Change of the World Views Is a Fundamental Change

Mao Zedong made an important judgment on the ideological remolding of intellectuals, which he discussed in his speech “On the Correct Handling of Contradictions among the People”, he made in February 1957. A viewpoint represents a person’s opinion about reality, and viewpoint covers basic views such as: a worldview, an outlook on life and sense of value. As early as the Revolutionary War, Mao Zedong attached great importance to the transformation of the subjective world of those persons who have joined the revolutionary ranks, and always stressed that Communists should “join the Party ideologically”. After the founding of New China, Mao Zedong attached great importance to the ideological remolding of people, especially intellectuals, and made many elaborations on this issue. In February 1957, Mao Zedong first expounded on the ideological transformation issue from the perspective of world views, he pointed out: " intellectuals must continue to remould themselves, gradually shed their bourgeois world views and acquire the proletarian, communist world views so that they can fully fit in with the needs of the new society and unite with the workers and peasants. The change in world views is fundamental…” In the Reform and Opening-up period, Deng Xiaoping further elaborated on the issue of intellectuals' world views, and clearly put forward the important idea of “serving whom is an important manifestation of world views.”

Mao Zedong pointed out that the intellectuals coming from the old society would be incompatible with workers and peasants “if they don't discard their old set of ideas and turn to proletarian world views, they will remain different from the workers and peasants in their viewpoint, stand and feelings and will be like square pegs in round holes, and the workers and peasants will not open their hearts to them.” Only after they "gradually abandon the world views of the bourgeoisie", and when they establish a proletarian world views, " we will all be speaking the same language, not only the common language of patriotism and of the socialist system, but probably even that of the communist world views.”

Therefore, only by abandoning the bourgeois world views and establishing the Marxist world views, those intellectuals who have received landlord and bourgeoisie education in the old society can finally solve the problem of stand, thus better serve the people and the proletariat.

Mao Zedong also put forward several views on the transformation of the world views of intellectuals: after the establishment of socialist system, the economic basis of bourgeois ideology has been basically eliminated, which makes it necessary and possible for intellectuals to change their world views. The transformation of their world views cannot be forced but depends on persuasion and they will change their world views in practice; "It will take a long time for a complete change of world views, we should be patient and spend a long time in educating them and helping them to get these loads off their backs so that they can advance with great strides”, for those who are unwilling or unable to change their world views, we should not be demanding, but give them the opportunity to work in better conditions. These ideas of Mao Zedong played an important guiding role in strengthening the education and ideological and political work of the Party among the intellectuals, thus through education and remolding themselves; the vast majority of intellectuals have realized the change of their world views.

Deng Xiaoping pointed out: “The large majority of them love the Party and socialism, are striving to integrate themselves with the workers, peasants and soldiers, and work wholeheartedly and successfully at their jobs, treat their scientific and technological work enthusiastically. Their faith in the Party and in socialism never wavered, even when Lin Biao and the Gang of Four were persecuting and tormenting intellectuals, and they kept on working in their specialities under extremely difficult conditions. Many showed a high level of political awareness in the struggle against the Gang of Four, and when it was smashed their deep revolutionary enthusiasm was released. They fully support the Central Committee of the Party and are working harder than ever for the four modernizations.”