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Source: "Raise the Ability to Differentiate Between Correct and Wrong Lines," Beijing Review 18, no. 31, 1 August 1975, 19.
Transcribed by an HC, April 25, 2005
August 1, 1975
by Shih Chia-lin and Wang Tai-yun, workers
in the Talien Hungchi Shipyard
A profound lesson was recorded in the history of the international communist movement many years ago. While joining with the Lassalleans in 1875, Liebknecht and other leaders of the German Social-Democratic Workers' Party (the Eisenachers) sacrificed revolutionary principles, departed from Marxist theory on proletarian revolution and the dictatorship of the proletariat and accepted the Gotha Programme, a "thoroughly objectionable programme that demoralizes the Party" and was full of the Lassalleans' opportunist views. The outcome was that the fruits of the victory won by the Eisenachers after years of struggle came to nought and the German workers' movement suffered heavily.
As one of the leaders of the German Social-Democratic Workers' Party, Liebknecht made some contributions to the German workers' movement. Why did he make very serious mistakes in matters of line on the question of joining with the Lassalleans? Engels pointed out that Liebknecht "has always been confused theoretically." Therefore, he agreed to accept the Lassallean dogmas in the process of merging with them.
After studying Critique of the Gotha Programme and analysing Liebknecht's errors, we clearly understand that there can be no correct action without the guidance of revolutionary theory. One will not be able to uphold Marxism and will fall into the quagmire of revisionism if one fails to grasp revolutionary theory. If one is confused theoretically, one is not able to distinguish and resist an erroneous line, nor is it possible to consciously implement a correct line.
Chairman Mao always has set great store by studying revolutionary theory and stressed its importance. In every period of the Chinese revolution, he has clearly instructed the people to study Marxist theory earnestly. In his latest important instruction on the question of theory, Chairman Mao said: "Why did Lenin speak of exercising dictatorship over the bourgeoisie? It is essential to get this question clear. Lack of clarity on this question will lead to revisionism. This should be made known to the whole nation." This explicitly tells us the extreme importance of studying the theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat.
This is because the struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, between socialism and capitalism and between Marxism and revisionism has not come to an end in socialist society, but will exist for a long time on various fronts and in different fields. Moreover, the victory of Marxism in theory forces its enemies to disguise themselves as Marxists. The revisionists hidden in the Party always have waved red flags to oppose the red flag and covered up their counter-revolutionary dealings with revolutionary words. Especially in socialist society where bourgeois right still exists, they often opposed the dictatorship of the proletariat by extending bourgeois right. Liu Shao-chi extended bourgeois right under the label of "socialism," peddling such revisionist trash as "putting bonuses in command" and "material incentives." The Lin Piao anti-Party clique even used the label of "building a genuine socialism" to venomously attack socialist new things and the dictatorship of the proletariat. The confession of the Lin Piao anti-Party clique, "flaunt Chairman Mao's banner to strike at Chairman Mao's forces," is a self-portrayal of two-faced counter-revolutionaries.
Under such new forms of struggle, lack of guidance by revolutionary theory will make us unable to distinguish Marxism from revisionism, socialism from capitalism, or even muddle-headedly regard revisionist and capitalist trash as Marxist and socialist things. To adhere to the Party's basic line and persevere in continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat, we must seriously study works by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin and Chairman Mao's works and study the theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat well, so as to make clear, by linking theory with practice, why the proletariat must exercise dictatorship over the bourgeoisie, what the task of this dictatorship is and how to work hard for its consolidation. This is the only way in which we will have a firm and clear-cut stand in actual struggle. No matter how revisionists may disguise themselves, we will be able to see through them, distinguish and reject revisionism and carry continued revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat through to the end in the direction pointed out by Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought.