Reasons for Rural Literacy in the 1950s

【Abstract】In the early 1950s， in order to improve the cultural quality of the whole people， develop the economy， and stabilize politics， the Central Peoples Government set off a campaign to eradicate illiteracy. In the national literacy campaign， rural literacy played an irreplaceable role and achieved great Achievements.

【Key words】rural literacy； cultural turning； development

【作者簡介】宋楠楠（1992-），女，汉族，河北安国人，齐鲁工业大学在读，2016级马克思主义研究生，研究方向：中国近现代社会与马克思主义中国化。

When the new China was established， the industry was backward and the economy developed slowly. Due to economic occlusion， the vast rural areas have experienced slow cultural development. In order to better build a new China， the government has proposed a top-down literacy campaign， on the one hand to develop the economy and to stabilize the state power； on the other hand， to meet the needs of cadres and the masses and improve their cultural level.

1. The need to develop the economy

The economy is the cornerstone of national development. A country has a strong economy and has a voice in the international arena. The culture of development has a positive effect on the economy， and the backward culture has a hindrance to the economy. Socialism cannot be based on a large number of illiterates. Improving the cultural level of farmers is an important condition for improving labor productivity. In order to develop the economy， rural literacy campaigns are imperative. Without advanced science and technology， there is no guarantee that the production and production plan will be realized. In order to build our good socialism and create conditions for the use of mechanization， we must improve the scientific and cultural level of the majority of our members. In order to accomplish this strategic political task， it is necessary to accelerate the work of literacy and organize a strong literacy force to jointly undertake this work.

2. The need to stabilize the regime

The Peoples Republic of China is a socialist country based on the alliance of workers and peasants， but the vast majority of workers and peasants are illiterate， and peasants account for the majority of the total population of workers and peasants. The peasants have turned over in the economy. If they do not raise the peasants political consciousness， eliminate class consciousness， and ensure that the culture turns over， they will still let them stay in the banned thoughts. The peasants economic turn-around is difficult to consolidate. Carrying out the education of workers and peasants and improving the cultural level， political awareness and production technology of workers and peasants is an important step in strengthening and improving workers and peasants and consolidating and developing the peoples democratic dictatorship. Coupled with the establishment of the new China， the international situation is tense. Improving the cultural level of the masses is conducive to understanding the policies and specific practices of the party and the state and responding to the call of the state. Carrying out literacy culture education in rural areas and raising the peasants cultural level also spread the partys ideological concepts and government decision-making， so that farmers can understand the new policies and enhance the partys trust in the people. Therefore， in order to stabilize the political power， it is extremely important to strengthen and improve the peasants cultural level and ideology.

3. Meet the needs of the masses and cadres

After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China， although the peasants turned over politically and economically， they still had problems of illiteracy and writing， and they could not turn over in culture. In the old society， farmers were oppressed by landlords and capitalists and did not enjoy the right to study and receive education. Nowadays， the socialist countries with peoples democratic dictatorship are established. Farmers have taken the initiative to ask for learning， and they want to get rid of the difficult situation of illiteracy and improve their own cultural level.

Not only do farmers want to learn， they want to get rid of the ignorance of literacy， and cadres have a stronger desire to learn culture. Before the founding of New China， cadres also had few opportunities to learn， so most grassroots cadres were also illiterate. Cadres are the link between the government and the masses. If the cadres are illiterate and cannot write， they cannot accurately convey the governments policies and opinions to the masses， nor can they accurately reflect the demands of the masses to the government. In order to better play the role of the cadre role model， in order to improve their own cultural level， in order to better understand and convey government policies， cadres are actively participating in the study.