The General Line of the Transition Period

Building socialism was a goal set by the CPC when this political party was founded. Given the semi-colonial and semi-feudal conditions, China had to take two steps to establish the socialist system: first to win the new democratic revolution over imperialism and feudalism, and then to transition to the socialist revolution. No steps could be skipped in this process.

As the People's Republic was founded, the central leadership had agreed that the country would need a period of new democratic construction before realizing nationalization of capitalist industry and commerce, and collectivization of individual agriculture. This would take at least 10 to 15 years, or longer or shorter depending on the changes in the situation.

But this plan soon changed due to changes in the domestic and external situation. By 1952, China had roughly completed its land reform. Its economy was recovering quickly, and it would soon wind up its involvement in the Korean War as the two sides had reached agreement on some major issues. At the same time, new social problems had emerged requiring new policies and solutions. In the circumstances, the CPC believed that it had become necessary and possible to end the conflict between the working class and the bourgeoisie and to begin socialist transformation in both rural and urban areas. Thus emerged the task of transition toward socialism.

In June 1953, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee laid down a general line for the "transition period," which spanned from the founding of the People's Republic to the basic completion of socialist transformation. The general line or general task of the Party for this transition period was to basically accomplish China's socialist industrialization and its socialist transformation of agriculture, handicraft industry, and capitalist industry and commerce. To this end, China would have to simultaneously proceed with its socialist development and transform private ownership of the means of production.

This general line of the Party was defined as the general task of the state for the same transition period in the first Constitution of the People's Republic adopted at the First Session of the First NPC in September 1954.

Of the general line, socialist industrialization was the main element, as an objective requirement and necessary condition for achieving independence and prosperity; the socialist transformation of agriculture and handicraft industry and of capitalist industry and commerce were the two wings.

The general line was a major decision by the CPC based on the changing political and economic conditions after the new regime was established. It won extensive support as a program to unite and mobilize the whole nation to build a great socialist new China.

過(guò)渡時(shí)期總路線

在中國(guó)實(shí)現(xiàn)社會(huì)主義，是中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨自創(chuàng)立時(shí)就確定的奮斗目標(biāo)。但在半殖民地半封建社會(huì)的歷史條件下，實(shí)現(xiàn)社會(huì)主義必須分兩步走：首先取得反帝反封建的新民主主義革命勝利，然后才能轉(zhuǎn)入社會(huì)主義革命。這是中國(guó)革命發(fā)展的必由之路。在新中國(guó)建立之時(shí)，中共中央認(rèn)為，先經(jīng)過(guò)一段新民主主義建設(shè)時(shí)期，再實(shí)行資本主義工商業(yè)的國(guó)有化和個(gè)體農(nóng)業(yè)的集體化。這至少要10年到15年，然后視情況而定。

1952年，土地改革基本完成，國(guó)民經(jīng)濟(jì)迅速恢復(fù)，朝鮮停戰(zhàn)談判雙方在主要問(wèn)題上達(dá)成協(xié)議，抗美援朝戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)可望不久結(jié)束。同時(shí)，中國(guó)社會(huì)生活中也出現(xiàn)和積累了一些新的矛盾。在這種情況下，中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨認(rèn)為，解決工人階級(jí)與資產(chǎn)階級(jí)的矛盾，在農(nóng)村和城市開(kāi)始逐步進(jìn)行社會(huì)主義改造的步驟已經(jīng)成為必要并有現(xiàn)實(shí)可能，于是提出向社會(huì)主義過(guò)渡的問(wèn)題。

1953年6月，中共中央政治局正式討論和制定了中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨在過(guò)渡時(shí)期總路線：從中華人民共和國(guó)成立，到社會(huì)主義改造基本完成，這是一個(gè)過(guò)渡時(shí)期。黨在這個(gè)過(guò)渡時(shí)期的總路線和總?cè)蝿?wù)，是要在一個(gè)相當(dāng)長(zhǎng)的時(shí)期內(nèi)，逐步實(shí)現(xiàn)國(guó)家的社會(huì)主義工業(yè)化，并逐步實(shí)現(xiàn)國(guó)家對(duì)農(nóng)業(yè)、對(duì)手工業(yè)和對(duì)資本主義工商業(yè)的社會(huì)主義改造。這是一條社會(huì)主義建設(shè)與改造同時(shí)并舉的路線。1954年9月，第一屆全國(guó)人民代表大會(huì)第一次會(huì)議通過(guò)了《中華人民共和國(guó)憲法》，以根本大法的形式，把中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨在過(guò)渡時(shí)期的總路線作為國(guó)家在過(guò)渡時(shí)期的總?cè)蝿?wù)確定下來(lái)。

在過(guò)渡時(shí)期的總路線中，實(shí)現(xiàn)國(guó)家的社會(huì)主義工業(yè)化是主體，是國(guó)家獨(dú)立富強(qiáng)的客觀要求和必要條件；對(duì)農(nóng)業(yè)、手工業(yè)的社會(huì)主義改造，對(duì)資本主義工商業(yè)的社會(huì)主義改造，分別為兩翼。過(guò)渡時(shí)期總路線是中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨在新中國(guó)成立后政治、經(jīng)濟(jì)新變化的基礎(chǔ)上作出的重大決策，符合當(dāng)時(shí)中國(guó)的發(fā)展實(shí)際和規(guī)律，得到全國(guó)人民的廣泛擁護(hù)，成為團(tuán)結(jié)和動(dòng)員全國(guó)人民共同為建設(shè)一個(gè)偉大的社會(huì)主義新中國(guó)而奮斗的新的綱領(lǐng)。