Stalin's ideas and views are basically in line with Marxism-Leninism, and although some of them are wrong, they are correct in the main aspects. Stalin's mistake was secondary.

Therefore, the so-called Stalinism is basically correct; the so-called Stalinists are basically correct, they are Communists with shortcomings and mistakes, and they are good people who make mistakes. Tito's views must be completely refuted, otherwise the communist ranks will split and their own families will beat them.

Mao firmly said that Stalinism had to be maintained and that correcting its shortcomings and mistakes was a good thing. This knife cannot be thrown away. Then Mao Zedong spoke in a deep tone.

Mao Zedong instructed Hu Qiaomu to draft an outline for him to see. When Hu Qiaomu rushed home, the sun had risen. He squinted for a moment, then hurried up and sat down at his desk.

After following Mao Zedong for more than a decade, Hu Qiaomu knew that most of the things Mao wanted were not overnight. In the evening, Hu Qiaomu sent the outline to Fengze Garden. Mao Zedong read the outline quickly and fell into contemplation.

Hu's theses clearly inspired Mao a great deal.

At the Politburo Standing Committee three days later, Mao Zedong systematically put forward his ideas for the article. He said that the title of the article is "On the Historical Experience of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat Again" as a sequel to "On the Historical Experience of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat" to show that our viewpoint is consistent.

Arbor's outline has taken my idea a step further, and the article can be written more theoretically, but the form of political theory should not change.

Regarding the basic idea of the article, Mao made 6 points:

First, we must talk about the basic laws and common paths of the world revolution. The basic laws of the October Revolution and the concrete road of the revolutions of various countries, the universal truth of Marxism and the concrete practice of the revolutions of all countries must not be abandoned in two aspects.

Second, it is necessary to clarify exactly what "Stalinism" and "Stalinists" are. It should be made clear that Stalinism is Marxism, and the so-called non-Stalinism is revisionism.

Third, chauvinism, which exists in large countries and small countries. We must talk about internationalism and oppose nationalism.

Fourth, to distinguish between the contradiction between the enemy and ourselves and the difference between right and wrong within us, we must first distinguish between the enemy and ourselves, and then we must clarify right and wrong within ourselves.

Fifth, we must oppose both dogmatism and revisionism. Our Party has always opposed dogmatism and at the same time opposed revisionism. Certain views and practices of the CPSU against Stalin contributed to the spread of revisionism on an international scale.

Sixth, it starts with unity and ends with unity.

Regarding the way to write, Mao said that the whole article should contain both positive and negative aspects. Our criticism must be different from the inside and outside, and at the same time it must be realistic, analytical, and leave room for it.

It can be borrowed from the ancient Chinese method of "wanting to promote first suppressing" or "wanting to suppress first promoting". This should be the case with both Stalin and Tito, in order to achieve the goal of unity through criticism.

At the end of the meeting, Mao asked Hu Qiaomu and Wu Lengxi to write this article, and at the same time instructed Tian Jiaying to cooperate. The first draft will be produced by December 12.

Hu, Tian, and Wu quickly divided their work and wrote a part each. Then it was changed by Hu Qiaomutong. The first draft was printed on December 11.

On the afternoon of the 13th, Mao Zedong presided over a meeting of the Politburo to discuss the first draft. Many comments were made, mainly in the area of Stalin's positive evaluation. Mao asked Hu, Tian, and Wu to seize the time and come up with the revised draft as soon as possible after they returned.

On the afternoon and evening of the 19th and 20th, Mao successively held politburo meetings to discuss the revised draft. Since the article is more mature, the opinions made by everyone are more specific.

Mao pointed out in particular that in order to make a serious analysis of Stalin, we must first talk about his correct aspects and not erase them; then we must correct his mistakes; and then we must seek truth from facts and cannot completely negate him. This is called "Three Niangs Godson".

Mao finally said in a serious tone that Khrushchev beat Stalin to death with one stick, and as a result he lifted a stone and beat him in the foot, imperialism took the opportunity to beat him with a stick, the proletariat beat him with a stick from the other side, and Tito and Tolyatti beat him from the middle.

Stalin's knife, Khrushchev lost, others picked it up and beat him, making a lot of noise.

We are now writing this article to break the siege for him by picking up stalin's knife and giving imperialism and revisionism a knife, because although the knife has a gap, it is basically sharp.

According to the opinions at the meeting, Qiaomu carefully designed the revision plan, which was first modified by their respective divisions of labor, and then changed by themselves.

On the 22nd and 23rd, Mao Zedong presided over a meeting of the Politburo to discuss the final revised draft. After everyone spoke, Mao focused on two issues.

The first is the contradiction between the superstructure and the economic base, and the contradiction between the relations of production and the productive forces. These contradictions not only exist, but under certain conditions may be transformed from non-antagonistic contradictions into antagonistic contradictions, as evidenced by Soviet-Polish relations and the Hungarian events.

Second, we must defend the history of the two stages of the Soviet Union, not only in the stage of the Soviet revolution, but also in the stage of Soviet construction.

The Politburo meeting adopted the article in principle, proposing that it be finalized by the Standing Committee after revision. The title of the article, which was also finalized, was called "On the Historical Experience of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat Again."

Mao Zedong explained at the meeting that the article would be published within the year no matter what, and this year is the year.

As soon as the meeting ended, Tian and Wu simply came to Hu Qiaomu's home, and the three of them discussed while reading and revising paragraph by paragraph. After a day and a night, the 3 people basically did not close their eyes, and finally took out the revised draft and sent it to Mao in time.

On the afternoon of the 27th, Mao once again presided over the Politburo Standing Committee to discuss the new revised draft. This discussion is basically textual.

Mao immediately demanded that Hu, Tian, and Wu revise it immediately, revise a paragraph, send him a paragraph, finalize it in the evening, and see the newspaper tomorrow.

In this way, the three people ate at the Zhongnanhai canteen, went to Juren hall behind Mao Zedong's residence, and began to work.

Hu and Wu revised and changed a paragraph, which was given to Mao by Tian; Mao waited in his bedroom, and the manuscript was finalized as he went.

An all-night passed, and Hu, Tian, and Wu came to Mao's bedroom together and sent the last few paragraphs. Mao changed only a few words, and the person in charge of compiling was notified, Chinese had been finalized, and the translation could also be finalized.

At the same time, he decided that xinhua news agencies would issue a press on the evening of the 28th, and Chinese and English broadcasts would also be broadcast at the same time, and the People's Daily would be reported in the newspaper on the 29th.

After the article was published, it had a huge response.

The article is undoubtedly recorded in the historical archives of the first head-on confrontation between the Chinese and Soviet parties, and Hu Qiaomu is also considered to have reached the highest level of theoretical cultivation because he presided over the writing and revision of the article.

But Hu Qiaomu knew that things were far from over.

Mao Zedong said at the last Standing Committee meeting of the article that the controversy over the Stalin question is not yet over, and it is estimated that there will be controversy in this century or even in the 21st century, because this is a question related to the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism, and we must prepare for a long-term polemic.