ABSTRACT

　　The primary methodology of Marxism consists of tackling the principal contradiction, and recognizing and addressing the principal contradiction in society is an essential prerequisite for advancing social progress. It is precisely by identifying and actively responding to the evolution of the principal contradiction facing Chinese society that the Communist Party of China has continuously promoted the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the new era, the evolution of the principal contradiction facing Chinse society has triggered changes in the driving forces of Chinese modernization, and the focuses of our work have changed from satisfying the people’s material and cultural needs, to satisfying the ever-growing expectation of the people for a better life; from treating a high input of the factors of production as the main driving force in the economy, to regarding innovation as the primary source of growth; from overcoming the backward state of social production, to strengthening supply-side structural reform; from depending heavily on external circulation by way of the international market, to constructing the “dual circulation” development pattern in which domestic and foreign markets can boost each other, with the domestic market as the principal element; and from regarding only material incentives as crucial, to emphasizing both material and spiritual incentives.

　　KEYWORDS: Principal contradiction in society; Chinese modernization; transformations of driving force

　　From: International Critical Thought 2024 14 (1)

　　Editor: Wang Yi