On Mutual Aid and Cooperation in Agriculture

#PUBLICATION NOTE

This edition of On Mutual Aid and Cooperation in Agriculture has been prepared and revised for digital publication by the Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism under the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Switzerland on the basis of the following edition: Two Talks on Mutual Aid and Co-operation in Agriculture, in the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, First English Edition, Vol. 5, Foreign Languages Press, Beijing, 1977.

#INTRODUCTION NOTE

This is a talk given by Comrade Mao Zedong to Chen Boda and Liao Luyan, Deputy Directors of the Rural Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the 4th of November, 1953 during the Third National Conference on Mutual Aid and Cooperation in Agriculture.

The Third National Conference on Mutual Aid and Cooperation in Agriculture was convened by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, China between the 26th of October and 5th of November, 1953.

#Workers and oppressed people of the world, unite!

#ON MUTUAL AID AND COOPERATION IN AGRICULTURE

#TALK TO RESPONSIBLE MEMBERS OF THE RURAL WORK DEPARTMENT OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA

#Mao Zedong

#4th of November, 1953

#★

Whatever we do must accord with reality, otherwise it is wrong. In order to do what accords with reality, we must consider what is imperative and what is possible, and what is possible depends on political and economic conditions and the cadre situation. At present, it is at once imperative and possible to develop agricultural producers' cooperatives, for which there is a great potential. Failure to tap this potential means to mark time and make no advance. Our legs are for walking, and it is wrong to stand still all the time. It is not right to force the dissolution of cooperatives which meet the requirements, this is wrong no matter what the circumstances. The campaign to «check impetuosity and rash advance» was a gust of wind, wasn't it? As it blew from above, it brought down a number of agricultural producers' cooperatives that should have survived. An investigation should be made about such cooperatives, the findings made known, and the mistake admitted; otherwise, the township cadres and activists in those places will have pent-up grievances.

We must work for socialism. «Sustain private property» is a bourgeois concept. «To be together all day long and never talk about fundamentals, but to take pleasure only in giving small favours — indeed it's a hopeless case!» «Never talk about fundamentals» means never talking about socialism, never working for socialism. Agricultural credits, relief grain, taxation according to fixed rates, tax reduction and exemption according to law, small-scale water-conservancy projects, wells and canals, deep ploughing and close planting, proper application of fertilizer, popularization of new-type walking ploughs, water-wheels, sprayers, insecticides, and so on — all these things are fine. But to do all this on the basis of the small-peasant economy instead of by relying on socialism is to give the peasants small favours. Once these fine things are linked to the general line and to socialism, the case will be different, and they will no longer be small favours. We must work for socialism and link these fine things with it. As for «sustain private property» and the «Four Big Freedoms», there is all the more reason to call them small favours, and besides, they are favours to the rich and upper-middle peasants. To lay one's hopes for greatly increased grain production and for a solution of the food problem and of the all-important problem of the nation's economy and the people's livelihood, not on socialism, but on making much of the small-peasant economy and on giving small favours on the basis of the individual economy — «indeed it's a hopeless case»!

As an old saying goes: «Once the head-rope of a fishing net is pulled up, all its meshes open.» It is only by taking hold of the key link that everything else will fall into its proper place. The key link means the main theme. The contradiction between socialism and capitalism and the gradual resolution of this contradiction — that is the main theme, the key link. Grasp this key link, and all kinds of political and economic work to help the peasants will fall under it.

There are contradictions both inside and outside the agricultural producers' cooperatives. The present cooperatives are semi-socialist, whereas peasants working on their own outside the cooperatives are entirely under the system of private ownership. Hence there is a contradiction between the two. The mutual-aid teams are different from the agricultural producers' cooperatives in that the former engage only in collective labour and do not affect ownership. The present-day cooperatives are built on the basis of private ownership, with privately owned land, draught animals, and large farm implements pooled as shares. Hence there is also a contradiction inside the cooperatives between the socialist factors and private ownership, a contradiction which must gradually be resolved. In the future, when our present-day semi-public, semi-private ownership advances to collective ownership, this contradiction will be resolved. We are taking steady steps, moving first from mutual-aid teams, which contain rudiments of socialism, to semi-socialist and later to fully socialist cooperatives (which we still call agricultural producers' cooperatives, not collective farms). Generally speaking, the mutual-aid teams remain the basis of the agricultural producers' cooperatives.

At one time, no mention was made of mutual aid and cooperation in several of our documents, and to all of them, I added words to the effect that mutual aid and cooperation were to be developed or that necessary and feasible political and economic work was to be done. Some people wanted to make much of the small-peasant economy, and this was why they concentrated on opposing excessive meddling with the peasants. True, there was some excessive meddling at that time. The «Five Excesses» from higher up were rammed through various channels down to the lower levels, causing a lot of trouble. The «Five Excesses» should never be tolerated, whether in the villages, factories, or army units. The Central Committee has issued several documents to combat excessive meddling, and this has done some good. What is meant by excessive meddling? Drawing up subjective plans at variance with reality and regardless of what is imperative and possible, or carrying out plans, even realistic ones, by means of commandism. Subjectivism and commandism are always bad and will be so even ten thousand years hence. They are bad for the scattered small-peasant economy and no less so for the cooperatives. But to do what is both imperative and possible and moreover do it by means other than commandism — this cannot be called excessive meddling. The above ought to be the yardstick when reviewing our work. Whatever is subjectivist and unrealistic is wrong. Whatever is done through commandism is likewise wrong. To mark time and make no advance is a deviation to the Right; to go beyond what is practicable is a deviation to the «Left». Both are manifestations of subjectivism. Rash advance is wrong, failure to set up cooperatives when they can be set up is also wrong, and forcible dissolution of cooperatives even worse.

«Life is hard in the villages, all is not well, and the measures adopted do not suit the small-peasant economy.» Such complaints exist inside as well as outside the Party. True, life is a bit hard in the villages, but we ought to make a proper analysis. In fact, life is not all that hard, the grain-deficient households account for only 10% or so, and half of them are those of widows, orphans, and other people without a provider, who are in great difficulty for lack of labour-power, but the mutual-aid teams and the cooperatives can give them some help. After all, things are much better for them than in Nationalist days, and land has been distributed to them. Life is indeed hard for people in areas stricken by natural calamities, but they have received relief grain. The life of the peasants in general is good and is getting better; that is why 80 to 90% of them feel happy and support the government. About 7% of the rural population, the landlords and rich peasants, are dissatisfied with the government. «Life is hard in the villages, and things are terrible there» — certainly this has not been my view. Some people speak of the scattered nature as well as the hardships of the villages, that is, the scattered nature of the small-peasant economy; but in doing so, they fail to mention forming cooperatives. To carry out the socialist transformation of the individual economy, to promote mutual aid and cooperation, and to set up cooperatives — this is not merely the direction to take, but the immediate task before us.

Without the Conference on Financial and Economic Work held in July and August, the question of the general line would have remained unsettled for many comrades. The aim of that conference was mainly to settle this question. We criticized Bo Yibo precisely for his mistake in departing from the general line. In short, the general line means the gradual accomplishment of the socialist industrialization of our country and of the socialist transformation of agriculture, handicrafts, and capitalist industry and commerce. The planned purchase and supply of grain recently put into effect has given a big impetus to socialism. The present Conference on Mutual Aid and Cooperation, coming shortly after as it does, will give it another big impetus. In view of the fact that the movement for mutual aid and cooperation has been held back for the better part of this year, the present conference should be more active in this respect. But our policies must be made clear. It is very important to make our policies known.

«Active leadership and steady development» — this is well put. The movement has been held back for the better part of this year and has marked time without making any advance. This is not quite right. However, there is a positive side to it. It is like fighting battles. After each battle, there should be time for rest and consolidation before starting the next. The trouble is that, in some places, too many of our positions have been given up, while in others, it has not been a matter of giving up too many positions, but failure to develop where development was possible and failure to allow any development or give it approval, so that it became illegal. In this world, it often happens that many newborn things which are correct are considered illegal. We ourselves were «illegal» in the past, while the Nationalist Party of China was «legal». But these illegal cooperatives have held on to this day and are doing quite well. Can you still withhold recognition? You have to admit that they are legal; after all, they have won out.

The conference has discussed active leadership and steady development, but you should anticipate some troubles. You may talk about being active and steady, and yet in practice, you may fail to give active leadership or achieve steady development. Being active and steady entails setting control figures, assigning tasks, and then checking whether they are fulfilled. Failure to fulfil what can be fulfilled is impermissible, it shows a lack of enthusiasm for socialism. According to the findings of our checkup, 5 to 10% of the cooperatives have shown a drop in output and are not doing so well. This is due to lack of active leadership. Of course, it is inevitable that a few cooperatives should show a fall in production because of poor management. However, if 20% of the cooperatives, or even more, were to show a fall in production, that would be quite a problem.

The general line means a gradual change in the relations of production. According to Stalin, the system of ownership is the basis of the relations of production.¹ Comrades must have a clear understanding of this point. At present, both private ownership and socialist public ownership are legal, but private ownership will gradually become illegal. To «sustain private ownership» of 3 mu [2 km²] of land and practise the «Four Big Freedoms» is to facilitate the growth of a small number of rich peasants and to take the capitalist road.

County and district cadres must gradually switch their work to mutual aid and cooperation in agricultural production, to the promotion of socialism. If they are not working for socialism, what are they working for? For the individual economy? Secretaries of county and district Party committees must look upon working for socialism as a matter of major importance. Party secretaries must take charge, and I am the secretary of the Central Committee. Secretaries of the Central Committee bureaus, secretaries of the provincial, prefectural, county, and district Party committees, and secretaries at all levels must take charge and attend to the job in person. At present, the Central Committee is devoting 70 to 80% of its efforts to the socialist transformation of agriculture. Similarly, to transform capitalist industry and commerce is also to work for socialism. Comrades of the rural work departments at all levels and all those present at this conference must become experts in the socialist transformation of agriculture and well versed in theory, line, policy, and method.

To provide the cities with vegetables depends chiefly on planned supply. There are dense populations in the big and rising cities, and how can they possibly manage without vegetables? This problem must be solved. If it is not possible to ensure the production and supply of vegetables by setting up mutual-aid teams in the suburban areas, you can bypass that stage and set up semi-socialist or even fully socialist cooperatives. This question needs going into.

A plan for the development of the producers' cooperatives has been put forward. Over 32'000 cooperatives are to be set up this winter and next spring and right up to the time of the autumn harvest. By 1957, the number will have reached 700'000. But a sudden increase at one time or another should be expected, and the number of cooperatives may rise to 1'000'000, or perhaps more. In short, set up cooperatives in large numbers and manage them well, give active leadership, and achieve steady development.

This conference has been fruitful. If we had not held it and waited until next January, it would have been too late, and this winter would have slipped by. We shall hold another conference on the 26th of March next year and check up on how our plan has been carried out. It is a good idea for this conference to fix the date of the next meeting and to decide that it will review the implementation of the resolution adopted here. Next autumn, we shall hold still another conference to discuss and decide on the tasks for the following winter.