ABSTRACT
The Eighth Congress gave a good idea of the structure, composition, and internal trends of the Party, which had risen from opposition to power since its last Congress. The economy inspired the general line during the transition period. The Central Committee defined it this way: "to complete, step by step, the socialist transformation of agriculture, handicrafts, capitalist industry, and commerce and bring about, step by step, the industrialization of the country." The success of the Communist movement can largely be explained by the high quality and lack of self-interest of the Communist Party cadres compared with those of its adversary, the Kuomintang. The Communists were all trained, both morally and physically, during the long, tough struggles of war. The budget for national defense was cut, and national defense was scarcely mentioned in the texts of the Eighth Congress. The immediate future of Chinese agriculture depended on irrigation, the improvement of seed, and the use of insecticides.
