The Common Program of the People's Republic of China 1949-1954

Preamble and Chapter 1

Content
The acceptance and fulfilment of the Common Program were the important tasks of the CPPCC. The document consisted of a preamble and 7 chapters;
1. General principles
2. Organs of state
3. Military system
4. Economic policy
5. Cultural and Education program
6. Policy towards nationalities (minorities)
7. Foreign policy.
The document served as a blueprint for upcoming actions and aimed to portray the new leaders of China as moderately progressive and inclusive in their political approach. The program defined in its preamble clearly who can play a role in this future. "... the state power of the people's democratic united front composed of the Chinese working class, peasantry, petty bourgeoisie, national bourgeoisie and other patriotic democratic elements, based on the alliance of workers and peasants and led by the working class." In other words, a part of the people was explicitly excluded, they were "...the running-dogs of imperialism, the landlord class and bureaucrat-bourgeoisie, as well as the representatives of these classes, the GuoMinDang reactionaries and their accomplices."
As the CCP took control over China’s cities, it was confronted with several social order problems. Two primary categories of targets were identified. The first encompassed counter-revolutionaries, including remaining GMD troops and supporters, secret societies, criminal gangs, and bandits. The second group consisted of offenders engaged in residual crimes inherited from the old society, such as the cultivation, trafficking, and usage of narcotic drugs, gambling, prostitution, kidnapping, and trafficking women and children. Additionally, a significant transient population, vagrants, drug addicts, and abandoned children notably disrupted social order.

Other elements of the preamble:
1. Triumph of Liberation: Ending Imperialism, Feudalism, and Bureaucratic Capitalism
2. From Oppression to Mastery: Chinese People Forge a New Society and State
3. Replacing Reactionary Rule: People's Democratic Dictatorship Overthrows Kuomintang's Regime
4. Unity in Diversity: The Chinese People's Democratic Dictatorship and the Democratic United Front
5. Founding the People's Republic: Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leads the Way
6. Political Foundation: Unanimous Agreement on New Democracy for China's National Construction
7. Shared Vision: Embracing the Common Program for the People's Republic of China
Article 1
Democratic dictatorship
  • Introduction
  • Transition
  • Enemies
  • Protests
  • Notes
    • Article 2
    Unification
  • Introduction
  • Hainan
  • Taiwan
  • Tibet
  • Xinjiang
  • Mongolia
  • Notes Documents Literature
    • Article 3
    New Democracy
  • Introduction
  • Nationalization
  • Notes
    • Article 4
    Election
  • Introduction
  • Time schedule elections
  • Delegates
  • Notes

    • Article 5
    Liberties
  • Introduction
  • Freedom of association and assembly
  • Elimination of the sects
  • New associations
  • Place of residence / Hukou
  • Religious affiliation
  • Islam
  • Buddhism
  • Christianity
  • Protestantism
  • Roman Catholicism
  • Taoism
  • Notes
    • Article 6
    Women
  • Introduction
  • Marriages before 1949
  • The Marriage law of 1950
  • The implementation of the marriage law
  • Contraception
  • Free choice of profession
  • Status of women
  • Change of status
  • Divorce
  • Brothels
  • Notes Documents
    • Article 7
    Counter-revolutionaries
  • Introduction
  • Classification
  • Start of campaign Suppression of Counter-Revolutionary Activities
  • Instructions
  • Punishment
  • Reform through labour
  • Notes Documents
    • Article 8
    Duties
    See Chapter 3 and Chapter 4
    Article 9
    Nationalities
  • Introduction
  • CCP policy
  • Migration policy
  • Notes
    • See Chapter 6
    Article 10
    Army
  • Introduction
  • Police
  • Notes
    • See Chapter 3
    Article 11
    Independance and Peace
  • Introduction
  • Pro Soviet Union
  • Anti imperialism
  • Peace
  • United Nations
  • World Peace Congress
  • Exchange of sport, culture and science
  • The Geneva conference on Indochina and Korea. Intro
  • The Geneva conference on Korea
  • The Geneva conference on Indochina
  • Notes Documents
    • Conclusions
  • Introduction
  • Article 1
  • Article 2
  • Article 3
  • Article 4
  • Article 5
  • Article 6
  • Article 7
  • Article 11
  • Notes

    • Sibayan (2013). Page 83 [↩] [Cite]
    Brown (2008). "The core of the theory— that urban workers were more advanced and therefore had to lead rural people— dovetailed with ideas about modern cities and backward villages that had taken shape during the Republican period. It also reflected the modernizing developmentalist agenda shared by the Nationalists and Communists before and after 1949." Page 29 [↩] [Cite]
    Biddulph (2007). Page 62 [↩] [Cite]

    Chapter 1 of Common Program