Mao’s Unity Criticism Unity Policy Explained | Generated by AI
This is a Chinese text about policies for handling “contradictions among the people” (人民内部矛盾), a concept from Mao Zedong’s political theory.
Translation: “Regarding the correct approach to handling contradictions among the people: For contradictions among the people in the political and ideological sphere, implement the policy of ‘unity—criticism—unity,’ and persist in methods of persuasive education and discussion.”
Explanation:
This refers to Mao’s 1957 theory distinguishing between two types of contradictions:
- Antagonistic contradictions (between the people and their enemies)
- Non-antagonistic contradictions (among the people themselves)
The “unity—criticism—unity” formula means:
- Unity - Start from a position of shared political foundation
- Criticism - Engage in open criticism and debate to resolve differences
- Unity - Achieve a higher level of unity after working through disagreements
The key principle is that ideological disputes among “the people” should be resolved through persuasion and discussion rather than coercion or suppression. This was meant to distinguish how the Communist Party should handle disagreements with those considered part of the revolutionary masses versus how it dealt with “class enemies.”
Historically, this concept was introduced during the Hundred Flowers Campaign, though in practice the distinction between these types of contradictions was often manipulated for political purposes.