How to understand the basic contradictions in socialist society is the theoretical basis of reform and opening up.

In the history of Marxist development, Comrade Mao Zedong founded the theory of basic contradictions in socialist society for the first time, and expounded that socialist society is advancing by constantly solving contradictions. On the other hand, from the height of developing and liberating productive forces, Comrade Deng Xiaoping correctly distinguished the fundamental system and specific system of socialism, put forward the general policy of reform and opening up, and enriched and developed the theory of basic social contradictions. Based on the profound analysis and concrete grasp of the basic social contradictions, Comrade Deng Xiaoping grasped the fundamental problem of liberating and developing the productive forces, solved the principal contradiction between the people's growing material and cultural needs and backward social production, vigorously advocated and promoted comprehensive reform, opened wider to the outside world, overcame the main obstacles to developing the productive forces, promoted all-round social progress, revealed the objective law of socialist development, and solved the major problems that have long plagued people in the history of socialist development. First, the theory of solving the basic contradictions in socialist society has been developed, and it is proposed that reform is the driving force of socialist development. How can countries with backward economy and culture carry out socialist modernization, solve basic social contradictions and promote the development of productive forces? This is a new topic in the history of Marxist development. The historical materialism founded by Marx and Engels reveals the basic contradiction as a general social form, namely, the contradiction between productivity and production relations, the contradiction between economic base and superstructure, among which the contradiction between productivity and production relations is the more basic contradiction, pointing out that this is the fundamental driving force for social development. However, because they have no practical experience in socialist construction, it is impossible for them to explain in advance the concrete manifestations of the basic contradictions of social clubs in socialist society. Lenin did not solve this problem because of his premature death. Stalin thought that the socialist relations of production were completely suitable for the development of productive forces, but actually denied the existence of this problem. The former Soviet Union and some countries in Eastern Europe have made all kinds of serious mistakes because they have not scientifically understood and correctly solved the basic contradictions in socialist society for a long time. From 65438 to 0956, after China entered the socialist period, the first generation of central leading collective of China * * * production party with Mao Zedong as the core made many major breakthroughs and developments in the process of exploring the road of socialist construction in China. 1956 to 1957 In the first half of the year, Comrade Mao Zedong published On Ten Major Relationships, On Correctly Handling Contradictions among the People and the Party's Eight Documents, and put forward a series of important theoretical viewpoints, such as the theory of basic contradictions in socialist society, the theory of two kinds of contradictions, the theory of China's principal contradictions, the thought of system reform, and China's road to industrialization. He clearly pointed out for the first time in the history of Marxist development that in socialist society, the basic contradiction is still the contradiction between production relations and productivity, and the contradiction between superstructure and economic base. The socialist relations of production that are compatible with the development of productive forces have been established; But it is still far from perfect, and these imperfections are contradictory to the development of productive forces. In addition to the compatibility and contradiction between production relations and productivity development, there are also compatibility and contradiction between superstructure and economic base. He also believes that the basic contradictions in socialist society are different from those in the old society. The basic contradictions in socialist society are non-confrontational, and a large number of contradictions among the people can be solved continuously through the socialist system itself. Mao Zedong's incisive exposition points out the correct direction for exploring the law of socialist development, which is undoubtedly a great theoretical contribution. However, as Comrade Deng Xiaoping said, "pointing out these contradictions cannot completely solve the problem, and further study is needed." This is the case. Although Mao Zedong pointed out the basic contradictions in the socialist society and the defects in some links of the socialist system, he did not make a concrete analysis in combination with the reality. Not only did he fail to see the concrete manifestation of the basic contradiction, but he also grasped the main crux that bound the development of productive forces. In practice, he expanded the residual contradiction between the old and new systems, and thought that the main contradiction was who would win or lose between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, socialism and capitalism. Therefore, class struggle and political movement should be used to solve contradictions. As a result, the basic social contradictions have not been solved, but have become more prominent, which has hindered the development of productive forces and left China in a state of turbulence, wandering and stagnation in the past 20 years. Comrade Deng Xiaoping creatively applied the basic principles of Marxism, deeply and concretely analyzed the basic contradictions of socialist society, profoundly summed up the experience and lessons of socialist construction at home and abroad, and clearly pointed out that the fundamental task of socialism is to develop productive forces, which requires comprehensive reform. He pointed out that this kind of reform is different from the past political revolution, not changing the nature of the socialist system, but the self-improvement and development of the socialist system. Because the socialist system is a brand-new system in human history, its basic aspects will not become the shackles that bind the development of productive forces. However, the system is not equal to its concrete realization form. The excessively single ownership structure and highly centralized planned economy system formed for a long time have played an important and positive role in restoring and developing the national economy, but with the change of conditions, they are increasingly unsuitable for the requirements of modernization and seriously hinder the development of productive forces. Comrade Deng Xiaoping grasped the contradiction between the development of socialist social productive forces and the current economic system and political system, scientifically expounded the concrete manifestations of the contradiction between productive forces and production relations, economic base and superstructure in the primary stage of socialism, thus grasping the key to solving the basic contradictions in socialist society, deepening the understanding of the basic contradictions in socialist society, fundamentally demonstrating the necessity of socialist reform and pointing out the objects and tasks of reform. Secondly, it expounds the transformation of the main contradictions in socialist society, which lays a theoretical foundation for realizing the shift of work focus. In the final analysis, the development of human society is determined by the development of economy and social productive forces. This is a basic viewpoint of Marxism. Comrade Mao Zedong inherited and carried forward this thought, and pointed out in 1956 that the purpose of socialist revolution is to liberate productive forces. The transformation of agriculture and handicrafts from individual ownership to socialist collective ownership, and the transformation of private industry and commerce from capitalist ownership to socialist ownership will inevitably liberate productive forces and create social conditions for vigorously developing industrial and agricultural production. 1957 also pointed out in the article "On Correctly Handling Contradictions among the People" at the beginning that the large-scale tottering mass class struggle in the revolutionary period basically ended. Our fundamental task has changed from liberating the productive forces to protecting and developing the productive forces under the new production relations. He called on the whole party to shift the focus of work to economic construction and technological revolution in time. It should be said that Comrade Mao Zedong's thoughts on the transformation of China's main contradictions after entering the socialist period and the resulting shift of work focus are clear. It is only because of his later wrong turn to the main contradiction and other complicated reasons that this change has not been consistently implemented in practice. Although Comrade Mao Zedong realized that China was backward in economy and culture, with a large population and without developed productive forces, the socialist system could not be consolidated, but he exaggerated the reaction of subjective initiative and relations of production to productive forces, and hastily launched the Great Leap Forward and the People's Commune Movement. Especially in his later years, as Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out, he even criticized the so-called "productivity-only theory" dominated by the idea of "taking class struggle as the key link". When China entered a new period of socialist construction, Comrade Deng Xiaoping asserted: "The main contradiction in the current period, that is, the main problem or central task that the whole party and the people of the whole country must solve in the current period, is socialist modernization. In other words, the development level of our productive forces is very low, which is far from meeting the needs of the people and the country. This is the main contradiction in our current period, and solving this main contradiction is our central task. " (Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, p. 168) Thus, the theoretical basis for stopping the implementation of the wrong policy with class struggle as the key link was obtained. Taking the liberation and development of productive forces as the fundamental task of socialism, especially the "most fundamental task" in the primary stage of socialism, is a major issue repeatedly emphasized by Comrade Deng Xiaoping. Accordingly, we have firmly realized the historic shift of the focus of the whole party's work and the attention of the people of the whole country from "focusing on class struggle" to "focusing on economic construction". Comrade Deng Xiaoping has repeatedly stressed that the fundamental task of socialism is to liberate and develop productive forces, which is based on the principle that Marxism attaches the most importance to developing productive forces, and more importantly, it is put forward according to the main social contradictions in our country at the present stage and the experience and lessons of socialist construction since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Based on the reality of China's socialist modernization, Comrade Deng Xiaoping dialectically contacted and distinguished the basic contradictions in socialist society and the main contradictions in the current primary stage. He believes that among the basic social contradictions, the most fundamental one is the contradiction between productive forces and production relations. Among these two contradictions of different nature, the main one is the contradiction among the people. To solve these contradictions, we must mobilize and give play to the enthusiasm of the people. To mobilize and give play to people's enthusiasm, the most central link is to liberate and develop productive forces and improve people's living standards. The low level of productivity development in China is far from meeting the needs of the people and the country, which affects the exertion of socialist superiority and the solution of basic contradictions. This is the main contradiction in the primary development stage of our whole society. To solve the principal contradiction, we must first liberate and develop the productive forces. We are carrying out socialist modernization in a poor and backward eastern country, and it is more direct and decisive to liberate and develop productive forces. To develop the productive forces, we must first liberate the productive forces from the obstacles and shackles of imperfect and defective aspects and links in the production relations and superstructure, and promote the development of the whole social productive forces with the liberation of productive forces. Emancipating and developing productive forces is the fundamental starting point of building a Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Whether to adhere to this basic starting point is the fundamental criterion for judging whether to really engage in socialism. In view of the painful lesson that China has not always focused on economic construction and vigorously developed the productive forces in the process of socialist construction, Comrade Deng Xiaoping repeatedly stressed that after focusing on economic construction, we should firmly grasp the fundamental task of liberating and developing the productive forces in practical work, except for the outbreak of large-scale wars, and everything will be carried out around this task without any interference. 3. Developed the theory of correctly handling contradictions among the people, and put forward the necessity of political system reform and building democratic politics. After China's socialist transformation was basically completed, our party, with Comrade Mao Zedong as the main representative, creatively and systematically expounded the theory of contradictions among the people in socialist society. It enriches Marxist philosophy and scientific socialist theory with brand-new ideological content, which is of great theoretical and practical significance to guiding China's socialist construction. Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out that contradictions among the people are based on the fundamental unity of people's interests and are non-confrontational among working people. Our people's government is a government that truly represents and serves the people, but it also has a certain contradictory relationship with the people. This contradiction includes the contradiction between national interests, collective interests and individual interests, the contradiction between democracy and centralism, the contradiction between leaders and the led, and the contradiction between the bureaucracy of some state organs and the masses. The contradiction between bureaucrats and the masses of the people has always been a matter of deep concern to Mao Zedong. He once attributed this contradiction to the contradiction between the socialist superstructure and the economic base in some links, and thought that this contradiction was non-confrontational and could be solved continuously through the socialist system itself. By extension, bureaucracy, as a long-standing complex phenomenon, certainly has its historical, class and social reasons, but under socialist conditions, first of all, there are still some defects in the specific system of the party and the state, which has become the soil for its breeding and development. Accordingly, the logical conclusion should be that the reform of socialist political system can fundamentally solve the problem. However, for a long time, the systematic reform of the political system was not in Comrade Mao Zedong's imagination. Therefore, in the face of the bureaucracy that is common in the political life of the party and the country, despite repeated struggles, it always has little effect. He was confused and regressed to look at bureaucracy and its contradictions and conflicts with the people from the perspective of class struggle, and his view on the nature of contradictions changed from non-confrontational to confrontational. Comrade Deng Xiaoping summed up the historical experience and lessons, and thought that the shortcomings of the system could only be solved by reform. Under socialist conditions, the ultimate solution to the bureaucratic problem lies not in the mass class struggle or the so-called "great democracy", but in the reform of the leadership system of the party and the state and the continuous improvement and perfection of the socialist legal system. 1In August, 980, he pointed out in the article "The Reform of the Leadership System of the Party and the State" that the old China left us many traditions of feudal autocracy and few traditions of democracy and legal system. After liberation, we did not consciously and systematically establish various systems to protect people's democratic rights, and the legal system was very incomplete and neglected. China's political system evolved from the Soviet model, which was highly centralized and not very successful. Therefore, at the same time of economic system reform, political system reform must be carried out, and the two should be interdependent and cooperate with each other. The reform of political system is to change the highly centralized management system, democratize political life, and ensure that all people really enjoy the power to manage the country through various effective forms; What is more important is to ensure democracy in political life from the system, institutionalize and legalize democracy, so that this system and law will not change because of the change of leaders, and will not change because of the change of leaders' views and attention. Shi Lamu, a famous American expert on Mao Zedong, pointed out: Mao seldom considered any form of institutionalized democratic procedure in his later years, while Deng Xiaoping aimed at ensuring the democratization of political life and even the whole social life from the system. I think this evaluation is more pertinent.