Organizing Contingents of the People’s Militia on a Big Scale

Mao Zedong's instruction on strengthening militia construction.

In order to implement the policy of active defense, Mao Zedong proposed that while strengthening the construction of the regular army, militia work should also be emphasized and strengthened.

On August 17, 1958, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee adopted the “Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Militia Issues”, proposed that in addition to building strong conventional and special technical forces, it was necessary to arm citizens of both sexes who could bear arms throughout the country and to realize a nationwide military in the form of militia organizations.

On September 29, Mao Zedong pointed out in a conversation with a Xinhua News Agency correspondent: "The imperialists are bullying us so much. This is something that needs to be dealt with seriously. We must have not only a strong regular army, but also a large militia division. In this way, when the imperialists invade our country, it will be difficult for them to move an inch.” “The militia is still useful for maintaining order, but mainly against imperialist aggression, so that it can be fought everywhere, and is the basis of a standing army. Conscription is the enlistment in the basic militia.” “If the imperialists dare to launch a war of aggression against our country, then we will have a universal army, and the militia will cooperate with the People's Liberation Army and supplement it at any time to defeat the invaders completely.”

Under the call of Mao Zedong and the Central Committee of the Party, a great upsurge for establishing militia divisions was quickly set off all over the country. Precisely because of the important and irreplaceable role of the militia in the future war against aggression, Mao Zedong proposed, "the military should also grasp both ends, the militia and the cutting-edge.” “The provinces should engage in militias, local forces, provincial, local and county, and they should not rely on the central government, not just on a few million PLA troops.” He demanded that the militia work should be organized to achieve organizational implementation, political implementation and military implementation.

Since the 1980s, the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission have reorganized the militia organizations, adjusted and abolished the militia divisions and regiments, which had no real name, and promoted the further healthy development of militia work.