How to Correctly Handle Contradictions Among the People

Speech by Liu Shaoqi at a meeting of Party cadres held by the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee in April 1957. It is included in the Selected Works of Liu Shaoqi (Part II) published by the People's Publishing House in 1985 with abridgements.

The main contents are as follows: (1) Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially after the land reform, the principal contradiction became the contradiction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. But after privately owned industrial and commercial enterprises had been converted into joint state-private enterprises, the contradiction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie was resolved in the main. Then the contradiction among the people became the principal contradiction. The contradictions between proletarian and non-proletarian ideologies, between the working class and the peasant class, between the working class and the bourgeoisie, between the superstructure and the economic base, between the relations of production and the productive forces, between the advanced and the backward, between the masses and the leaders, and between the masses and the bureaucrats and between materialism and idealism, all of which are the contradictions among the people. (2) Most of the contradictions among the people then boil down to the contradiction between the masses and their leaders. More precisely, it is manifested in the issue of the contradiction between the bureaucratic style in the leadership and of the leaders, namely such leaders and the people. The responsibility for some problems does not necessarily fall on the leaders, but since the ones who are leaders of the state, holding leadership positions, they should assume responsibility for all that is irrational in society and for all the things they have failed to do well. People will also criticize the leaders of the state, the Party, the government and the economic departments for all these matters. Therefore, the contradiction between the masses and the leading organs stands out in sharp relief. This contradiction is mainly caused by the bureaucratism of the leading organs. Contradictions among the people find expression especially in distribution. Under the socialist system, China applies the principle of distribution to each according to his work, a principle of fairness and reasonableness. If we implement this principle well, everyone will be satisfied, and the development of the productive forces will be promoted. (3) The contradictions among the people are basically non-antagonistic, so in resolving them the leaders should not adopt the method used to handle antagonistic ones. If they adopt the method used to handle antagonistic contradictions to resolve the contradictions among the people, they will make mistakes in matters of policy. (4) Disturbances may occur when the contradictions among the people become acute. If the leaders can solve the problems in good time by improving political and ideological education, disturbances can be avoided. All the opinions and demands of the masses should be summed up and solved in a focused manner. You should do what you can and explain what you cannot to the masses. By focusing your efforts on solving problems, it will not take you long to solve all the problems accumulated among the people, and disturbances can be avoided. (5) On the matter of handling the contradictions among the people, the leaders should overcome several wrong approaches: Firstly, the approach of putting themselves above the people. Secondly, drawing a distinction between right and wrong only for the masses, not for themselves. Thirdly, using coercive methods instead of convincing people through reasoning. Fourthly, handling the contradictions among the people as contradictions between the people and the enemy.

In response to these approaches, Liu Shaoqi proposed that all our leaders should serve the people, acting as their servants, and have no right to act as overlords. As leaders, they should draw a distinction between their own right and wrong and examine their own mistakes before doing the same for the masses. When drawing a distinction between the right and wrong of the masses, they should recognize not only the wrong but also the right of the masses. Only in this way can they be comprehensive, and the masses can be convinced; the problems among the people should be smoothed out by means of compromise. In criticizing people who have made bureaucratic mistakes, with the exception of bureaucrats who are particularly bad and obdurate, we should start with a desire for unity and arrive at a new unity through criticism.

Liu Shaoqi's speech was a propagation and elaboration of the spirit of Mao Zedong's speech “On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People” at the Enlarged Eleventh Session of the Supreme State Conference in February 1957.