On January 5, 2013, a seminar for new members and alternate members of the Central Committee to study and implement the spirit of the 18th CPC National Congress was held in the Central Party School. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony. Huang Jingwen, reporter of Xinhua News Agency
The Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing from September 15 to 27, 1956. The thought that the main task of the Party and the country proposed by the Congress is to concentrate on developing the productive forces has long-term significance for the development of the socialist cause and the Party building. The picture shows Mao Zedong delivering an opening speech at the conference. Shen Jizhong
From September 1 to 11, 1982, the Twelfth National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing. Deng Xiaoping delivered an opening speech. In his opening speech, he clearly put forward the important proposition of "building socialism with Chinese characteristics". The picture shows Deng Xiaoping delivering an opening speech at the conference. Shen Jizhong
The top left picture shows the first German version of the Communist Manifesto in 1848. The top right is the first edition of German Volume 1 of Das Kapital in 1867. The following figure is Engels' monograph "Socialism from Utopia to Scientific Development", English version in 1892. Courtesy of the Central Institute of Party History and Literature
First, socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism rather than other doctrines. The basic principles of scientific socialism cannot be lost. Our Party has always emphasized that socialism with Chinese characteristics not only adheres to the basic principles of scientific socialism, but also endows it with distinctive Chinese characteristics according to the conditions of the times. That is to say, socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism, not anything else. What kind of doctrine a country implements depends on whether it can solve the historical problems facing the country. During the period when the Chinese nation was poor and weak, and was subjected to oppression by others, various doctrines and trends of thought had tried, and the capitalist road had not been opened. Reformism, liberalism, social Darwinism, anarchism, pragmatism, populism, and syndicalism were also all "you call it a day", but they failed to solve the problem of China's future and destiny. It was Marxism Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought that guided the Chinese people out of the long night and established New China, and it was socialism with Chinese characteristics that enabled China to develop rapidly. Not to mention the earlier period, since the beginning of reform and opening up, especially after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, the public opinion of downplaying China has been heard all over the world, and various "China collapse theories" have never been interrupted. However, instead of collapsing, China's comprehensive national strength is growing day by day, people's living standards are constantly improving, and "the scenery here is unique". History and reality tell us that only socialism can save China and only socialism with Chinese characteristics can develop China. This is the conclusion of history and the choice of the people.
In recent years, some public opinions at home and abroad have raised the question whether China is still engaged in socialism. Some people say it is "capital socialism", while others simply say it is "state capitalism" or "new bureaucratic capitalism". These are totally wrong. We say that socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism, that is, no matter how reform and opening up, we must always adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and adhere to the basic requirements of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to win a new victory of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This includes under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, based on the basic national conditions, focusing on economic development, adhering to the Four Cardinal Principles, adhering to reform and opening up, liberating and developing the productive forces, building a socialist market economy, socialist democracy, advanced socialist culture, a socialist harmonious society, and socialist ecological civilization, and promoting the all-round development of people, Gradually realize the common prosperity of all people and build a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized and harmonious socialist modern country; It includes the fundamental political system of adhering to the system of people's congresses, the system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the system of regional ethnic autonomy, the system of grass-roots mass autonomy and other basic political systems, the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, and the basic economic system in which public ownership is the main body and diversified ownership economies develop together. These are the contents that embody the basic principles of scientific socialism under the new historical conditions. If we lose these, we will not be socialism.
Comrade Deng Xiaoping once pointed out profoundly and summarily: "Our modernization must proceed from China's reality. We should pay attention to learning and drawing on foreign experience, whether in revolution or construction. However, copying the experience and models of other countries can never be successful. We have learned a lot in this regard." In the past, we should not engage in overall Soviet integration, At present, we should not engage in wholesale westernization or anything else. After the end of the Cold War, many developing countries were forced to adopt the Western model. As a result, party disputes, social unrest, and people's displacement have been difficult to stabilize. In Zhuangzi Autumn Water, it was written that "I never heard of the learning and practice of Fu Shouling and Yu Zi in Handan and that they had not gained the national power and lost it, so they went straight to their ears." We must not "learn to walk in Handan and lose it". We mean to sinicize Marxism and build socialism with Chinese characteristics. In recent years, with the rise of China's comprehensive national strength and international status, there has been more international discussion and research on the "Beijing Consensus", "China Model", and "China Road", among which there are many praisers. Some foreign scholars believe that the rapid development of China has led to some western theories being questioned, and a new version of Marxist theory is subverting the traditional western theories. We always believe that the development path of each country should be chosen by its people. The so-called "China model" is the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics created by the Chinese people in their own struggle. We firmly believe that, with the continuous development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, our system will become more and more mature, the superiority of our socialist system will be further revealed, our road will be wider and wider, and our development path will have a greater impact on the world. We should have such confidence in the road, theory and system, and truly achieve the goal of "being firm even after thousands of blows, and letting the wind blow from east to west, north to south".
Second, our Party leads the people in socialist construction. There are two historical periods before and after the reform and opening up. These two periods are interlinked and have significant differences. But in essence, they are all practical explorations of our Party leading the people in socialist construction. Socialism with Chinese characteristics was created in the new historical period of reform and opening up, but also on the basis that New China has established a basic socialist system and has carried out construction for more than 20 years. To understand this problem correctly, we should grasp three aspects. First, if our Party had not decisively decided to implement reform and opening up in 1978, and unswervingly pushed forward reform and opening up, and unswervingly grasped the correct direction of reform and opening up, socialist China would not have the great situation it is today, could face a serious crisis, and could face a crisis of the demise of the party and the country like the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries. At the same time, without the establishment of New China in 1949 and the socialist revolution and construction, and the accumulation of important ideological, material and institutional conditions, as well as positive and negative experience, the reform and opening up would be difficult to move forward smoothly. Second, although there are great differences in the ideological guidance, principles and policies, and practical work of socialist construction in these two historical periods, the two are by no means separate from each other, let alone fundamentally opposed. Our party put forward many correct propositions in the practice of socialist construction, but they were not really implemented at that time. After the reform and opening up, they were really implemented, and they will continue to adhere to and develop in the future. Marx has long said: "People create their own history, but they do not create it at will, not under the conditions they choose, but under the conditions they directly encounter, established, inherited from the past." Third, we should correctly evaluate the historical period before reform and opening up, We cannot use the historical period after reform and opening up to deny the historical period before reform and opening up, nor can we use the historical period before reform and opening up to deny the historical period after reform and opening up. The exploration of socialist practice before reform and opening up has accumulated conditions for the exploration of socialist practice after reform and opening up. The exploration of socialist practice after reform and opening up is the persistence, reform and development of the previous period. In the exploration of socialist practice before reform and opening up, we should adhere to the ideological line of seeking truth from facts, distinguish between the mainstream and the tributary, adhere to the truth, correct mistakes, carry forward experience, draw lessons, and on this basis continue to advance the cause of the Party and the people.
The reason why I emphasize this issue is that if this major political issue is not handled properly, it will have serious political consequences. The ancients said, "To destroy a country of people, its history must be gone first." Domestic and foreign hostile forces often use the history of the Chinese revolution and the history of the new China to make an effort to attack, vilify, and slander. The fundamental purpose is to upset people's hearts and incite the overthrow of the leadership of the Communist Party of China and our socialist system. Why did the Soviet Union disintegrate? Why did the Soviet Communist Party fall? One important reason is that the struggle in the ideological field is very fierce. It comprehensively negates the history of the Soviet Union and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Lenin, Stalin, and historical nihilism. The ideology is confused. Party organizations at all levels are almost useless, and the military is no longer under the leadership of the Party. In the end, a huge party of the Soviet Communist Party broke up and a huge socialist country of the Soviet Union fell apart. This is a lesson from the past! Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "The banner of Mao Zedong Thought cannot be lost. Losing the banner, in fact, negates the glorious history of our party. In general, the history of our party is glorious. Although our Party has made some big mistakes in history, including in the 30 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and even made such big mistakes as the 'cultural revolution', it has succeeded in the revolution after all. China's position in the world was greatly enhanced after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Only the founding of the People's Republic of China has enabled us, a large country with a population of nearly 1/4 of the world's total population, to stand up and stop in the world. " He also stressed: "The evaluation of Comrade Mao Zedong and the elaboration of Mao Zedong Thought are not only related to Comrade Mao Zedong's personal problems, which are inseparable from the whole history of our party and our country. We should see this overall situation." "This is not just a theoretical issue, especially a political issue, but also a big political issue at home and abroad." This is the vision and mind of a great Marxist politician. Just imagine, if we had completely denied Comrade Mao Zedong at that time, would our Party still be able to stand? Can our country's socialist system still stand? Then you can't stand. If you can't stand, there will be chaos in the world. Therefore, correctly handling the relationship between socialist practice and exploration before and after reform and opening up is not only a historical issue, but also a political issue. I suggest you find out the Resolution on Several Historical Issues of the Party Since the Founding of the People's Republic of China and look at it again.
Third, Marxism must continue to develop with the development of the times, practice and science. It cannot remain unchanged. Socialism has always been advancing in pioneering. Adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics is a big article for which Comrade Deng Xiaoping defined the basic ideas and principles. The third generation of the Party's central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at the core and the Party Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as the General Secretary have all written wonderful chapters. Now, the task of our generation of Communists is to continue writing this great article. Over the past 30 years, socialism with Chinese characteristics has made great achievements. In addition, the foundation laid after the founding of New China is an important foundation for it to stand up and go far. There is no doubt that our understanding of socialism and our grasp of the laws of socialism with Chinese characteristics have reached an unprecedented new height. At the same time, it should also be noted that China's socialism is still in the primary stage, we still face many problems that have not been clarified and problems that need to be solved, and there is no doubt that the understanding and handling of many major issues are still in the process of deepening. It takes a process to understand things, but our understanding and grasp of socialism, which we have only worked on for decades, is still very limited, and we still need to deepen and develop in practice.
To adhere to Marxism and socialism, we must have a development perspective. We must focus on the practical problems of China's reform, opening up and modernization drive, and what we are doing. We must focus on the application of Marxist theory, focus on theoretical thinking on practical problems, and focus on new practice and new development. As we said, there is no universally applicable development path and model in the world, nor is there an unchangeable development path and model. The practical and theoretical achievements we have made in the past can help us better face and solve the problems in the process of progress, but they cannot be the reason for our complacency, let alone the burden of our continued progress. The more we advance and develop our cause, the more new situations and problems we will face, the more risks and challenges we will face, and the more unexpected things we will face. We must strengthen our sense of hardship and be prepared for danger in times of peace. Emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts and keeping pace with the times are the living soul of Marxism and the fundamental ideological weapon for us to adapt to the new situation, understand new things and complete new tasks. All Party comrades, first and foremost leading cadres at all levels, must adhere to the Marxist view of development, adhere to the fact that practice is the only criterion for testing truth, give full play to historical initiative and creativity, clearly understand the changes and changes of the world situation, national conditions and the Party's situation, and always have the spirit of opening up new roads and building bridges across rivers, forge ahead and explore boldly, Dare to and be good at analyzing and answering the problems that need to be solved urgently in real life and in the minds of the masses, constantly deepen reform and opening up, constantly find, create, and advance, and constantly promote theoretical innovation, practical innovation, and institutional innovation.
Fourth, our Party has always adhered to the lofty ideal of communism, and Party members, especially party leaders, should be firm believers and loyal practitioners of the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Belief in Marxism, socialism and communism is the political soul of Communists and the spiritual pillar of Communists to withstand any test. The Party Constitution clearly stipulates that the highest ideal and ultimate goal of the Party is to achieve communism. At the same time, the Party Constitution clearly stipulates that the highest ideal of communism pursued by the Chinese Communists can only be realized on the basis of the full development and highly developed socialist society. It is unrealistic to want to enter communism at once or twice. Comrade Deng Xiaoping said that the consolidation and development of the socialist system still needs a very long historical stage, and we need several generations, a dozen generations, even dozens of generations to work tirelessly. For dozens of generations, how long it is! From Confucius to now, there are only more than seventy generations. Looking at the problem in this way fully demonstrates the political sobriety of our Chinese Communists. We must realize that our current efforts and the sustained efforts of many generations in the future are all towards the ultimate realization of communism. At the same time, we must realize that the realization of communism is a very long historical process, and we must base ourselves on the Party's goal at this stage, and earnestly promote our cause. If we lose the lofty goal of our Communists, we will lose our way and become utilitarianism and pragmatism. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the unity of the Party's highest program and basic program. In a word, the basic program of socialism with Chinese characteristics is to build a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized and harmonious. This is not only based on the basic national conditions that our country is in the primary stage of socialism and will be in the primary stage for a long time, but also does not deviate from the highest ideal of the Party. We should not only firmly believe in the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, but also keep in mind the lofty ideals of communism, unswervingly implement the Party's basic line and basic program in the primary stage of socialism, and do a good job in every current work.
The revolutionary ideal is higher than the sky. He is not a qualified Communist without lofty ideals; It is not a qualified Communist to talk about lofty ideals without practical work. In the more than 90 years of our Party's history, generations of Communists have sacrificed blood in pursuit of national independence and people's liberation, relying on a belief and an ideal. Although they also know that the ideal they pursue will not be realized in their own hands, they firmly believe that as long as generations of people continue to work hard for it and make sacrifices for it, the lofty ideal will be realized. It is the so-called "it does not matter to cut off the head, as long as the principle is true". Today, there is an objective standard to measure whether a Communist party member or a leading cadre has the lofty ideal of communism. It depends on whether he can adhere to the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, whether he can bear hardship first and enjoy later, whether he can work hard, be honest and serve the public, whether he can work hard and fight hard for his ideal To devote all your energy and even your life. All the confused and hesitant views, all the ideas of instant gratification, all the selfish behaviors, and all the styles of inaction are incompatible with this. Some people believe that communism is elusive, or even invisible, which is illusory. This involves the question of whether it is a materialistic conception of history or a idealistic conception of history. The fundamental reason why some of our comrades' ideals are dim and their beliefs waver is that their views on historical materialism are not firm. We should educate and guide all Party members and cadres to unify the common ideal of practicing socialism with Chinese characteristics and the lofty ideal of firming communism, so as to be pious and persistent, faithful and profound. With firm ideals and beliefs, you will have a higher position, a broader vision, and a broader mind. You will be able to adhere to the correct political direction, not be arrogant and impatient in victory and prosperity, not be depressed and unswerving in difficulties and adversity, withstand various risks and difficulties, consciously resist the erosion of various decadent ideas, and always maintain the political nature of Communists.
Facts have repeatedly told us that Marx and Engels' analysis of the basic contradictions of capitalist society is not out of date, and the historical materialism view that capitalism is bound to die out and socialism is bound to win is not out of date. This is an irreversible general trend of social and historical development, but the road is tortuous. The final demise of capitalism and the final victory of socialism must be a long historical process. We should have a deep understanding of the self-regulation capacity of capitalist society, fully estimate the objective reality that the western developed countries have long-term advantages in economy, science, technology and military affairs, and earnestly prepare for the long-term cooperation and struggle between the two social systems in all aspects. For quite a long time, socialism in the primary stage must also cooperate and struggle with capitalism with more developed productivity for a long time. It must also carefully study and learn from the beneficial achievements of civilization created by capitalism, and it must even face the reality that people use the strengths of western developed countries to compare with the shortcomings in the development of socialism in China and criticize them. We must have strong strategic determination, resolutely resist abandoning all kinds of wrong ideas of socialism, and consciously correct wrong ideas that go beyond the stage. The most important thing is to concentrate on our own affairs, constantly strengthen our comprehensive national strength, constantly improve the lives of our people, constantly build socialism with advantages over capitalism, and constantly lay a more solid foundation for us to win initiative, win advantages, and win the future.
Through the above analysis, we can more deeply realize that the road issue is the first issue related to the success or failure of the cause of the Party, and the road is the life of the Party. Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out that "the revolutionary party is the guide of the masses, and no revolutionary party has led the wrong way in the revolution without failure." In all historical periods of revolution, construction and reform, our party, proceeding from China's national conditions, has explored and formed the path of new democratic revolution, socialist transformation and socialist construction in line with China's reality The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, this independent spirit of exploration, and this firm determination to follow its own path are the essence of our Party's constant awakening from setbacks and moving from victory to victory. Mr. Lu Xun has a famous saying: In fact, there is no road on the ground. When there are many people walking, it becomes a road. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the dialectical unity of the theoretical logic of scientific socialism and the historical logic of China's social development. It is scientific socialism rooted in China, reflecting the will of the Chinese people, and adapting to the development and progress of China and the times. It is the only way to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, accelerate socialist modernization, and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. As long as we adhere to our own path of independence and unswervingly adhere to and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, we will be able to build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way when the Communist Party of China is founded 100 years ago, and we will be able to build a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized and harmonious socialist modern country when the People's Republic of China is founded 100 years ago.
(This is part of the speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping on January 5, 2013 at the seminar for new members and alternate members of the Central Committee to study and implement the spirit of the 18th CPC National Congress.)
