Page 176 - SELECTED WORKS OF DENG XIAOPING Volume III

174 DENG XIAOPING
Deng: We went through the “cultural revolution”. During the “cultural
revolution” there was a view that poor communism was preferable to rich
capitalism. After I resumed office in the central leadership in 1974 and 1975,
I criticized that view. Because I did so, I was brought down again. Of course,
there were other reasons too. I said to them that there was no such thing as
poor communism. According to Marxism, communist society is based on
material abundance. Only when there is material abundance can the principle
of a communist society—that is, “from each according to his ability, to each
according to his needs”—be applied. Socialism is the first stage of commu-
nism. Of course, it covers a very long historical period. The main task in the
socialist stage is to develop the productive forces, keep increasing the material
wealth of society, steadily improve the life of the people and create material
conditions for the advent of a communist society.
There can be no communism with pauperism, or socialism with pauper-
ism. So to get rich is no sin. However, what we mean by getting rich is
different from what you mean. Wealth in a socialist society belongs to the
people. To get rich in a socialist society means prosperity for the entire
people. The principles of socialism are: first, development of production and
second, common prosperity. We permit some people and some regions to
become prosperous first, for the purpose of achieving common prosperity
faster. That is why our policy will not lead to polarization, to a situation
where the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. To be frank, we shall
not permit the emergence of a new bourgeoisie.
Wallace: Yes, but the farmers, for instance, that I saw down in the Pearl
River estuary—they have motorcycles, they have colour television sets, they
are building homes. You take measures to encourage them to grow rich. They
only have to give a certain amount to the state and may keep the rest for
themselves. And in a sense, that is almost like our system in the United
States; they give a certain amount to the state in taxes and keep the rest for
themselves.
Deng: In our system the public sector is the major sector of the economy,
but there are also others. Even the much talked-about “ten-thousand-yuan
households” in the countryside only have an annual income of some
US$2,000 or 3,000. Would you call that rich? How many households like
that are there? Compared with the developed countries, China still has a very
low per capita national income.
Wallace: You spoke of the “cultural revolution” just now, Chairman
Deng. What happened to you and your family during the “cultural revolu-
tion”?
Deng: That episode looks bad, but in the final analysis, it was also a