We often speak of "the new superseding the old". The
supersession of the old by the new is a general, eternal and inviolable law of
the universe. The transformation of one thing into another, through leaps of
different forms in accordance with its essence and external conditions--this is
the process of the new superseding the old. In each thing there is
contradiction between its new and its old aspects, and this gives rise to a
series of struggles with many twists and turns. As a result of these struggles,
the new aspect changes from being minor to being major and rises to
predominance, while the old aspect changes from being major to being minor and
gradually dies out. And the moment the new aspect gains dominance over the old,
the old thing changes qualitatively into a new thing. It can thus be seen that
the nature of a thing is mainly determined by the principal aspect of the
contradiction, the aspect which has gained predominance. When the principal
aspect which has gained predominance changes, the nature of a thing changes
accordingly.
In capitalist society, capitalism has changed its position from
being a subordinate force in the old feudal era to being the dominant force,
and the nature of society has accordingly changed from feudal to capitalist. In
the new, capitalist era, the feudal forces changed from their former dominant
position to a subordinate one, gradually dying out. Such was the case, for example,
in Britain and France. With the development of the productive forces, the
bourgeoisie changes from being a new class playing a progressive role to being
an old class playing a reactionary role, until it is finally overthrown by the
proletariat and becomes a class deprived of privately owned means of production
and stripped of power, when it, too, gradually dies out. The proletariat, which
is much more numerous than the bourgeoisie and grows simultaneously with it but
under its rule, is a new force which, initially subordinate to the bourgeoisie,
gradually gains strength, becomes an independent class playing the leading role
in history, and finally seizes political power and becomes the ruling class.
Thereupon the nature of society changes and the old capitalist society becomes
the new socialist society. This is the path already taken by the Soviet Union,
a path that all other countries will inevitably take.
Look at China, for instance. Imperialism occupies the principal
position in the contradiction in which China has been reduced to a semi-colony,
it oppresses the Chinese people, and China has been changed from an independent
country into a semi-colonial one. But this state of affairs will inevitably
change; in the struggle between the two sides, the power of the Chinese people
which is growing under the leadership of the proletariat will inevitably change
China from a semi-colony into an independent country, whereas imperialism will
be overthrown and old China will inevitably change into New China.
