--classstrugggle-flipmag CS Oct-2018 MKP | Page 3

Document: Important Questions Arising During The Agrarian Reform In China [We are reproducing here a report made in January 1948 to the Enlarged Session of the North West Peoples Liberation Army’s Front Committee by com. Jen li-pen. The report described vividly the problems faced during the implementation of agrarian reforms in China such as the class analysis, feudal exploitation, unity with middle and rich peasants, methods of struggle and so on. We consider this report is important even today to understand the prevailing semi-feudal conditions in India and to effect democratic revolution through agrarian reforms. – Editor] What I want to speak about is several questions from the agrarian reform. These are several important questions, but are not the whole questions of agrarian reform. The agrarian reform movement of the various liberated areas has obtained great achievements within the vast liberated areas, given rise to ardent mass movement, and has already thoroughly wiped out, or is now thoroughly wiping out, the feudal and semi-feudal system of exploitation, which has existed in China for thousands of years, enabling tens of millions of Chinese peasants to “fanshon”(“fan shon” is the term used in the liberated areas to describe the peasants’ overthrowing of the feudal system and the establishing of a new democratic system politically, socially, economically and culturally. The words “fan shon” literally mean “to turn one’s body over” and are somewhat similar colloquially to the English expression “to get up on one’s foot”). This is the greatest people’s movement in the history of China, and is also the basis on which the war can to-day victoriously be develop. This is what imperialism and the Chinese Kuomintang reactionaries are most afraid of. The Agrarian Conference of September, last year, conducted an overall discussion on the question of agrarian reform, and made many important decisions. Based on the results of the Agrarian Conference, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist party published the Basic program on Chinese Agrarian Law, proposing that the governments of the various liberated areas should carry it out. The publication of the Basic program on Chinese Agrarian Law clearly and precisely pointed out before the people of the whole country the direction and methods of our party’s agrarian policy. With regard to this direction and method, we should firmly support them…. But the work of agrarian reform is a laborious and complicated one…… it is further necessary to correctly and concretely solve the various questions arising during the practical movement of the peasants. Based on the recent decision of the Central Committee, I now October - 2018 speak about the following questions, which occurred in the course of the great movement, and which must receive the attention of the entire party. What is the Criterion for Demarcating Rural Classes? The Central Committee recently re-issued two documents of 1933: “How To Analyse Classes” and “Decision On some Questions From Agrarian Struggles,” as reference documents for the demarcation of rural classes for the various areas. Although they are 1933 documents, they are in general still applicable to-day. They contain precise stipulations concerning landlords, rich peasants, middle peasants, poor peasants, farm labourers etc. The Central Committee has issued these two documents because mistakes have occurred in some localities in the demarcation of class standing. The criterion for demarcation of class standing of many people has been determined incorrectly so that the line of demarcation between the enemy and ourselves is not clearly known. Chairman Mao tells us that we must clearly draw the line of demarcation, clearly distinguish between the enemy and ourselves, isolate and disintegrate the enemy, and must not isolate ourselves. If the class standing of many people is determined incorrectly, this disorders our ranks. The Case of Tsai-Chiaai Now I cite a case from the Shansi-Suiyuan area demonstrating the seriousness of this danger. According to the Shansi-Suiyuan Sub-Bureau speaking last month on the correction of errors in determining class standing in the administrative village Tsai-chiaai in Hsinghsion county, out of the total 552 households in the whole administrative village of Tsai- chiaai, excluding one natural village Chaorhshang (equivalent to hamlet or settlement 124 households or 22.46 per cent of the total number of households were determined as landlords or rich peasants According to general estimates, landlords average approximately 5 per cent under the old regime. Added 3