The democratic reform movement has fundamentally changed the relations of production in Tibet and transformed ownership by serf-owners into ownership by individual peasants. Thanks to the establishment of these new relations of production, the long-stagnant social productive forces have been set free and the political enthusiasm and productive initiative of the labouring people, who are conscious that they are now the masters in their own house, soar to unprecedented heights. More than 90 per cent of the peasant households in the region have joined agricultural mutual-aid teams. The peasants have launched a vigorous, patriotic campaign to boost production. They have given up the old method of extensive farming and improved their backward farm tools. In the past three years, they have built a large number of irrigation channels and reclaimed large tracts of wasteland. They have gathered in bumper harvests for three consecutive years. Livestock-breeding has also been doing well. The number of livestock has increased compared with 1959. Handicraft industry has been revived and developed. With the benefits of democratic reform and increased production, the living standards of the peasants, herdsmen and handicraftsmen have begun to improve.

Development of United Front

In the revolutionary struggle in Tibet, united front work is of the utmost importance. After the peaceful liberation of Tibet and before the quelling of the rebellion, the Communist Party worked hard to form a united front in the region. At that time, a section of the upper strata in Tibet was reactionary. They had all along colluded with imperialism and foreign reactionaries and plotted to split Tibet away from the motherland. Another section of the upper strata was patriotic. They had opposed this undermining of the unification of the motherland and maintained certain links with the people; they co-operated with the Central People's Government both before and after liberation and made important contributions to the peaceful liberation of Tibet and the implementation of the Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet. The third section, which is politically middle-of-the-road, was anti-imperialist and patriotic to a certain extent; they kept in close touch with the masses on the questions of nationalities and religion. To unite with them and win them over therefore served the interests of strengthening national unity and winning over the masses. Unity with leading patriotic individuals and the strengthening of the patriotic progressive forces isolated the secessionists and dealt blows to the traitorous reactionary forces; this unity played a very important role in consolidating the unification of the country and strengthening the unity of the various nationalities, above all, the unity between Hans and Tibetans.

The united front, however, had serious limitations before democratic reform. The people's democratic united front led by the Communist Party includes two alliances, namely the alliance between the working class and the other labouring people, mainly the peasants, and the alliance between the working class and those non-labouring people with whom co-operation is possible. Both alliances are indispensable. The former alliance is the basis and the latter, an allied force. During that period, feudal serfdom was left intact, the land question of the broad masses of peasants was not yet solved and the labouring people had not really gained democratic rights. Therefore, the worker-peasant alliance was not yet consolidated. At that time, only support of the Communist Party leadership, patriotism and opposition to imperialism were taken as the common political bases of the united front. Therefore, although the united front in Tibet of that time constituted in general a component part of the nationwide people's democratic united front and was quite broad in itself, it was actually only an anti-imperialist patriotic united front.

After the quelling of the rebellion and the institution of democratic reform, feudal serfdom was abolished, the peasants' land question solved, the people's democratic state power was established at various levels and the labouring people began to exercise democratic rights as masters in their own house. Only then did the worker-peasant alliance become steadily more consolidated and developed. In these circumstances, the united front led by the Communist Party in Tibet was developed, expanded, strengthened, consolidated and was raised to a higher level -- it became the people's democratic united front in fact as well as in name.

Today, the patriotic section of the upper strata in Tibet is a part of the people, an ally of the revolution. Most of them have successfully taken the road of democratic reform; their political understanding and patriotic consciousness have been further enhanced and they are willing to remould themselves and contribute to the revolutionary cause of the Tibetan people -- all this, thanks to the efforts of the Communist Party which united with and educated them patiently. The Party's united front policy will continue to be implemented so as to unite all the forces that can possibly be united and bring all positive factors into play.

The Question of Religion

The great majority of the Tibetans in the region have for a long time been believers in Lamaism. So here the question of religion becomes one of a mass character involving the nationalities question. Since Lamaism is an important branch of Buddhism, it is also a question that is international in character.

Communists are atheists. But they understand clearly that religion has its deep natural and social roots. Their duty is first of all to liberate the masses from class oppression. They uphold the policy of freedom of religious belief. Whether to believe or not, or what religion to believe in are matters for the people themselves to decide. The Communist Party and Government will respect and protect them all and will never interfere in or settle this question of religious belief for the masses by means of administrative orders.

There is a strict line drawn between political questions and　questions of religious belief, and everything is done to ensure political unification and religious freedom. In the stage of the democratic revolution, the main criteria for unity and co-operation between religious circles, on the one hand, and the Communist Party and the People's Government, on the other, are: support of the leadership of the Communist Party and the People's Government, patriotism and opposition to imperialism, observance of the laws and statutes of the Government, and support of democratic reform. This entirely conforms to the common political interests of the Tibetan people of all strata. In accordance with the policy of freedom of religious belief, the Communist Party and the People's Government respect and protect the religious beliefs of the people in religious circles and the masses, and the religious activities of the monasteries.