Revisit a few assertions about grassroots work
At the beginning of 1961, in the face of an extremely severe economic situation, Comrade ** deeply reflected on the problems existing in the "Great Leap Forward" and the "People's Communization Movement".
Through reading the relevant records of the "Annals", we clearly feel the eagerness of Comrade *** to understand the actual situation at the grassroots level. Whenever there is an opportunity, comrades will severely criticize the problems of formalism and bureaucracy in grassroots work, and give a series of important instructions on how to do a good job in grassroots work and solve the problems of formalism.
After a lapse of more than half a century, today we revisit Comrade ***'s classic expositions on grassroots work, and by no means use Comrade ***'s words to pressure anyone, but believe that these theses have carried out a very beneficial exploration of the laws governing socialist economic construction, and are still of important guiding significance for us to do a good job in economic construction, especially for grassroots work.
This is the original intention of this short article.
As for taking the form of reading notes, some friends pointed out that it can be changed to a ** cut, which looks more like an original. Sometimes I want to recombine it in my own words, but I always feel that it is more flavorful to use Comrade ***'s own words. After all, the language style of the ** comrade is always so down-to-earth. Reading it from time to time is also a pleasure.
In 1959, the chairman inspected the Eastern Suburbs People's Commune.
01 If you command blindly, I will report it indiscriminately
In the past, we always wanted numbers, how much was planted, how much was produced, how much fertilizer was accumulated today, and what was done tomorrow. Hengzhi is like that, if you command blindly, I will report randomly, and the result will be exaggerated, not real at all. Including the documents we send, it's the same way.
Speech at the enlarged meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee on the evening of March 5, 1961.
02 The spring ploughing production instruction is once a year, which is formalism
Lin Hujia (then secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee) said: Some of the blind commanders went down from the province. **Say: There are also those who go down from Beijing. In October 1959, a meeting of agricultural secretaries was held, and a set of documents was prepared, which were issued without approval. I said to Comrade *** that there should be no meeting of agricultural secretaries for three years. Spring ploughing production instructions, one a year, formalism, who goes to see, the peasant has to go hungry, he doesn't know how to plough and plant? The problem is to develop some concrete measures and methods.
On the evening of February 8, 1961, he discussed with Jiang Hua, Lin Hujia, Tian Jiaying, and others about the issue of rural rectification and social rectification.
03 Don't mess with so many files
In the future, don't make so many files, and compress them appropriately. Don't try to talk about everything in one document. For the sake of comprehensiveness, we talk about all problems, and the result is that we do not solve them. Don't approve too many documents, I was also a warm-hearted person in the past, and I also approved many documents. ......For example, every year when spring ploughing, ** will issue instructions, ** will issue orders, this year will not be done, okay? I say it's all redundant. A few articles a year will do......Not more. I don't believe it, you have read so many documents approved every year, and comrades from all provinces have read them. There are definitely many that have not been seen.
Speech at the enlarged meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee on the evening of March 5, 1961.
04 It is better to send fewer documents
Hu Qiaomu said: Yesterday, Comrade Peng Zhen came to the party to prepare an intra-party document on the grain issue and send it to the branch for discussion, to talk about the grain situation, the disaster situation, and the temporary difficulties, and to ask everyone to do everything possible to find people who work less or do not work to save food for those who participate in the labor. Say: It's better to send fewer documents, don't do it. As soon as the document is written, it is equivalent to the order being sent, and the next thing is to be arrested, and the **meeting is to be held, etc., and as a result, a large number of problems have come again. I don't think it's better to do this document.
On the afternoon of February 25, 1961, he held a meeting with Tao Zhu, Hu Qiaomu, Tian Jiaying, and others to discuss the drafting of regulations on the work of rural people's communes.
05 It is dangerous to make decisions without doing research
If we have the motivation to seek truth from facts, we must investigate and study by seeking truth from facts. The water is muddy, and I don't know if there are any fish, so we have to stir up the wind of investigation and research. It is necessary to completely overcome such things as exaggeration, bureaucracy, and lack of clarity. In the past few years, there has been a lot of talk about investigation and research, and it is a loss. Formulating guidelines and policies without research is unreliable and dangerous, and there are countless things in mind, and the numbers may be known, but the actual situation is not known.
On the evening of January 29, 1961, he had a conversation with relevant personnel of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and the Nanjing Municipal Party Committee.
06 Where bureaucracy doesn't reach, the situation is better
Hu Qiaomu said: The experience of the past few years is that the more remote the place, the better the place. ** Say: It is a place that bureaucracy cannot reach, a place that subjectivism cannot reach, and a place that blind command cannot reach.
On the afternoon of February 11, 1961, he discussed with Zhang Pinghua and Hu Qiaomu about the rectification of rural areas in Hunan.
07 Don't get busy with things every day
The first secretary should conduct investigation and study and do some ideological work, and if the first secretary is too busy, he will draw a secretary to do it. All in all, there should be people who are a little more idle and don't be busy with affairs every day.
On the afternoon of February 11, 1961, he discussed with Zhang Pinghua and Hu Qiaomu about the rectification of rural areas in Hunan.
08 Put aside the little things and focus on research
I hope that after the comrades go back, they will carry out investigation and study, put aside the trivial matters, and devote a part of their time to a few assistants to investigate and study one or two production teams and one or two communes. ......To do an investigation is to make yourself have a bottom in your heart, and you can't act without a bottom on it. To understand the situation, you must see with your eyes, ask questions with your mouth, and remember with your hands. Over the years, our comrades have stopped doing investigation and research work. If we do not do investigation and research and do things only by imagination and estimates, we will have no basis for our work. Therefore, I ask the comrades to vigorously promote the trend of investigation and study after returning home, proceed from reality in everything, and do not make up their minds if they are not sure.
Speech at the ** Work Conference, January 13, 1961.
09 Do a little more practical work
There is always a difference between the countryside and the city, and there is always a difference between agriculture and industry, so agriculture cannot direct production like industry, and agriculture cannot use the best method to direct production. In my opinion, in this aspect of leading production, we should be a little more negative, not so positive, and when you have time, you can read documents, read more books, study more, do more practical work, and in short, do not blindly command.
On the afternoon of March 7, 1961, he talked with Wang Renzhong about the situation in the countryside of Hubei.
10 Do a typical investigation of your own person
I don't think you know much about the two egalitarian issues mentioned above, don't you? Am I wrong? The same is true for most of the first secretaries of provinces, prefectures, counties, and communes. The reason for this is that they are busy with administrative work, do not conduct typical investigations in person, and are content to listen to reports at the prefectural and county levels at meetings, to look at written reports from the localities and counties, or to be satisfied with surveys that are casual and superficial. These mistakes are generally made by comrades in the same way. I hope that comrades will make corrections from now on. Of course, I must resolutely correct my own problems.
On the morning of March 13, 1961, a letter to *** Peng Zhen and others.
11. Investigation and study should follow the mass line
In the past, we listened to you, but you didn't investigate it yourself, but you also listened to others, and you have to investigate it yourself. Investigation and research and taking the mass line can make a good refund. The mass line is important. Henan runs from top to bottom, not from the masses at all, but from his mind.
On the afternoon of May 23, 1961, he delivered a speech at the enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the ** attended by the first secretaries of the ** bureaus.
12 The purpose is to solve problems, not to report
We have made mistakes in the past few years, first of all, because the situation is not clear. ......Historically, the reasons for defeating wars have mostly been unclear. In recent years, the loss of unclear food has been very large, and the price paid is very large. Everyone is an official, and no longer does research and research. I did some research, but most of it was just floating on the top and reading the report. Now, I'm going to make a few points, a few bases for investigation, and go down and make some friends. I don't have a say in the city, and I want to investigate a few factories, and I already have a desire to do so. I made an appointment with you to conduct some investigation and research on the non-staple food base, the purpose is to solve the problem, not to make a report. It is okay to report one point, and the statistical departments need reports to carry out statistics, but we mainly do not rely on reports to understand the situation, nor can we rely on reports from level to level, but we must personally understand the situation at the grassroots level.
On March 13, 1961, he delivered a speech at the working meeting of the heads of the Central South Bureau, the Southwest Bureau, and the East China Bureau of the Communist Party of China (known as the South Three District Conference).
13 Do not think about substitution policy
During this period of time, the bad style of exaggerating and substituting feelings for policies has reared its head again. This is a major lesson, and the leading comrades of the whole party at all levels must not ignore or forget this lesson that has paid a price.
23 March 1961 Amendment to the letter of instruction regarding the investigation.
14 Violations of objective laws are punishable
Whatever Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, you, the man, and the groom say, it will work only if it is put to the masses. Violating the laws of objective things and forcibly implementing them will be punished. If you are punished, you have to review. Now we are punished, and the land, the people, and the livestock are thin. What is the "three thin" not punished? ......The current "three thin" is mainly ** and I am responsible, and I am mainly responsible. ......Among you here, comrades in the region, if you open four or six, you will also have forty percent! I have been talking about him for several years, and you should be mentally prepared, but when you are tired of hearing it, I will not talk about it. Click to see who [blocked] [killed] the fifth volume of Mao Xuan?
On the morning of June 8, 1961, he delivered a speech at the enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of ** attended by the first secretaries of each bureau.
15 If you get the masses, you get the cadres
The commune should not be divided into small and small, and should not listen to the cadres, but mainly to the masses. He will definitely not want to divide the cadres, and he will find many reasons to say that there is no house, what difficulties there are, etc. As long as we get the masses, we get the cadres. What's wrong with us delegating production command. If, in accordance with the opinions of the cadres, we cannot keep the land we have kept for ourselves, we must not return the things that have been leveled up, and we cannot delegate the command of production, then we will not be able to get the masses and win the trust of the people.
Speech at the enlarged meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee on the evening of March 5, 1961.
Note: The speeches, conversations, and instructions of the above *** comrades are all excerpted from the fourth volume of "** Annals (1949-1976)", published by ** Literature Publishing House in December 2013.