“Bring Order Out of Chaos”

After smashing the “Gang of Four”, the Communist Party of China restored its ideological line of seeking truth from facts, corrected the “Cultural Revolution”, and as a result completely reversed the serious situation caused by the ten-year civil strife, and realized a series of major shifts of the focus of work to the socialist modernization. The “Rectification to Restore Order” lasted from October 1976 to September 1982, the period from the smashing of the “Gang of Four” to the convening of the Twelfth CPC National Congress. It can be divided into two periods by the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee in December 1978.

In the first phase of more than two years, Party organizations at all levels launched a struggle to expose and criticize the “Gang of Four”, in accordance with the Party Central Committee's deployment, checked their gang system, and restored order from chaos caused by the “Cultural Revolution”. The Eleventh CPC National Congress declared the end of the “Cultural Revolution”. The Party and State began to reorganize their institutions and rectify the unjust, false and erroneous verdicts. The agricultural and industrial production was quickly recovered and the work related to the education, science and culture began to go back to the normal. However, the long-standing “Left” deviation and the proposal of “two whatevers” hindered the rectification to restore order, thus the Party and State work hovering forward.

The revolutionists of the older generation represented by Deng Xiaoping pointed out the errors of the “two whatevers” and broke free from its shackles by supporting and leading the discussion on truth criterion that started in May 1978, which promoted people’s ideological liberation and rectification to restore order. The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee completely rejected “two whatevers”, determined the guiding principle of emancipating the mind, setting our wits to work, seeking truth from facts and looking forward in unity, ceased to use the slogan of “taking class struggle as the key link”, made the strategic decision of shifting the focus of work to socialist modernization and implementing Reform and Opening-up, redefined the correct ideological, political and organizational line of the CPC, and started a comprehensive rectification in these fields. In the session, the bondage of the long-standing dogmatism and personal worship was broken and the ideological line of seeking truth from facts was re-established, thus making the work in all fields full of creative vitality.

In June 1981, “Resolution on Several Historical Issues of the Party Since the Founding of the People's Republic” (hereinafter referred to as The Resolution) was discussed and passed in the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee. This session made a correct summary of the major historical events of the Party in the 32 years after the founding of New China, especially the “Cultural Revolution”, realistically evaluated Mao Zedong's historical position in the Chinese revolution, fully expounded the great significance of Mao Zedong Thought as the guiding ideology of our Party, and affirmed the correct path of building a modern and powerful socialist country gradually established since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee that is suitable for China’s situation. The approval of the “Resolution” marked the success of the ideological rectification by the Party and state to restore orders. In line with the principle of seeking truth from facts and correcting mistakes whenever they occur, a nationwide review was made to redress a large number of wrongs. For example, the wronged rightists were rehabilitated, the labels of landlords and rich peasants were removed, policies for Kuomintang insurgents were implemented, small traders, peddlers, handicrafts-men were distinguished from former industrialists and businessmen, the resumption of activities of various democratic parties and social organizations was supported, national and religious policies were earnestly carried out, and the policy on overseas Chinese affairs was reiterated. As a result, the stable, united, lively and vivid political atmosphere was formed. The work of People’s Congress at different levels and the collective leadership and democratic centralism of the Party and the state were improved. A series of important laws, decrees and regulations were formulated and implemented, and as a result judicial, procuratorial and public security work, and socialist democracy and legal system were gradually strengthened. Discipline inspection institutions at the central and all other levels were founded, “Several Norms of Intra-Party Political Life” and other relevant laws and regulations within the Party were developed, which strengthened the Party's organizational construction and restored and carried forward the Party's fine traditions and style.

In the Central Working Conference held in April 1979, it was proposed that the national economy should be “adjusted, reformed, rectified and improved”. It thus followed that the mistakes in economic work in the previous two years were resolutely corrected, and the system of industrial management and economic management was reformed in a sound way, which improved the management and technical level of the entire national economy. The household contract responsibility system with the main form of contracting production and work to households has been gradually popularized in rural areas across the country, which has greatly improved farmers' enthusiasm for production. After two years, the development of national economy went stable and people’s life was improved. In the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in November 1982, it was solemnly announced that we had completed the arduous task of bringing order out of chaos in the guiding ideology, made great victories in bringing order out of chaos in practical work on all fronts, and achieved a great historic transformation. The completion of order restoration out of chaos laid a solid foundation for the new situation of Reform and Opening-up and modernization.