Two Different Types of Contradictions in Socialist Society

On February 27, 1957, Mao Zedong comprehensively analyzed the contradictions in socialist society in his article "On the Correct Handling the Contradictions among the People", and clearly put forward the theory of correctly dealing with two kinds of social contradictions between ourselves and the enemy and the contradictions among the people.

Mao Zedong pointed out that there are still contradictions in socialist society. In socialist society the basic contradictions are still those between the relations of production and the productive forces and between the superstructure and the economic base;  these contradictions are reflected in the relationships among the people and present a complex situation.

We are confronted with two types of social contradictions: those between ourselves and the enemy and those among the people. The contradictions between ourselves and the enemy are those contradictions between the enemy of the people and the people, therefore they are antagonistic contradictions, between hostile classes based on the conflict of fundamental interests. Within the ranks of the people, the contradictions among the working people are non-antagonistic, while those contradictions between the exploited and the exploiting classes have both a non-antagonistic as well as an antagonistic aspect, i.e., the contradictions between the working class and the national bourgeoisie in China belong to this category.

Contradictions between the enemy and ourselves and those contradictions among the people varies in content in different countries and in different periods of history in a given country. In China, at the present stage, in the period of building socialism, the classes, strata and social groups which favor, support and participate in the cause of socialist construction all belong to the category of the people. While the social forces and groups which resist the socialist revolution and are hostile to or sabotage socialist construction are all enemies of the people. Two kinds of social contradictions of different nature can transform to one another under certain conditions. If properly handled, some contradictions between ourselves and the enemy can be transformed into contradictions among the people; If handled improperly, contradictions among the people can also transform to those contradictions between ourselves and the enemy. Mao Zedong pointed out that the nature of the contradictions between ourselves and the enemy is different from that among the people, so are the ways to solve them. We should solve the contradictions between ourselves and the enemy by the method of dictatorship and among the people the method of democracy so as to persuasion and education.

In order to solve the contradictions among the people democratically, Mao Zedong put forward the policy of "unity—criticism—unity"; in the relationship between the CPC and the democratic parties, to policy "long-term coexistence and mutual supervision" should be practiced; “let a hundred flowers blossom and let a hundred schools of thought contend” should be carried out in scientific and cultural work; in the economic work, the Party should make comprehensive arrangements by considering the all strata of the country's urban and rural areas and take into account the interests of the state, the collective and the individual, i.e., the policy of "taking a balanced approach"; on the issue of ethnic relations, the Party should uphold unity and equality among them, implement ethnic regional autonomy system towards them, develop their economy and culture, oppose both Han chauvinism and the local-nationality chauvinism; on the issue of intellectuals, we should unite with and educate them, fundamentally improve the relationships with them, help them solve various problems that must be solved, and promote them to give full play to their talents.

According to the changes in social contradictions and class relations after the socialist transformation of the private ownership of means of production in China was basically completed, Mao Zedong pointed out that the large-scale stormy mass class struggles similar to those during the revolutionary period had basically ended, and the socialist relations of production were basically established, and our fundamental task changed from emancipating the productive forces to protecting and developing them under the new relations of production.

In this new era, we should make a clear distinction between these two different types of contradictions and correctly handle the contradictions among the people so as to unite the people of all nationalities in the country to wage a new war—to fight against nature, to develop our economy and culture, and to build our new country. The correct handling of contradictions among the people became a major theme in the political life of the country.

Mao Zedong’s thought on the correct handling of the two types of social contradictions with different nature, has provided the theoretical basis for the CPC to formulate the basic policy of building socialism by mobilizing all positive factors and turn negative factors into positive factors as far as possible.