On the Struggle Against the «Five Evils»

#PUBLICATION NOTE

This edition of On the Struggle Against the «Five Evils» 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: On the Struggle Against the «Three Evils» and the «Five Evils», in the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, First English Edition, Vol. 5, Foreign Languages Press, Beijing, 1977.

#INTRODUCTION NOTE

This is an inner-Party directive drafted by Comrade Mao Zedong for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the 26th of January, 1952. It was first published in the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 5, in 1977.

#Workers and oppressed people of the world, unite!

#ON THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE «FIVE EVILS»

#DIRECTIVE OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA

#Mao Zedong

#26th of January, 1952

#★

In all cities, and first of all in the big and middle cities, we should rely on the working class and unite with the law-abiding capitalists and other sections of the urban population to wage a large-scale, resolute, and thoroughgoing struggle against those capitalists who are violating the law by bribery, tax evasion, theft of State property, cheating on government contracts, and stealing economic information; we should coordinate this struggle with that against corruption, waste, and bureaucracy, which is being waged inside the Party, government, army, and mass organizations. This is both imperative and very timely. In the struggle, Party organizations in all cities must carefully dispose the forces of the classes and masses and adopt the tactics of utilizing contradictions, effecting splits, uniting with the many, and isolating the few, so that, in the process, a united front against the «Five Evils» will speedily take shape. In a big city, as the struggle against the «Five Evils» gets into full swing, such a united front may well come into being within about three weeks. Once this united front is formed, those reactionary capitalists guilty of the worst crimes will be isolated, and the State will be in a strong position to mete out due punishment, such as fines, confiscation, arrest, imprisonment, or execution, without much opposition. All our big cities (including provincial capitals) should start the struggle against the «Five Evils» in the first ten days of February. Please make prompt arrangements.