Theory of Worker-Peasant Alliance

The revolutionary alliance between the working class and the working peasantry under the leadership of the proletarian party.

When Marx and Engels summed up the revolutionary experiences in France and Germany from 1848 to 1849 and the lessons learned from the Paris Commune, they put forth the theory of worker-peasant alliance, pointing out that the exploitation of peasants and workers differs only in form, and that they are all exploited by capital. After the establishment of the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie and capitalist system, the interests of peasants and bourgeoisie are in an irreconcilably opposition. “Only the fall of capital can raise the peasant; only an anti-capitalist, a proletarian government can break his economic misery, his social degradation.” “Hence they find their natural ally and leader in the urban proletariat, whose task it is to overthrow the bourgeois order.” According to the practice of class struggle in France and Germany, Marx came to the conclusion that the proletariat must forge an alliance with the peasants. He held that in all peasant countries, the proletarian revolutionary solo without the peasant chorus would inevitably become a swan song. He said that the whole thing in Germany will depend on whether it is possible to back the proletarian revolution by some second edition of the peasants war, and an important lesson from the failure of the Paris Commune was the lack of the worker-peasant alliance. While leading the Russian revolution, Lenin developed the thought of worker-peasant alliance under the new historical conditions. Only when the proletariat forges a worker-peasant alliance can it form an overwhelming power advantage and capture the power; after mastering power, the highest principle of the dictatorship of the proletariat is to maintain the worker-peasant alliance. While leading the Chinese revolution, Mao Zedong developed the thought of the worker-peasant alliance and put forth the theory of the united front, holding that the basic question to be solved in China at that time was essentially the question of peasants’ land. In On the People’s Democratic Dictatorship, Mao Zedong pointed out: “The people’s democratic dictatorship is based on the alliance of the working class, the peasantry and the urban petty-bourgeoisie, and mainly on the alliance of the workers and the peasants, because these two classes comprise 80 to 90 per cent of China’s population. These two classes are the main force in overthrowing imperialism and the Kuomintang reactionaries. The transition from new democracy to socialism also depends mainly upon their alliance.”

The worker-peasant alliance is the necessary condition for gaining the victory of democratic revolution and socialist revolution, building socialism and achieving communism. The two major classes of workers and peasants have each their own class characteristics and different economic status and conditions of work. However, they are both workers and are in a position of being exploited and oppressed. The common interest of overthrowing capitalist rule makes them naturally connected. Whether a solid worker-peasant alliance can be formed is the key to the success or failure of the proletarian revolution. The worker-peasant alliance is also the objective requirement of the dictatorship of the proletariat and socialist construction. The dictatorship of the proletariat refers to the ruling position of the proletariat in the state, rather than the proletariat alone forming political power and accomplishing the tasks of socialist construction. The political power of the proletariat belongs to both the proletariat and the entire people. Peasants are the majority of the people. Only by constantly consolidating the worker-peasant alliance can the dictatorship of the proletariat have a solid foundation, better exercise democracy among the people and dictatorship over the enemy, and only by attracting the peasants to the path of co-operation can there be a comprehensive victory in socialist transformation and construction. In the worker-peasant alliance, the working class is the dominant force and the leading class. The proletariat and its political parties should pay close attention to the immediate interests of the peasants, educate them carefully and patiently, and lead the peasants to jointly build socialism in accordance with the principles of voluntariness and consciousness, step-by-step progress, demonstration by example, state assistance, etc.

The worker-peasant alliance is a historical category, and in the historical period when there are distinctions between workers and peasants and between town and country, the theory of the worker-peasant alliance is still an important theoretical weapon to guide the socialist revolution and construction.