Politics and Economy Under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat

“Politics and Economy Under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat” is an article written by Zhang Wentian during the late period of the “Cultural Revolution” when he was ill. The original draft was completed on September 20, 1973, in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, and the revised version of the draft was completed in September 1975 in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. It was originally published in People's Daily on August 25, 1979. It is included in Volume 4 of the Collected Works of Zhang Wentian published by the History of Communist Party of China Publishing House in 1994.

Using the Marxist principle of the dialectical relationship between economy and politics, this article expounded on both the decisive effect of the economy on politics and the counteraction of politics on the economy, refuted various erroneous tendency of "empty-headed politics", and erroneous “Left” erred tendencies of advocating "prominence of politics" in isolation from the fundamental economic interests of the proletariat and the masses.

In particular, this article emphasizes that “under the dictatorship of the proletariat, the main task of the proletarian regime is to serve the socialist economic construction.” Under the dictatorship of the proletariat, the main political task of the Party is to concentrate the activities of all departments of the state and various mass organizations from different directions—directly and indirectly—on the goal of serving the socialist economic construction. If the dictatorship of the proletariat under the leadership of the Communist Party is not able to develop and strengthen the socialist economy rapidly, then it will not have a reliable and strong material foundation and will not be able to consolidate itself. The great abundance of material goods is the fundamental condition for the transition to communism. Without such conditions or being in a backward position in production and having poverty, even the "transition" to communism will only frustrate the people's cause. "If politics speak pleasantly and the economy is in a mess, how can the masses not be disgusted if they are forced to clap their hands to praise it?" The purpose of the socialist revolution and the consolidation of the dictatorship of the proletariat is to develop the socialist economy and meet the growing needs of the people in material and cultural life. It has only one purpose, no other. We communists, regard the realization of communism as our highest ideal. However, the realization of communism can only be done on the basis of highly developed social productive forces. "If, instead of striving to improve the productive forces of society and the lives of the masses, one is obsessed with the high claims of 'communism', then communism will only be spoiled into a magic trick that fills a pie with hunger. This is, of course, a great insult to the noble cause of communism!"

The theoretical viewpoint of putting economic development at the forefront of all work put forward in the article "Politics and Economy under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat" is of great theoretical value in clarifying the relationship between politics and economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat and in freeing people's minds from the extreme “Left” thinking and formulations of the “Cultural Revolution” period. It is of great theoretical value to liberate people's minds from the shackles of the extreme “Left” thinking and ideological shackles references of the “Cultural Revolution” period.