Theory of the Division into Phases of Communism and the Transition Period

The theory on the transition period and the phases of development of communist society by Marx, Engels and other classic writers of Marxism.

How will the proletariat transit to a communist society after conquering the political power? What are the phases of development of communism? Marx and Engels have made many explorations on these two questions. In the work Critique of the Gotha Programme, Marx divided the communist society into the first phase of communism and the higher phase of communism. At the same time, they held that, after the proletariat gained the political power, a period of political transition was required before it could progress to the first phase of communism. Later, in the light of the practice of socialist revolution and construction, Lenin, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping enriched and developed the theory of the transition period and the first phase of communism, i.e., concrete features, practical path, etc., of socialism.

On the division of the stages of communism. In the Critique of the Gotha Programme, Marx made a clear division of the phases of development of communism. The first and the higher phase of the communist society are both connected and different. What they have in common is that, based on socialized large-scale production and public property in the means of production, there is no commodity production, money, exploitation and class distinctions. The difference between the two is also clear in that in the first phase of the communist society, since “just as it emerges from capitalist society; which is thus in every respect, economically, morally, and intellectually, still stamped with the birthmarks of the old society from whose womb it emerges”. For example, the old social division of labor, the differences between mental labor and manual labor still exist; labor is still a means of life; the distribution of consumer goods still implements “a given amount of labor in one form is exchanged for an equal amount of labor in another form”; by default, it assumes unequal individual endowments, thus assumes that unequal abilities to work are a natural privilege, etc. The basic feature of the higher phase of communism is: “In a higher phase of communist society, after the enslaving subordination of the individual to the division of labor, and therewith also the antithesis between mental and physical labor, has vanished; after labor has become not only a means of life but life’s prime want; after the productive forces have also increased with the all-around development of the individual, and all the springs of co-operative wealth flow more abundantly—only then then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be crossed in its entirety and society inscribe on its banners: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” Lenin called the first phase of communism as the socialist society and the higher phase of communism as the communist society. Capitalism can only make a direct transition to socialism, not communism; at the same time, on the basis of summing up the practical experience of socialism, Lenin pointed out that socialism must go through a multi-level process of development, which is a very important idea. Concepts put forth by him, such as “most primitive forms of socialism”, “complete socialism”, etc. are of great revelatory significance. Subsequently, the Chinese communists, basing themselves on practice of socialist construction in China, made an in-depth discussion on the division into phases of socialism. Mao Zedong put forth the concept of “underdeveloped socialism” and “comparatively developed socialism”, and that it would take about a hundred years or more to go from underdeveloped socialism to comparatively developed socialism. After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, Deng Xiaoping gradually put forth and formed the theory of the primary stage of socialism, and put forth the scientific judgement that China is in and will be in the primary stage of socialism for a long time to come.

On the transition period. Marx and Engels pointed out: “Between capitalist and communist society there lies the period of the revolutionary transformation of the one into the other. Corresponding to this is also a political transition period in which the state can be nothing but the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat.” The main tasks of the transition period are: to smash the old state machinery, suppress the resistance of reactionary classes and political forces, establish the state power of the dictatorship of the proletariat; to wrest all the capital from the bourgeoisie, guide the small private sector economy along the path of co-operation, and increase the total productive forces of society as rapidly as possible. Lenin enriched and developed the theory of transition period in the practice of socialist revolution and construction in Russia, and pointed out that there are many kinds of economic elements in the transition period, that class struggle is very intense, that the task of the dictatorship of the proletariat in the transition period is to develop economy and carry out the socialist transformation of non-socialist elements. Proceeding from the concrete situation in China, the Communist Party of China, represented by Mao Zedong, proposed that the transition period in China is a transition from new democracy to socialism, that the general line and general task for the transition period is to gradually accomplish the country’s socialist industrialization along with the socialist transformation of agriculture, handicrafts and capitalist industry and commerce over a relatively long period of time.

The theory of the division into phases of communism and the transition period is an important component part of the theory of scientific socialism. It demonstrates that communism cannot be done all at once, that there must be a process of development from the lower to the higher, from imperfection to gradual perfection and then to perfection. Therefore, the theory of the division into phases of communism and the transition period is an important theoretical ground for people to comprehensively understand the communist society, especially to judge and understand the development phase of society in which they live.