Fundamental Principles in Political Work of the People’s Army

The three principles of the political work of the People's Army were the unity of officers and soldiers, the unity of the army and the people, the disintegration of the enemy forces and the preferential treatment of prisoners. This was a genuine tradition of the People's Army.

As early as December 1929, Mao Zedong, in the resolution of the Gutian Conference drafted by him, summarizing the experience of building a new type of People's Army during the initial period of the Red Army, established the correct principles of the Red Army in dealing with officer-soldier relations, civil-military relations and preferential treatment of prisoners. On October 25, 1937, in a conversation with British journalist Bertram, Mao Zedong further clarified the three principles of military political work.

The principle of uniformity between officers and soldiers: political equality between officers and soldiers, between superiors and subordinates, only the difference between high and low positions, no distinction between superior and inferior, officers care for and love soldiers, soldiers respect and obey officers, unite and help each other, share hardships and sufferings, practice leading democracy, establish conscious discipline, and jointly assume responsibility and contribute to the construction of the army and the completion of various tasks.

The principle of unity between the army and the people: the whole army fulfills its purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, abides by the policies, decrees and mass discipline, supports the government, cherishes the people, safeguards the interests of the masses, never divorces itself from the masses, keeps close relations between the army and the people, consolidates and develops the unity between the army and the government, the army and the people, publicizes, organizes and arming the masses, actively participates in and supports national construction, and relieves the burden of the people.

The principle of disintegrating the enemy and giving preferential treatment to prisoners: cooperate with military strikes, carry out political publicity against the enemy, take all kinds of measures and means, divide and disintegrate the enemy ideologically and organizationally, shake the enemy's morale, win over the enemy's officers and men to resist, slow down and stop resistance, make them surrender to the uprising, break away from the reactionary barracks, and weaken and disintegrate the enemy's combat effectiveness; and the army will implement a policy of lenient treatment for prisoners, and will not kill or humiliate prisoners who have laid down their weapons, confiscate their personal belongings, and treat their injuries and illnesses.

The basic principles of the political work of the people's army reflected the proletarian nature of the people's army and the purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, and were an extremely important and significant sign distinguishing it from all old-style armies, while being the basis of the political work of the army.

The implementation of the three major principles of political work gave the people's army a clear standard of political work, playing an important role in strengthening internal and external unity and defeating the enemy.