Commemorating the 200th birthday of Karl Marx, the greatest thinker of the millenium
Four Parts in Two Volumes
- Volume 1 Marxism & Leninism
- Volume 2 Mao Zedong Thought & Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
Editorial Board
- Editor-in-chief: Xu Guangchun
- Executive Associate Editor: Mei Rongzheng
- Associate Editors: Wei Xinghua, Yin Hanning, Tian Xinming, Li Jie, Sha Jiansun, Zhou Xincheng, Zhao Yao, Zhong Zheming, Gu Hailiang, Tao Delin, Liang Zhu, Jin Huiming
- Translation: Dennis Etler
- Proofreading: Dr. Liu Xinxin & Deniz Kizilcec
Preface
The compilation of The Great Dictionary of Marxism is a major commissioned project of the National Social Science Foundation of China undertaken by the Wuhan University Collaborative Innovation Centre for Marxist Theory and Chinese Practice, and a key project for the prosperous development of philosophy and social science in Hubei Province. The project took five years from its inception in 2013 to its finalisation in November 2017, and the first draft of the entry articles were written in two and a half years from the winter of 2013 to the end of April 2016. From the beginning of May 2016 to the end of November 2017, it took more than a year to consolidate the draft, resulting in 2,094 entries. Among them, 626 entries are divided according to the stages of development of Marxism: Marxism (General Theories and Strict Sense), 382 entries on Leninism, 578 entries on Mao Zedong Thought, and 508 entries on the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics (including Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents, the scientific outlook on development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era); by type: 1,023 articles on basic concepts and principles, 552 articles on representative writings, 147 articles on representative figures, 150 articles on major historical events, newspapers and journals, organisations and institutions, 124 articles on important conferences, 56 articles on schools of thought and 42 articles on historical background. On the occasion of the publication of The Great Dictionary of Marxism by Chongwen Books of the Hubei Changjiang Publishing and Media Group, I would like to make some clarifications on a number of issues.
1. The significance of the titling The Great Dictionary of Marxism and its compilation and publishing
The titling of the dictionary is intended to be a comprehensive and systematic reflection of Marxism-Leninism as the guiding ideology of the Communist Party of China and its enrichment and development in China from the perspective of Marxism as a whole, highlighting the scientific, revolutionary, ideological, theoretical, practical and innovative nature of Marxism.
The significance of compiling and publishing The Great Dictionary of Marxism lies in the fact that our Party is a great and mature Marxist party that has stood the test of time; over the past century, our Party has studied and disseminated, researched and applied, persisted in developing, pioneered and innovated Marxism, combined the fundamental principles of Marxism with the concrete reality of China, made two historic leaps, and achieved two major theoretical achievements – Mao Zedong Thought and the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Under the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, great victories in revolution, construction and reform have been achieved, highlighting the vital importance of Marxism, especially Sinicized Marxism, to China’s revolution, construction and reform, and its strong vitality to keep pace with the times and develop through constant innovation. Since the 18th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, has attached great importance to the adherence to and development of Marxism, focusing closely on the major contemporary issues of what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics to adhere to and develop in the new era and how to adhere to and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics. Adhering to Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents and the scientific outlook on development as guidance, insisting on freeing up the mind, seeking truth from facts, keeping up with the times and being realistic and pragmatic, adhering to dialectical materialism and historical materialism, closely combining the new conditions of the times and practical requirements, deepening the understanding of the laws of governance by the Communist Party, socialist construction and human social development with a new vision, conducting painstaking theoretical exploration and achieving major theoretical innovations, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was formed. This thought is the inheritance and development of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents and the scientific outlook on development, and is the latest achievement of the Sinicisation of Marxism, the crystallisation of the practical experience and collective wisdom of the Party and the people, an important content of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and an important content of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and an action guide for the whole Party and the people to strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and must be maintained and developed continuously in the long term. The compilation and publication of this dictionary is conducive to our in-depth study of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is especially conducive to better study and implement the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era.
In order to realize the lofty ideal of communism and uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Party leaders and the Party Central Committee have always attached importance to Marxist theoretical study for the whole Party during various periods of the historical development of the Party and the country, emphasizing that theoretical firmness is a prerequisite and foundation for political firmness. On the issue of strengthening theoretical study, strengthening theoretical armament, strengthening theoretical construction, strengthening theoretical innovation and unswervingly adhering to and developing Marxism in the new stage of historical development, General Secretary Xi Jinping has delivered a series of important speeches, the Party Central Committee has issued a number of important documents, and the Marxist theory research and construction project has been organized and implemented in depth. The spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches on the adherence to and development of Marxism are new ideas, new guidelines and new impetus to guide the research and innovation of Marxist theory in China in the new era, and are of fundamental long-term guiding significance to further promote the Sinicisation, modernization and popularization of Marxism, and to comprehensively advance the development of Marxism in the 21st century and contemporary Chinese Marxism. The spirit of these important speeches demonstrates the firm faith of the Chinese Communists in Marxism, their lofty belief in communism and their strong confidence in socialism with Chinese characteristics, shining with the light of truth of Marxism. In particular, in the practice of adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, General Secretary Xi Jinping has combined theoretical innovation with practical innovation and institutional innovation, put forward a series of important new concepts, ideas and strategies, and created the thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era; he has personally presided over the collective study and discussion sessions of Marxist philosophy and Marxist political economy by the Central Politburo on a number of occasions and delivered important speeches. He has also personally organized and deployed the work of deepening the research and construction project of Marxist theory and the prosperity and development of philosophy and social science with Chinese characteristics, which has set a shining example for the whole Party of learning and applying, researching and innovating, and adhering to and developing Marxism. The compilation and publication of this dictionary is conducive to our continuous advancement of theoretical innovation and the process of the Sinicisation of Marxism.
Marxism is a scientific system for understanding and transforming the world, which is comprehensive, systematic, profound and up-to-date, and has a strong vitality and far-reaching influence. Learning the scientific theory of Marxism requires knowledge in many areas and requires the provision of in all kinds of condition, including relevant reference books. Many comrades who study, propagate, research and apply Marxism and other philosophy and social sciences hope to have a scientific, accurate, systematic and reliable dictionary of Marxism based on the classic works of Marxism, basic documents of the CPC, important statements of the main leaders of the party and the state, and objective and true historical facts to clarify the fundamental principles and fundamental concepts of Marxism, the basic categories and their innovative development, as well as the basic content, ideological viewpoints, and related historical backgrounds, major historical events, well-known figures, important conferences, and schools of thought of the founders, successors, developers, and representative works of Marxist theory, especially the latest achievements of Marxism in the 21st century and the innovative development of Marxism in contemporary China. This is to implement the major decision and deployment of the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, to adhere to and develop Marxism, strengthen ideological construction, consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, and consolidate the common ideological basis for the unity and struggle of the entire Party and the people of all nationalities; for the majority of Party members, cadres, teachers, researchers and young students to study Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is also important for the majority of Party members, cadres, teachers, researchers and young students to learn Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, to enhance their confidence in the road, theory, system and culture, and to better serve the people, socialism, the CPC’s governance and reform, opening up and socialist modernization; for the thousands of people who are struggling in the intricate ideological struggle to help the learners, propagators, researchers and applicators of Marxism to improve their understanding of the errors. It is also very meaningful to help those who study, propagate, research and apply Marxism to improve their ability to identify erroneous trends and views, adhere to the correct direction and master true knowledge.
In short, in order to implement the Central Government’s decision to continuously promote the Sinicization of Marxism and comprehensively develop Marxism in the 21st century, and to meet the current fervent demand of the whole Party, the whole army and the whole nation to study, research and apply Marxism, we have organized efforts to compile this dictionary.
II. The principles of positioning and compilation of The Great Dictionary of Marxism
The Great Dictionary of Marxism is positioned as a reference book, textbook and history book to help Party members and cadres, university teachers, researchers, young students and the general public to study, propagate, research and apply the classical original works of Marxism, and to correctly understand and grasp the fundamental principles and fundamental knowledge of Marxism and its development, innovation and application in China, and aims to provide accurate, scientific and reliable answers for those who encounter problems in studying, propagating, researching and applying Marxism.
In line with this orientation, the following principles have been adhered to throughout the compilation process:
- The Marxist outlook of the Chinese Communists were adhered to all along. Today, there are many schools and figures claiming to be Marxist, and various interpretations of Marxism have been made, and the mud has been mixed up with the pearls. Our dictionary, however, has always firmly adhered to the stances, views and methods of Marxism upheld by the CPC, namely Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents, the scientific outlook on development and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, as the guiding ideology of the CPC, not generalizes Marxism, let alone promotes and introduces other forms of “Marxism”. In the face of the challenges posed by various social thought trends to the scientific theory of Marxism, the editorial board has endeavoured to reflect comprehensively and accurately the spirit of the original works and the original theories of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and in particular Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. In the selection of entries, any works, representative figures and events that are not relevant are excluded. For works, representative figures and events that have little to do with the subject, the entries are chosen to be as few as possible, and to the point. As for various social thought trends and controversial academic views, the original works and theories on Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and the socialist theoretical system with Chinese characteristics, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and the content of the documents of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China are used as the fundamental basis and identification criteria to identify and comment on them.
- High standards and strict requirements were adhered to all along. The compilation of The Great Dictionary of Marxism is a serious task of great political, ideological and intellectual importance, from which there must be no deviation in politics, no confusion in ideology, and no errors in knowledge. The editorial board hopes to fully utilize the maximum ability and highest level of research on Marxism by the authors of the compilation of this dictionary, and compile a cross-disciplinary and cross era reference book, textbook, and history book that integrates the essence of Marxist thought and theory, the achievements of innovating and developing Marxism, and the knowledge and wisdom of the Marxist theoretical community and comprehensively, systematically, scientifically and accurately introduces, explains, and disseminates the fundamental theories and knowledge of Marxism, as well as its development process. Vertically, the dictionary entries are designed to cover all the achievements of Marxism, including Marxism, Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and especially Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, starting from the forefathers of Marxism, Marx and Engels, to the current Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core. Horizontally, it shall include the main components of Marxism: the fundamental theories of Marxist philosophy, political economy and scientific socialism, the socio-historical context in which they emerged and developed, their representative works, representative figures and the schools of thought closely related to them. On the whole, it shall include the fundamental principles, fundamental stances, fundamental views and fundamental common sense of Marxism and its fundamental context. In particular, it shall adhere to the principle of combining the fundamental principles of Marxism with the concrete reality of China, and focus on reflecting the outstanding achievements of the Communist Party of China in studying Marxism, researching Marxism, applying Marxism, adhering to Marxism, innovating Marxism and developing Marxism over a long period of time. Compiled by Marxist theorists from various relevant fields within the Party after the 18th Party Congress, this dictionary shall highlight the important contributions made by the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, to the development of 21st century Marxism and contemporary Chinese Marxism from the practical perspective of adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. In short, it shall be a Great Dictionary of Marxism with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style and Chinese flair, which is outstanding in terms of scientificity, comprehensiveness, systematicity, innovativeness and times.
- The character of a dictionary as a standard-setting reference book was maintained all along. Accuracy, conciseness, clarity, comprehensibility and practicality are the most important features of a reference book. The selection and explanation of the thousands of entries in this dictionary seek to accurately reflect the views of the classic works of Marxism, the views of the basic documents of the Communist Party of China, and the views of the important articles and speeches publicly delivered by the main leaders of the Party Central Committee, without being based on the personal opinions of the authors of the entries or written as a summary of academic controversies. For the relevant historical facts, the authoritative history books and materials shall prevail, without adding oil or vinegar, and the facts are told in their original form. The evaluation of representative works and representative figures is concise and aims to reflect the spirit of the basic documents of the Communist Party of China in a precise and historical manner. In the process of preparation, efforts have been made to achieve scientific reliability, factuality, objectivity and impartiality, conciseness and clarity, ease of understanding and ease of access.
III. Academic strength of the compilation of The Great Dictionary of Marxism
The compilation of The Great Dictionary of Marxism was organised and carried out by the Collaborative Innovation Centre for Marxist Theory and Chinese Practice of Wuhan University and the School of Marxism of Wuhan University. The team of authors consists of 44 party, government and military institutions, including the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, the Party History Research Office of the CPC Central Committee, the Party Literature Research Office of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Education, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the journal Seeking Truth, the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau, Wuhan University, Peking University, Renmin University, Beijing Normal University, Nankai University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Nanjing Normal University, Soochow University, the former Nanjing Institute of Politics of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, etc. The editorial board was composed of 90 experts and scholars, including advisory members and chief experts of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government. The editorial board was headed by headed by Xu Guangchun (director and chief expert of the Advisory Committee of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government, former Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee) as editor-in-chief and Mei Rongzheng (chief expert of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government and professor of the Institute of Marxism of the Wuhan University) as executive associate editor, and 12 experts including Wei Xinghua (first-class professor of Renmin University of China), Tian Xinming (former director of the Social Science Research Center of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education, main member of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government, professor), Yin Hanning (member of the Advisory Committee of the Central Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project, deputy head of the National Leading Group for Philosophical and Social Science Planning), Sha Jiansun (chief expert of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government, former deputy director of the Party History Research Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, former Vice President of Peking University), Li Jie (member of the Advisory Committee of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government, chief expert, president of the journal Seeking Truth), Zhou Xincheng (first-class professor of Renmin University of China), Zhao Yao (chief expert of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government, senior professor of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China), Gu Hailiang (member of the Advisory Committee of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government, chief expert of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government, former president of the National Academy of Education and Administration of the Ministry of Education), Liang Zhu (first-class professor of Peking University, former vice president of Peking University), Jin Huiming (chief expert of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government, professor and member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), Tao Delin (chief expert of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government, senior Professor of Wuhan University, former President of Wuhan University), Zhong Zheming (professor of Peking University) as associate editors. The editorial board also invited Wei Jianhua (member of the Advisory Committee of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project of the Central Government, Chief Expert, former director of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau), Chai Fangguo (deputy director of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau), Ren Dakui (Professor of Renmin University of China, former editor and reviewer of the journal Ideological and Theoretical Education) and Ding Bing (professor of Capital University of Economics and Business) to participate in the review and consolidation of the manuscript. Hu Jun (professor of Renmin University of China), Li Zhen (deputy director of the First Editorial and Research Department of the Party Literature Research Office of the CPC Central Committee and researcher) and 40 other renowned experts were invited to write sample articles. The compilation of this dictionary with the participation of renowned experts and scholars from so many units can also be said to be a product of collaborative innovation among contemporary Chinese Marxist scholars.
It is also important to note that the authors of the explanatory texts of the entries have made great efforts to realise the principles of positioning and compilation of The Great Dictionary of Marxism. Most of these authors are deans and vice-deans of schools of Marxism of universities, leaders of their disciplines, senior Marxist scholars in China, with multiple responsibilities in one body and heavy tasks to undertake. They have devoted themselves to the compilation of the Great Dictionary of Marxism and spent a great deal of effort on it; the experts who are associate editors and those who have been invited to participate in the review of the explanatory texts of the entries are mostly familiar to the academic community. They are experts and scholars directly trained by the Party during the 1940s and 1960s. They are loyal to the Party’s cause of building Marxist theory, and they have consciously aligned themselves politically, ideologically and in action with the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core. Many of these scholars are in their eighties, including the famous Marxist economist Prof. Wei Xinghua, who is 92 years old. In order to compile this dictionary, they gave ideas, gave good advice, wrote entries and reviewed the manuscript, and kept a watchful eye at all stages. In particular, in the process of unifying the manuscript, some of them put aside the topics they were working on to concentrate on the unification of this dictionary; some of them accepted the work just after they had recovered from an operation until they had successfully completed the task; some of them were bedridden, reviewing the explanatory texts of the entries with great dedication and meticulousness; some of them reviewed the explanatory text of the entries several times and even rewrote them, taking great pains to do so. All this shows their loyalty to Marxism, their perseverance in upholding and developing Marxism, their zeal in propagating and studying Marxism, and their determination to compile a good dictionary of Marxism, and their spirit is respectable and admirable. It should be said that the publication of this Great Dictionary of Marxism on schedule is inseparable from the selfless dedication of the authors and the experts who have worked on it. In a certain sense, the compilation and publication of this Great Dictionary of Marxism also has the nature of snatching the academic accumulation and theoretical achievements of the older generation of Marxist scholars, which is indeed invaluable.
IV. Conditions for the compilation of The Great Dictionary of Marxism
General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed that “The key to running things well in China lies in the Party.” This is a fundamental conclusion drawn from the great success of China’s revolution, construction and reform, and it is also our deep experience in compiling The Great Dictionary of Marxism. First of all, when we reported the compilation of The Great Dictionary Marxism to the relevant leading comrades of the Central Government, we received great attention and enthusiastic support from the leading comrades of the Central Government. At the same time, the leading comrades of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee gave instructions to include the compilation of The Great Dictionary of Marxism as a major commissioned project of the National Social Science Fund, and the leaders of the Theory Bureau, the Publishing Bureau and the Social Science Planning Office of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee gave specific guidance and support. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television listed the dictionary as a key publication to be dedicated to the 19th Party Congress. Dozens of Party, government, military and academic units and nearly 100 experts and scholars across the country actively participated in the compilation of this dictionary, especially the deputy editors and senior experts who were engaged in reviewing and revising the draft of a the dictionary entries not only took part in the preparation work themselves, but also carefully reviewed and revised the dictionary. It would have been inconceivable to complete the dictionary without the concern of the central leadership, the attention, support and assistance of the relevant party committees, and the enthusiastic participation and hard work of experts and scholars across the country. The Publicity Department of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee has listed The Great Dictionary of Marxism as a key project for the prosperity and development of philosophy and social science in the province, and the leaders of the Publicity Department of the Provincial Party Committee and the Party Committee of Wuhan University have personally visited the editorial committee for many times to guide the work. The leaders of the Yangtze River Publishing and Media Group have made the publication of this dictionary a major project and set up a special committee under the leadership of the main leaders, appointed a special person to take charge of it, and implemented the necessary funding and office conditions from various aspects. These enthusiastic endorsements and favourable conditions ensured the successful completion of the compilation of the Great Dictionary of Marxism.
V. Sincere expectations of the editorial board of The Great Dictionary of Marxism
Quality is the life of a dictionary. Marxism is a scientific theory and a crystallisation of civilisation, a valuable spiritual treasure and a great ideological banner of human society. The Communist Party of China has always adhered to and developed Marxism. This dictionary was compiled by contemporary Chinese scholars engaged in the study of Marxism, and it is only right that with our loyalty to Marxism and the CPC, and with a responsible attitude towards Marxism and the CPC, we should compile a dictionary that fully reflects the level of Marxism of the CPC and its ability to apply it and its innovative achievements. As the result of our earnest study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we delivered a satisfactory answer to the party and the people. In the process of reviewing and revising the manuscript, we have strived to ensure that the responsibilities are clear, that the review and revisions are done in parallel, and that strict checks are made to eliminate any “hard errors” (political errors, common sense errors, factual errors, errors of major omission, etc.) and to ensure scientificity, accuracy and authority of the explanatory texts of the dictionary entries. However, due to the large time span of the contents of this dictionary, the richness of the content, the mountain of information, the active thinking of the academic community in recent years, the difficulties in organising and coordinating the participation of many units and authors in its preparation, and the limitations of the knowledge of the authors and the editorial board, the first edition will certainly have some unsatisfactory or even erroneous points. The editorial board sincerely hopes to receive criticism and guidance from all parties, so as to correct, revise, improve and enhance the dictionary when it is reprinted.
2017 was an extraordinary year, when the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held, sounding the call to march into a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the publication of The Great Dictionary of Marxism at this major historical juncture is undoubtedly our best tribute to the 19th Party Congress! The year of 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Marx, one of the founders of Marxism, and with this we also express our deep commemoration!
Xu Guangchun – November 24, 2017, Beijing
