A famous article to promote the emancipation of the mind: "Practice is the only criterion for testing truth"

On May 10, 1978, the 60th issue of "Theoretical Trends", an internal publication of the Central Party School, published "Practice is the Only Standard for Testing Truth"
1978 was an extraordinary year in the history of the Republic. In May of this year, an article titled "Practice is the Only Criterion for Testing Truth" was like a spring thunder, which caused a vigorous nationwide standard of truth. The discussion dispelled the fog of people's thinking. The Central Working Conference and the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party held this year issued the strongest voice of the era of emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts, opening up a new era of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, and realized the history of the party and the country since the founding of the the People's Republic of China. A great turning point of far-reaching significance.
The article "practice is the only criterion for testing truth" has become a famous article in the history of the Republic to promote ideological emancipation, and "practice is the only criterion for testing truth" has also become the consensus of the whole party. Today, the basic display of the History Exhibition Hall of the Communist Party of China displays the "Theoretical Trends" of the Central Party School, which first published this article, and the original "Guangming Daily" reprinted in full.
The victory of the "Gang of Four" in October 1976 ended the "Cultural Revolution". However, due to the long-term influence and restraint of the "Left" erroneous thinking, especially the main leaders of the party at that time adhered to the wrong policy of "two whatevers", that is, "We resolutely uphold all decisions made by Chairman Mao, and we will unswervingly follow all Chairman Mao's instructions." The cause of the party and the country has appeared a difficult situation in which it is moving forward. It is necessary to fundamentally reverse the serious situation caused by the "Cultural Revolution" and reverse the long-term "Left" mistakes in the party. The "two whatevers" and seeking truth from facts are serious and sharp as a prominent issue. Breaking through the "two whats" spiritual barriers has become a prerequisite for correcting the "Left" mistakes and opening up a new era of socialist construction.
Before resuming his leadership position, Deng Xiaoping clearly emphasized that "the essence of Mao Zedong Thought is seeking truth from facts", and proposed that "we must use accurate and complete Mao Zedong Thought to guide our whole party, the whole army and the people of the whole country from generation to generation." On the occasion, the older generation of revolutionaries such as Chen Yun and Ye Jianying also repeatedly emphasized the fine tradition of seeking truth from facts and resisted the "two whats". This has inspired people to reflect on the ideological obstacles caused by the "two whatevers.

Deng Xiaoping's inscription: Practice is the only criterion for testing truth

In 1977, Hu fuming, then deputy director of the philosophy Department of Nanjing University, wrote an article entitled "practice is the standard for testing truth" and submitted it to the editorial department of Guangming Daily. After several revisions, the article was finalized as "practice is the only standard for testing truth". On May 10, 1978, it was published in the 60th issue of "Theoretical Trends", an internal publication of the Central Party School. On May 11, Guangming Daily published this article in the name of a special commentator. Xinhua News Agency forwarded it to the whole country. It is clearly stated that "social practice is not only the standard for testing truth, but also the only standard", which fundamentally negates the wrong policy of "two whats. The criterion for testing truth can only be social practice; the unity of theory and practice is one of the most basic principles of Marxism, and any theory must be constantly tested by practice. A large-scale, rich and far-reaching discussion on the standard of truth was carried out nationwide. The article "dare to touch and dare to clarify right and wrong" expounded the common sense of Marxism. However, because it is in sharp opposition to the "two whatevers" and touches on the phenomenon of ideological rigidity and personality cult that has prevailed for many years, it has also been strongly criticized by some leaders. Therefore, this discussion is also facing tremendous pressure while attracting much attention. Deng Xiaoping and other revolutionaries of the older generation have given clear-cut support to the great discussion on the standard of truth.
In June 1978, Deng Xiaoping delivered a speech at the All-Army Political Work Conference, emphasizing that the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought must not be violated at any time, but we must seek truth from facts, proceed from reality, and combine theory with practice. This speech was issued as a central document and published in the "People's Daily" in full, which greatly promoted the discussion on the standard of truth and practical work. The central and provincial newspapers and periodicals published more than 650 discussion articles, forming a large-scale discussion on theoretical issues dominated by theoretical circles, actively promoted by the press, and widely participated by all sectors of society. In leading and supporting the discussion on the standard of truth, Deng Xiaoping and other revolutionaries of the older generation always focused on the overall situation and took the promotion of socialist modernization as the foothold of this discussion. so that the process of discussing the standard of truth has become a process of guiding people to think about where the country is going.
The discussion on the standard of truth is of far-reaching historical significance in promoting the emancipation of the mind and the correction of the ideological line of the whole party and the people of the whole country, and is the ideological forerunner for the great historical turning point of the third Plenary session of the 11th CPC Central Committee. it has laid the ideological foundation for the party to re-establish the Marxist ideological line, political line and organizational line.
From December 18 to 22, 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing. The plenary session criticized the erroneous policy of "two whatevers", fully affirmed the need to completely and accurately grasp the scientific system of Mao Zedong Thought, highly appraised the discussion on the standard of truth, resolutely ended the "class struggle as the key link", and re-established the ideological, political and organizational lines of Marxism, A major decision was made to shift the focus of the work of the whole party to socialist modernization, which opened the great prelude to reform and opening up.
 

Source: Learning Times