The Democratic Movement in the Army

#PUBLICATION NOTE

This edition of The Democratic Movement in the Army has been prepared and revised for digital publication by the Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism under the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Switzerland on the basis of the following edition: The Democratic Movement in the Army, in the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, First English Edition, Vol. 4, Foreign Languages Press, Beijing, 1965.

#INTRODUCTION NOTE

This is an order drafted by Comrade Mao Zedong for the Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Yangjiakou, Mizhi, Shaanxi, China on the 30th of January, 1948. It was first published in the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 4, in 1960.

#Workers and oppressed people of the world, unite!

#THE DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT IN THE ARMY

#ORDER OF THE REVOLUTIONARY MILITARY COMMISSION OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA

#Mao Zedong

#30th of January, 1948

#★

The policy for political work in our army units is fully to mobilize the masses of soldiers, the commanders, and all working personnel in order to achieve, through a democratic movement under centralized leadership, three major objectives, namely, a high degree of political unity, an improvement in living conditions, and a higher level of military technique and tactics. The «Three Checkups» and «Three Improvements»¹ now being enthusiastically carried out in our army units are intended to attain the first two of these objectives through the methods of political and economic democracy.

With regard to economic democracy, the representatives elected by the soldiers must be ensured the right to assist (but not to bypass) the company leadership in managing the company's supplies and mess.

With regard to military democracy, in periods of training, there must be mutual instruction as between officers and soldiers and among the soldiers themselves; and in periods of fighting, the companies at the front must hold big and small meetings of various kinds. Under the direction of the company leadership, the masses of soldiers should be mobilized to discuss how to attack and capture enemy positions and how to fulfil other combat tasks. When the fighting lasts several days, several such meetings should be held. This kind of military democracy was practised with great success in the Battle of Panlong² in northern Shaanxi and in the Battle of Shijiazhuang³ in the Shanxi-Chaha'er-Hebei area. It has been proved that the practice can only do good and can do no harm whatsoever.

The masses of soldiers should have the right to expose the errors and misdeeds of bad elements among the cadres. We should be confident that the soldiers will cherish all the good and comparatively good cadres. Moreover, the soldiers should have the right, when necessary, to nominate those whom they trust from their own ranks for lower-level cadre posts, subject to appointment by the higher level. When there is an acute shortage of lower-level cadres, this kind of nomination is very useful. It is not to be the rule, however, but is to be done only when necessary.