Modernization is not only the modernization of production, but also the modernization of people, and morality is an important symbol of social development and an important embodiment of people's all-round development, which dominates individual behavior to a certain extent and affects the rise and fall of the country. The formation of good moral quality is mainly achieved through ideological and political education.

Therefore, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping attached great importance to ideological and political education, and put forward different goals and tasks in different periods. Mao Zedong emphasized that ideological and political education must serve the central task of the Party in various historical periods. During the Agrarian Revolution, the central task of the revolution was to consolidate and develop the Soviet regime. The task of ideological and political work was: "The Soviet regime must carry out cultural and educational reforms, remove the shackles imposed by the reactionary ruling class on the spirit of workers and peasants, and create a new Soviet culture of workers and peasants." [1] (P 21) During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression period, the central task was to "mobilize all forces to win the war of resistance against Japan". [2](P25) Mao Zedong proposed that ideological and political education must obey this central task, and must carry out anti-Japanese war education to serve the war. During the War of Liberation, the central task of the revolution was to "overthrow Chiang Kai-shek and liberate all China". Therefore, the task of ideological and political education is to "mobilize schools at all levels and all social organizations, give full play to the effective force of education, and directly or indirectly serve the war of liberation". After the founding of New China, the party's central task shifted, not to engage in mass movements in the storm, but to restore and develop production. Therefore, Mao Zedong proposed that ideological and political education must serve workers and peasants and production and construction. However, in his later years, Mao Zedong estimated and judged the "Left" situation at that time, and put forward the "Left" line of "taking class struggle as the key link". The ideological and political education in this period was mainly the education of class and the viewpoint of class struggle.

After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, the central task of the Party shifted to economic construction and carried out reform and opening up. The theme of the times has changed from the Cold War to peace and development, and ideological and political education is no longer the education of class and class struggle. Therefore, Deng Xiaoping put forward the policy that ideological and political education must serve socialist modernization. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "There is no doubt that schools should always put a firm and correct political direction first. But this does not mean that a lot of class hours should be spent on ideological and political education. Students put a firm and correct political direction in the first place, which not only does not exclude the study of science and culture, on the contrary, the higher their political awareness, the more they should consciously and diligently study science and culture for the revolution. " [3](P 104) In other words, the builders of socialist modernization must be both expert and expert, not only expert. In view of the ideological trend that western capitalist countries worship democracy and freedom and deny socialism after the reform and opening up, Deng Xiaoping pointed out profoundly and sharply in 1989: "We have developed very well in the last ten years. Our biggest mistake is that in education, ideological and political work is weak and education development is insufficient. After calm consideration, we believe that the mistakes in this area are bigger than problems such as inflation. " [4](P290) Deng Xiaoping's above discussion corrected the erroneous tendency of Lin Biao and the Gang of Four to push politics to extremes in the "Cultural Revolution" and the ideological trend of neglecting ideological and political education that appeared in the society for some time since the reform and opening up. Inherited and developed the brilliant thought of Mao Zedong's educational policy of all-round development of morality, intelligence and physique. 1992 During Deng Xiaoping's southern tour, the level of ideological and political education was regarded as the primary criterion for selecting successors. He pointed out that it is necessary to pay attention to training people and select people with both ability and political integrity into the ranks according to the standards of revolutionization, youthfulness, knowledge and specialization. We say that the party's basic line will be in power for a hundred years, and long-term stability depends on this line. Deng Xiaoping further developed Mao Zedong's ideological and political education thought. He believes that ideological and political education should not only provide spiritual impetus for socialist modernization, but also be the fundamental guarantee for unswervingly adhering to the party's basic line, and take the moral character of cadres as the primary criterion for promoting and cultivating successors.

Second, the content of ideological and political education

There are many contents in ideological and political education, but the contents are different in different environments and tasks. Communist ideological education is the core of Mao Zedong Thought's political education thought. Mao Zedong pointed out in "On New Democracy": "We should expand the propaganda of communist ideas and strengthen the study of Marxism. Without this kind of propaganda and study, not only can we not lead the China revolution to the future socialist stage, but we can also not lead the current democratic revolution to victory. " [5] (P706) The rectification movement launched by our Party in 1942 was actually a universal Marxist education movement. After the founding of New China, Mao Zedong still attached great importance to communist ideological education. He asked intellectuals and young students to make progress not only professionally, but also ideologically and politically, which required them to study Marxism and current affairs and politics.

Secondly, Mao Zedong also attaches great importance to patriotism and internationalism in ideological and political education. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression period, Mao Zedong proposed that cultural education "should focus on improving and popularizing people's anti-Japanese knowledge and skills and national self-esteem". And called on every member to learn Bethune's spirit of selfishness and benefiting others. After the founding of New China, Mao Zedong clearly stipulated in the "Common Program of China People's Political Consultative Conference" that "loving the motherland and the people" is an essential public morality for People's Republic of China (PRC) citizens.

Thirdly, serving the people wholeheartedly is the basic content of Mao Zedong Thought's political education thought. In the book "Serving the People", Mao Zedong comprehensively and systematically expounded the ideological viewpoint of serving the people. After the founding of New China, Mao Zedong appealed to the people of the whole country on March 5 1963: "Learn from Comrade Lei Feng."

Fourth, emphasize revolutionary discipline education. As early as the Agrarian Revolution, after Mao Zedong led the autumn harvest uprising troops to Jinggangshan area, Mao Zedong, Zhu De and other leading comrades personally conducted ideological and political education for the troops, including the discipline education of the Red Army. Mao Zedong awarded the Revolutionary Army of Workers and Peasants "Three Disciplines and Six Notices". During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression period, in response to Zhang's separatist behavior, he put forward: "party member must be educated in party discipline, so that party member in general can abide by discipline, and party member in general can also supervise party leaders to abide by discipline together." [5](P528) After the founding of New China, Mao Zedong repeatedly expounded the relationship between democracy and centralism, freedom and discipline. Mao Zedong pointed out: there can be no democracy, centralization, freedom and discipline among the people; This unity of democracy and centralism, freedom and discipline is our democratic centralism.

Deng Xiaoping inherited and developed Mao Zedong's thought on the content of ideological and political education. First of all, Deng Xiaoping attaches great importance to the education of communist ideals, beliefs and discipline, and regards ideals, beliefs and discipline as two important standards of talent quality and "four haves". Due to the changes in Deng Xiaoping era and Mao Zedong era, under the conditions of reform, opening up and market economy, multiple forms of ownership and distribution coexist, multiple cultures permeate and agitate, and multiple value orientations coexist. Ideological and political education should overcome the single operation mode in the past and adhere to the principles of combining principle with flexibility and combining progressiveness with extensiveness. Therefore, while emphasizing the ideal education, we should combine it with the goal of the primary stage of socialism, divide the ideal into two levels: the highest ideal of communism and the common ideal of building China into a prosperous, strong, democratic and civilized socialist modern country, so as to make it conform to the reality of China, encourage the advanced, take care of the majority, and combine the advanced requirements with the extensive requirements. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "Our highest ideal is to realize communism. In different historical periods, we all have a struggle program that represents the interests of the overwhelming majority of the people at that stage. So we can unite and mobilize the broadest masses of the people, which is called unity. With such unity, any difficulties and setbacks can be overcome. " [4](P 190)

While emphasizing the ideal education, Deng Xiaoping combined the ideal education with daily work and built the ideal on the basis of practical work. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "Young people should have lofty ideals and attach importance to any small work. We must have lofty ideals in order to keep the courage and direction of progress forever. The road to the ideal is accumulated by countless daily small jobs. " [6] (Page 8)

Deng Xiaoping combined ideal with discipline and discussed the importance of discipline. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "Our socialist construction must be led and carried out in an orderly manner under the conditions of stability and unity. I put special emphasis on ideals and discipline. It is for this reason. " Deng Xiaoping believes that without ideals and discipline, it is impossible to build the four modernizations. Therefore, it is necessary to educate young people about ideals and discipline, so that they can understand the relationship between freedom and discipline, because many young people worship the so-called freedom in the West, but they don't understand what freedom means.

Secondly, Deng Xiaoping emphasized that ideological and political education must focus on educating cadres and the masses with the Four Cardinal Principles. According to the characteristics of the times and the experience and lessons of China's socialist modernization, Deng Xiaoping put forward the scientific concept of "Four Cardinal Principles", stressing that ideological and political adherence to the four cardinal principles is the fundamental prerequisite for realizing the four modernizations, and the education of the four cardinal principles must be strengthened. 1980 65438+February, Deng Xiaoping pointed out at the Central Working Conference: "There are still serious shortcomings in our propaganda work, mainly because we have not actively, confidently and convincingly publicized the Four Cardinal Principles and have not waged a strong struggle against some serious erroneous ideas against the Four Cardinal Principles." [7](P364) 1989 Deng Xiaoping also pointed out that there is nothing wrong with the four cardinal principles. If there is a mistake, it is that the adherence to the Four Cardinal Principles is not consistent enough, and it has not been regarded as the basic idea of educating the people, students and all cadres and workers.

Third, Deng Xiaoping attaches great importance to patriotism and collectivism education and endows it with the characteristics of the times. Since the reform and opening up, there have been various behaviors that worship foreign things and flatter foreign countries and lose national self-esteem. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "The people of China have their own self-esteem and pride. It is the greatest glory to love the motherland and contribute all one's strength to building the socialist motherland, and it is the greatest shame to damage the interests, dignity and honor of the socialist motherland. " Deng Xiaoping criticized the wrong viewpoint of separating patriotism from socialism and promoting abstract patriotism. Deng Xiaoping said: Some people say that not loving socialism does not mean unpatriotic. Is the motherland abstract? Don't love the new socialist China led by * *, what do you love? We can't ask our compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and overseas patriots to support socialism, but at least we can't oppose the new socialist China. Otherwise, how can they love their motherland? We certainly have higher requirements for every citizen and every youth under the leadership of People's Republic of China (PRC). When Deng Xiaoping talked about patriotism, he associated it with the characteristics of the times.

Deng Xiaoping pointed out that since the reform and opening up, especially in the process of establishing the socialist market economic system, money worship and personal egoism have emerged: "We should criticize and oppose the tendency of worshipping capitalism and advocating bourgeois liberalization, and criticize and oppose the decadent ideas of the bourgeoisie that are selfish at the expense of others, mercenary and' all for money', and criticize and oppose anarchism and extreme individualism." [6](P 124) In the tide of market economy, it is particularly important to educate party member among cadres and the masses, especially teenagers.

Fourthly, Mao Zedong attached great importance to democracy and the rule of law, but he didn't stick to this correct idea in his later years. Deng Xiaoping summed up the lessons of the "Cultural Revolution" and put forward that ideological and political education must focus on democracy and legal education. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "Without democracy, there would be no socialism, and there would be no socialist modernization." [3](P 168) Especially after the opening of the country, western democratic thoughts flowed into China through various channels, which caused people's ideological confusion. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "We must focus on the people and young people." [3](P 16 1) Deng Xiaoping also profoundly expounded the difference between socialist democracy and capitalist democracy and why China could not engage in multi-party system and direct elections. Deng Xiaoping believes that democracy is closely related to the rule of law. "Democracy must be upheld, and the legal system must be upheld. This is like two hands, and neither hand can be weakened. " [3](P 189) "In order to protect people's democracy, we must strengthen the legal system. Democracy must be legalized and legalized, so that this system and law will not change because of the change of * *, and will not change because of the change of * *' s views and attention. "How to strengthen the legal system? Deng Xiaoping believes that "the important thing to strengthen the legal system is education, and the fundamental problem is to educate people." [8](P 136) At the initiative of Deng Xiaoping, our country has carried out legal education for the whole people from primary schools, and also carried out democratic legal education, thus enhancing the socialist civic awareness.

Third, the methods and principles of ideological and political education.

While emphasizing the importance of ideological and political education, Mao Zedong attached great importance to using appropriate methods to achieve the best educational effect. The methods of ideological and political education advocated by Mao Zedong mainly include the following aspects:

First, the method of combining criticism with self-criticism. Mao Zedong pointed out: "We can't be complacent when we see our achievements. We should restrain our complacency and criticize our shortcomings from time to time, as if we had to wash our faces and sweep the floor every day in order to clean up and dust off. " [9](P935) In Mao Zedong's view, self-discipline is an intrinsic factor in the formation of good morality.

Secondly, the methods of democracy, persuasion and persuasion. Mao Zedong believes that "trying to solve ideological problems and right and wrong problems with administrative orders is not only ineffective, but also harmful." "We must learn to overcome all kinds of wrong ideas through argument and reasoning." [10](P332, 337)

Third, practice the method of exercise. Mao Zedong pointed out that the successors of the proletarian revolutionary cause were born in the mass struggle and grew up in the revolutionary storm. It is necessary to inspect and identify cadres and select and train successors in the long-term mass struggle. Mao Zedong's viewpoint still has important guiding significance. For educators and educatees, we must actively participate in the great practice of socialist modernization and reform and opening up, so as to integrate theory with practice.

Fourth, the education method of example. The power of example is infinite. It is an important method of ideological and political work advocated by Mao Zedong to set an example to educate the whole party and people. During the period of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, he wrote a brilliant work "Serving the People", calling on people to learn from Comrade Zhang Side. During the War of Liberation, Mao Zedong wrote an inscription for Liu Hulan: "Great life, glorious death!" During the period of socialist construction, Mao Zedong issued a great call to "learn from Comrade Lei Feng", and the spirit of Lei Feng inspired generations of young people.

Deng Xiaoping inherited and developed these correct thoughts of Mao Zedong. First of all, Deng Xiaoping emphasized the combination of solving ideological problems and solving practical problems. In the process of ideological education, "we should try our best to help the masses solve all the difficulties that can be solved, and we should patiently and seriously explain to the masses the difficulties that cannot be solved temporarily." [6](P 124) By solving practical problems, it provides the foundation of emotional resonance for the development of ideological and political work, so that ideological and political work can be implemented and achieved greater results, which also reflects the idea of serving the people wholeheartedly by our party.

Secondly, respecting, understanding and caring for the masses is the prerequisite for the effectiveness of ideological and political work. In view of the critical methods adopted in the ideological and political work during the "Cultural Revolution", such as speaking out, airing views, big-character posters and big debates, not only ideological and political education was not implemented, but also had a negative impact, which weakened the status of ideological and political work. In summing up this lesson, Deng Xiaoping proposed that respecting, understanding and caring for the masses is the premise of ideological and political work. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "It is necessary not only to recognize the differences in talents and morality shown by individuals during their growth, but also to treat them differently according to these differences, so that individuals can advance towards the overall goals of socialism and communism under as different conditions as possible." [6](P62) This view of Deng Xiaoping requires ideological and political educators to learn to respect, understand and care for people according to the laws and characteristics of people's thoughts and behaviors, and to criticize different opinions or even incorrect tendencies through persuasion and education.

Third, ideological and political workers should set an example. Mao Zedong emphasized the power of example. Under the new situation of reform and opening up, Deng Xiaoping emphasized that ideological and political workers should set an example, and teaching by example is more important than words. Only in this way can ideological and political work have "silent" power. Ideological and political work will be unconvincing if educators don't match their words with their deeds. Therefore, Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "Ideological and political work should be targeted, in-depth and accepted by the masses. The most important condition is that every party member, especially party member, which is in a leading position, must start from itself. " [3](P30 1) Deng Xiaoping pointed out in his speech at the military political work conference in June 1978: "Political cadres should emphasize setting an example, which we did in wartime. At that time, you didn't have enough courage to fight. You were afraid of death. If you don't contact the soldiers, the reality and the masses, no one will listen to you in political work. Political cadres cannot say one thing and do another. " Deng Xiaoping's speech put forward higher requirements for ideological and political work in the new period.

In a word, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping are in the same position and function, content, method and principle in ideological and political education. However, due to the change of the theme of the times and some unhealthy phenomena in the process of China's reform and opening up and the establishment of the socialist market economic system, Deng Xiaoping particularly emphasized that ideological and political education should serve the modernization drive, and put forward the talent standard of "four haves with morality as the head", which endowed patriotic education with the characteristics of the times and emphasized ideology. Deng Xiaoping's ideological and political education thought embodies the spirit of emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts and keeping pace with the times, enriching and developing Mao Zedong Thought.