Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the People's Republic of China

The Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the People's Republic of China (simplified Chinese: 《关于建国以来党的若干历史问题的决议》) is a 1981 document which assesses the legacy of the Mao Zedong era and the party's priorities moving forward.^[1] It was unanimously adopted by the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party on 27 June 1981.^[2]

Background

The Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the People's Republic of China is the second of the party's three major historical resolutions.^[3]^: 6 The first was the 1945 Resolution which unified the party around the ideological foundation of Mao Zedong Thought.^[3]^: 6 The third historical resolution came in 2021.^[3]^: 6

While pursuing Reform and Opening Up, China began to also reform the leadership system of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and of the state.^[4]^: 3 In this context, Deng Xiaoping and the party's second generation leaders evaluated the situation at what they viewed as a historical turning point.^[4]^: 3–4

On 26 June 1981, the Sixth Plenum of the CCP's Eleventh Central Committee accepted the resignation of Hua Guofeng as chairman.^[5]^: 444 The next day, on 27 June, the Sixth Plenum of the Central Committee unanimously adopted the Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the People's Republic of China.^[2]^[6]^: 166 The Resolution assesses the legacy of the Mao era.^[6]^: 166

The Resolution had been prepared over the course of the preceding 15 months.^[5]^: 444 The Resolution was revised repeatedly per Deng's views.^[5]^: 444 Many of Deng's suggestions emphasized the need to affirm Mao's revolutionary contributions and not only to criticize his errors.^[5]^: 444

Prior to this formal assessment of the Mao era, the CCP had begun receding from various of Mao's ideas and policies, particularly after the Third Plenum in December 1978.^[5]^{: 440–441}

Content

The Resolution begins by reviewing the history of the PRC.^[6]^: 166 It describes Mao as first among equals in the development of Mao Zedong Thought before 1949 and deeming Mao Zedong Thought as successful in establishing national independence, transforming China's social classes, the development of economic self-sufficiency, the expansion of education and health care, and China's leadership role in the Third World.^[6]^{: 166–167}

The Resolution describes setbacks during the period 1957 to 1964 (although it generally affirms this period) and major mistakes beginning in 1965.^[6]^: 167 It attributes Mao's errors to individualist tendencies which arose when he departed from the collective view of the leadership and traces these errors to the beginning of the Great Leap Forward.^[6]^: 167 The Resolution states that Mao's errors are not solely his fault, but are also attributable to Jiang Qing, Kang Sheng, and Lin Biao.^[6]^: 167 It describes these others as careerists who took advantage of, and exacerbated, Mao's errors, leading to the Cultural Revolution.^[6]^: 167 The Resolution critiqued Mao for developing a cult of personality in his later years and for undermining the principles of democratic centralism.^[5]^: 444

The Resolution repudiates the persecution of intellectuals and the attacks on the CCP apparatus during the Cultural Revolution and states that the errors of the Cultural Revolution will be overturned.^[6]^: 167 Regarding the Cultural Revolution, the Resolution states, "Chief responsibility for the grave left error of the Cultural Revolution, an error comprehensive in magnitude and protracted in duration, does indeed lie with Comrade Mao Zedong."^[5]^: 445 The Resolution formally rehabilitated Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, among others.^[6]^: 167

The Resolution describes three central guiding principles that extend from the past to the present: seeking truth from facts, the mass line, and national independence.^[6]^{: 167–168}

As the document draws to a close, it describes the basic issues for the present as the Four Modernizations, reunification with Taiwan, and identifies the Four Cardinal Principles of:

upholding the socialist road
upholding the people's democratic dictatorship
upholding the CCP's leadership, and
upholding the guidance of Mao Zedong Thought and Marxism–Leninism.^[6]^: 168

Regarding Mao's legacy, the Resolution concludes Mao's contributions to the Chinese Revolution far outweigh his mistakes.^[5]^: 445 Following the Resolution, the idea that Mao was 70% correct and 30% incorrect became a common description of his legacy.^[5]^: 445

Impact

The Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the People's Republic of China is one of the most influential documents in the history of the Communist Party of China. By summarizing historical experiences, it provides both historical and theoretical bases for establishing the guidelines for China's next phase of development. Furthermore, it also offers historical and theoretical foundations for the redistribution of power within the state and the party by figures such as Deng Xiaoping. The anti-reform faction was essentially ousted from the upper echelons of the Chinese Communist Party, leading to the preliminary establishment of the "Second Generation Central Leadership of the Communist Party of China" with Deng Xiaoping at its core.^[7]^[8] By striking a balance between criticizing and preserving the legacy of the Mao-era, the Resolution helped solidify Deng's leadership.^[3]^: 6

The Resolution was followed by a three-year campaign to "totally negate" the Cultural Revolution.^[9]^: 55 The communist party called on individuals and cooperatives to study the Resolution and engage in criticism and self-criticism.^[9]^: 55 People were urged to root out followers of Lin Biao and the Gang of Four, those seriously impacted by factional ideas, and the "smashers and grabbers" of the Cultural Revolution.^[9]^: 55