Deng Xiaoping Theory

Great change has remained the trend around the globe since the 1970s. With the conclusion of the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in late 1978, China ushered in a new era of reform and opening up and socialist modernization.

It was against this background that Deng Xiaoping Theory gradually formed and developed, based on a review of China's successes and setbacks in developing socialism and drawing on the rise and fall of other socialist countries.

Addressing the closing session of the CPC Central Work Conference in December 1978, Deng Xiaoping delivered a speech entitled "Emancipate the Mind, Seek Truth from Facts, and Unite as One in Looking to the Future." This was a statement proclaiming China's new era, new path, and new theory on socialism with Chinese characteristics. At the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee that followed, the Party decided to shift the focus of the Party and the country to socialist modernization, thus raising the curtain for reform and opening up. This is deemed the embryo of Deng Xiaoping Theory.

At the Party's 12th National Congress in September 1982, Deng Xiaoping first raised the subject of "building socialism with Chinese characteristics." The Party's 13th National Congress in 1987 elaborated on the theory on the primary stage of socialism and the guideline for building socialism with Chinese characteristics in this stage. Based on a review since the late 1970s, the congress summarized Deng's observations on China's socialism in terms of the stage, tasks, motivation, conditions, and general plan, as well as international situation. These constitute an outline of the theory on socialism with Chinese characteristics.

In early 1992, Deng made a tour of south China and in speeches at various locations, he provided timely answers to such questions as what is socialism, and how to build socialism, which helped people free their minds and boosted their confidence in socialism.

In his report to the 14th CPC National Congress held in October 1992, Jiang Zemin (b. 1926) summarized the theory on building socialism with Chinese characteristics under nine headings: path of development, stages of development, fundamental task, motive force, external conditions, political guarantees, strategic plan, leading force and forces to rely on, and China's reunification. This established Deng's theory on Chinese socialism as the guidance for the whole Party. 

At the 15th CPC National Congress held in September 1997, the theory initiated by Deng Xiaoping on building socialism with Chinese characteristics was named Deng Xiaoping Theory, designated together with Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought as the guiding thought and guide to action of the CPC, and written into the Party Constitution. In 1999, the Second Session of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC) wrote this theory into the Chinese Constitution.

Deng Xiaoping Theory is a complete scientific system that embraces philosophy, political economics and scientific socialism. It covers, among other things, the economy, politics, science and technology, education, culture, ethnic affairs, military affairs, foreign affairs, the united front, and Party development. It provides answers to a number of basic questions about Chinese socialism, including the ideological guideline and nature of socialism, the path and stages of socialist development, the fundamental tasks, the development strategy and driving forces behind socialism, the opening up of socialist countries, the reform of socialist political and economic structures, the political guarantees for socialist development, the diplomatic strategies for a socialist country, China's reunification, the forces to rely on for China's socialism, the military and defense of a socialist country, and the leadership core of socialism.

Deng Xiaoping Theory carries forward and develops Mao Zedong Thought in China's new historical conditions. It is the second historic step in adapting Marxism to China's conditions and is the crystallization of the wisdom of the entire Party. The theory guided China in making a number of major changes from focusing on class struggle to focusing on economic development, from a closed and semi-closed state to reform and opening up, and from a planned economy to a socialist market economy, achieving political stability, economic development, and ethnic solidarity, and enhancing socialist productive forces, comprehensive national strength, and standards of living.

鄧小平理論

20世紀70年代以來，國際形勢和世界政治格局發生重大變化，和平與發展逐步成為時代主題。1978年，中共十一屆三中全會開啟了改革開放和社會主義現代化建設新時期。鄧小平理論是在和平與發展成為時代主題的歷史條件下，在中國改革開放和社會主義現代化建設的實踐中，在總結中國社會主義勝利和挫折的歷史經驗并借鑒其他社會主義國家興衰成敗歷史經驗的基礎上，逐步形成和發展起來的。

1978年12月，鄧小平在中共中央工作會議閉幕會上作題為《解放思想，實事求是，團結一致向前看》的講話。這是開辟新時期新道路、開創建設有中國特色社會主義新理論的宣言書。隨后召開的中共十一屆三中全會作出把黨和國家的工作重點轉移到社會主義現代化建設上來的戰略決策，揭開了改革開放的序幕。這次全會標志著鄧小平理論開始形成。

1982年9月，鄧小平在中共十二大上第一次提出“建設有中國特色的社會主義”的重要命題。1987年，中共十三大系統闡明了關于社會主義初級階段的理論，完整概括了中國共產黨在社會主義初級階段的基本路線，初步概括了中共十一屆三中全會以來開辟新道路的歷史經驗，并從中國社會主義建設的階段、任務、動力、條件、布局和國際環境等方面，對鄧小平關于社會主義建設的一系列科學理論觀點作了歸納。這些構成了建設有中國特色的社會主義理論的輪廓，標志著鄧小平理論初步形成。

1992年年初，鄧小平視察中國南方并發表了重要談話，及時深刻地回答了中國改革開放中“什么是社會主義，怎樣建設社會主義”的重大問題，極大地解放了人們的思想并堅定了人們的社會主義信念。同年10月，江澤民在中共十四大報告中，從發展道路、發展階段、根本任務、發展動力、外部條件、政治保證、戰略步驟、領導和依靠力量、實現祖國統一等9個方面，概括了建設有中國特色社會主義理論的主要內容，確立了鄧小平建設有中國特色社會主義理論在全黨的指導地位。

1997年9月，中共十五大將鄧小平關于建設有中國特色社會主義的理論定名為“鄧小平理論”，同馬克思列寧主義、毛澤東思想并列為黨的指導思想和行動指南并寫入黨章。1999年，九屆全國人大二次會議將鄧小平理論載入中國憲法。

鄧小平理論是貫通哲學、政治經濟學、科學社會主義等領域，涵蓋經濟、政治、科技、教育、文化、民族、軍事、外交、統一戰線、黨的建設等方面比較完備的科學體系。這一體系科學回答了建設中國特色社會主義的一系列基本問題，主要包括：關于社會主義思想路線的理論；關于社會主義本質和社會主義發展道路的理論；關于社會主義發展階段的理論；關于社會主義根本任務的理論；關于社會主義建設發展戰略的理論；關于社會主義發展動力的理論；關于社會主義國家對外開放的理論；關于社會主義政治、經濟體制改革的理論；關于社會主義建設政治保證的理論；關于社會主義國家外交戰略的理論；關于祖國統一的理論；關于社會主義事業依靠力量的理論；關于社會主義國家軍隊和國防建設的理論；關于社會主義事業領導核心的理論等。

鄧小平理論是毛澤東思想在新的歷史條件下的繼承和發展，是馬克思主義中國化第二次歷史性飛躍的理論成果，是中國共產黨集體智慧的結晶。在鄧小平理論的指導下，中國逐步實現了從“以階級斗爭為綱”到以經濟建設為中心、從封閉半封閉到改革開放、從計劃經濟到社會主義市場經濟等一系列重大轉變，實現了政治穩定、經濟發展、民族團結，社會主義生產力、綜合國力和人民生活水平踏上一個大臺階，成功走出了一條中國特色社會主義新道路。