1978

December 18-22

The 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee was convened. It criticized the erroneous "Two Whatevers" approach, fully recognized the need to have a full and precise understanding of the scientific system of Mao Zedong Thought, and highly praised the discussion on practice being the sole criterion for judging truth. It resolutely abandoned the use of the slogan--"grasp class struggle as the key link," and made a historic decision to shift the focus of the Party's and the country's work towards economic construction and launch reform and opening up to the outside world. It decided to improve the Party's system of democratic centralism, strengthen the leading organs of the Party establish the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and elect Chen Yun first secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The Session marked the CPC's re-establishment of the ideological, political and organizational line of Marxism, constituted a turning point of profound significance in the history of the Party since the founding of the PRC, and ushered in a great journey of reform and opening up as well as socialist modernization.