The development of the military rank system in New China was quite tortuous. It was first implemented in 1955, but was canceled in 1965 and was not re-implemented until 1988. In the ten years of the first stage of
, more than 1,600 founding generals were produced, and there were also two military ranks that have never been reprinted - marshal and general. Even when the military rank system was restored in 1988, these two military ranks did not appear again. Pass.
There are several strange things here. Why was the military rank system abolished in 1965 and why was it restored in 1988? Why were there no longer marshals and generals after the restoration?
If we want to understand these three issues, we must start with the birth of the military rank system.
After the founding of New China, the People's Liberation Army became a regular national armed force. At that time, most regular armies in the world had military ranks. If we did not, there would be some embarrassing situations during communication.
For example, diplomacy pays attention to the principle of reciprocity . If the country we are communicating with has people wearing general stars, then who we should let communicate is a matter that needs to be carefully considered;
For example, The Chinese and North Korean troops cooperated during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea , but the Korean People's Army has military ranks, but the volunteer army does not. When encountering emergencies during front-line operations, soldiers from both countries do not know who to listen to, which brings great inconvenience to the command system.
Therefore, in order to strengthen the regularization and modernization of the military, the issue of implementing a military rank system was quickly put on the agenda.
At that time, our foreign policy was "one-sided", that is, we were completely on the side of the socialist camp . Many details of the military rank system also referred to the Soviet Union.
my country also established a "Generalissimo" at the beginning. In recognition of the contribution of the Red Army in defeating Nazi Germany during World War II, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union awarded Stalin the rank of Grand Marshal.
Therefore, Chairman Mao, who led the Chinese People's Army to victory, in the opinion of many people, should also be awarded the rank of Generalissimo. At that time, even the uniforms and epaulettes of the Generalissimo were ready, but Chairman Mao refused.
He said: title evaluation is a big job, and it is also a very difficult job. I, as the general marshal, don’t want it anymore. What's more, if I was asked to wear Generalissimo's clothes, I wouldn't feel comfortable myself, nor would it be convenient for me to speak to the masses. Therefore, the highest military rank actually awarded later was marshal, followed closely by general.
However, there is a saying that "everything has two sides", and the same is true for policies. After the military rank system was implemented for a period of time, some problems were exposed one after another. Finally, Chairman Mao decided to "get rid of this card." The main problems of
are as follows: first, the changes in Sino-Soviet relations in and , which is the general background. At that time, the military rank system was implemented with reference to the Soviet Union, in order to integrate into the socialist family and make each other's feelings deeper.
However, the two major incidents of " Joint Fleet " and " Long Wave Radio " have made the two countries more delicate. After entering the 1960s, each other publicly criticized the other. In this context, there is no need for us to behave. So intimate.
If the Soviet Union wants to encroach on our sovereignty, then we must get rid of the shadow of the Soviet Union as much as possible. It is more eye-catching to refer to the Soviet military rank system.
Then there are some imperfections in the military rank regulations. The evaluation in 1955 was mainly based on the situation at the time, but there was no clear plan for subsequent promotions and other aspects, so over time it appeared that "many officers were promoted due to promotion of their posts" Soon, the military rank originally assessed was incompatible with the position he currently holds."
Moreover, the military rank system and other systems are also somewhat complicated. Each officer has a military rank, position, and level. These three are relatively independent but interrelated.
If you want to adjust your position, you basically have to adjust the level and military rank. You also have to consider whether all aspects are suitable after the adjustment, etc., so it is quite troublesome to deal with it.
Furthermore, the military rank system resulted in excessive differences in the treatment of different officers. Many generals also expressed that they did not want to have military ranks . At the enlarged meeting of the Military Commission in 1958, President Peng said that he did not like the two plaques on his shoulders. Many personnel have also spoken out to suggest the abolition of the military rank system.
And Chairman Mao later felt more and more that the salaries of senior military cadres were too high and the gap between them and ordinary cadres and the masses was too great. This was against the original intention of the revolution. Therefore, in 1964, Chairman Mao made the Instructions on salary cuts for cadres.
When Mr. He and Luo Ruiqing reported their work to Chairman Mao in August of this year, they also discussed the matter specifically. Mr. He also asked, "Should the military ranks also be cancelled?" Chairman Mao immediately replied: Cancel it, get rid of it. That tile! I've wanted to get rid of this card for a long time!
As a result, matters related to the abolition of military ranks were quickly promoted. In November, the Central Military Commission office meeting agreed with the "Opinions on the Abolition of the Military Rank System" proposed by the Military Ranks and Salaries Reform Group. There is this paragraph in it:
The military rank system of our army is copied from the Soviet Union and other countries. In the past, we could still fight without this system. Facts have proved that this system is not suitable for our army. After the military rank is cancelled, the job title can be used for foreign affairs activities.
If the military rank system is abolished, how should the People's Liberation Army dress? At that time, relevant departments put forward several sets of plans. After reading them, the Military Commission recognized the red collar badge and red five-star design. This is an old tradition of our army. Chairman Mao also liked it very much after seeing it. He said: I agree to restore the appearance of the old Red Army, as long as there is a red star and a red flag, and nothing else is needed!
Therefore, after the military rank system was officially abolished in 1965, the army, navy, air force and public security forces all wore all-red five-pointed stars and all-red collar patches, and all officers and soldiers wore liberation caps.
At this time, if you want to distinguish between cadres and soldiers, you mainly need to look at the number of pockets on the uniform. Cadres have four pockets, while soldiers have two. If you look at it from a distance, it is difficult to distinguish. To some extent, it still reflects the identity of officers and soldiers. The principle of equality.
But as mentioned before, any policy has two sides. If there is no distinction between military ranks, it will still cause inconvenience in actual combat. For example, in the 1979 self-defense counterattack against Vietnam , participating troops were drawn from various military regions. Everyone is not familiar with each other, and chaos in the chain of command is inevitable.
According to the memoirs of a combat participant, several different troops were crowded together on the road one time, and no one wanted to let others pass first. As a result, the marching speed was extremely slow and the order was very chaotic. At this time, a division commander He climbed onto a tank , shouted that he was the division commander, and told the truck to move to the left, the tank to the right, and the soldiers to walk through the middle.
But he wore the same red collar badge and red hat badge as everyone else. No one believed what he said, so they still huddled together, and it took a lot of time for each department to pass. It's okay to be on the march, but what if we encounter an enemy sneak attack? Without a high-ranking military officer to take command, everyone would still fight independently, with disastrous consequences.
So in September 1979, the General Political Department of submitted the "Preliminary Plan for Restoring the Military Rank System."
At this time, there are still many people who hold different opinions on the restoration of military ranks. However, as our country communicates more with other countries around the world, the disadvantages of not having military ranks have become apparent.
In 1979, Duke Deng visited the United States. The following year, Vice Minister of the General Logistics Department Xu Guangyi also led a delegation to the United States for inspection. Xu Guangyi was awarded the rank of major general in 1955, but after the military rank system was abolished, the United States did not know how to provide equal treatment.
In order to win over China, the United States gave Xu Guangyi the reception standards and sent a general to accompany him. The car and hotel he stayed in were also according to general standards. This is actually unequal. If the United States was not trying to fight against the Soviet Union, Xu Guangyi and the others might have been made things difficult for them.
A similar situation occurred with the founding major general Jia Ruoyu. When he accompanied Xiao Ke to visit Iran, the Iranian side seemed to ask about Xiao Ke's military rank and rank. Our personnel did not know how to answer. The same situation happened when he later visited Pakistan.
This made the central government realize that military rank was also an important factor affecting cooperation and exchanges, so Deng Gong gradually began to promote the restoration of the military rank system.In 1980, Deng Gong proposed at an enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Military Commission: "The army still needs to establish a military rank system!" However, our army had a large number of personnel at the time, and this matter had to be done slowly, and it was not officially restored until 1988.
Then why are there no more marshals and generals? On this issue, Deng Gong once said: In peacetime, military ranks are set up to generals, and there are no longer general and marshal ranks.
Note, there is a premise here, that is "peace time" . The marshals and generals at the founding of the country came from the war years. They all have deep qualifications, great contributions, and high status. Talent, marshal and general are the highest rewards for overall contribution. In peacetime, basically no one can afford such a high military rank.
There is a similar example in the United States. The highest military rank for active military personnel in the United States is four-star general, but above the four-star general there are special generals and five-star generals. Special generals include the father of the nation, Washington, Dewey, who won the Battle of Manila Bay, and "General Hammer" Pershing.
Five-star generals are those who have made outstanding achievements in World War II. The U.S. Congress stipulates that five-star generals can only be awarded during wartime, and they must serve as Allied theater commanders and not retire for life.
Another reason for canceling the ranks of marshal and general is that it can reflect the great contribution of those outstanding ancestors, and it is basically difficult for future generations to reach that height.
Looking at the changes in our country's military rank system, they are actually most in line with the actual situation at that time. After all, times are changing, and policies should also change accordingly, so as not to be eliminated.
