Communist China's Intra-Party Dispute

Abstract

ccr OMRADE MAO TSE-TUNG has often said that there are two ways of carryt_ ing on socialist transformation and construction: one will result in doing the work faster and better; the other, slowly and not so well. Which way shall we take? This has been an issue. With these almost casual words, Liu Shao-ch'i, First Deputy Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, addressing the second session of the Party's eighth congress in May I958, began his expose of the serious dispute over economic policy within the top ranks of the Chinese leadership during the previous two years.' It is the aim of this article trace the course of this dispute and assess the significance of its conclusion. The nature of the dispute is indicated in the passage quoted above. It can be seen more clearly by comparing further remarks on economic development made by Liu in the same speech, with those on equivalent topics made earlier by Chou En-lai, the Party's Second Deputy Chairman and China's Premier, when he introduced the draft second Five-Year Plan at the first session of the eighth congress in September i956.2 Liu was introducing the Party's general line for socialist construction which he defined as to build socialism by exerting our utmost efforts, and pressing ahead consistently achieve greater, faster, better and more economical results. Discussing the speed of economic development, he said, . . only by speeding up construction the utmost can we consolidate, within the shortest possible period, our socialist state and raise the people's standards of living. But Chou, dealing with the same topic, had said, First, we should, in accordance with the needs and possibilities, set a reasonable rate of growth for the national economy and place the plan on a forward-looking and completely basis, ensure a comparatively balanced development of the national economy. The contrast between the two approaches is very marked. The keynotes of Chou's prescription were reasonable, sound and balanced;