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
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