On the Correct Handling of Contradictions among the People June 1957

Abstract

This is arguably Mao Zedong’s most important single contribution to the development of state socialism and Marxist-Leninist theory after 1949. Here Mao confronts directly the ultimately fatal flaw of the Leninist state: the lack of political feedback (such as that provided by secret-ballot elections in liberal democracies). Since the CCP claims access to truth as the scientific voice of the working class, to oppose the CCP is to oppose all that is good and right. Yet everyone, including the CCP leadership, knew that the CCP was not infallible despite its formal claims. In our terms, if a government does not find a way to get accurate feedback on how its policies work in practice, it will soon crash—like a pilot flying blind. Mao set out in February 1957 to solve this problem for China.