The Chinese Communist Party

Background of CCP

1921 founded
1923 United Front

Mao's background

son of grain merchant in Hunan province
involved in May the Fourth Movement
later overemphasised 'peasant' background→ propaganda
1924- head of Peasants Training Institute→ organise peasant associations against "local tyrants and evil gentry"

Why was CCP attracted to USSR?
→ relationship

Inspired by Bolshevik success
- 1917 Revolution: 1st communist revolution
- Civil War against same foreign interventionalists China faced (Britain, Japan, etc.)

- liked Marxism-Leninism against international capitalism + imperialism
- alike aims e.g. modernisation

→ Comintern, USSR relationship w/ GMD

1923 Jiang's military training in Moscow
1924 Jiang led Soviet-funded Whampoa Military Academy
Saw GMD as vital force→ bring about bourgeois capitalist phase of Marxism
compared to 3000 followers CCP
→ 1923 Comintern instructed CCP+ GMD→ First United Front

Long March (1934-5)

in order to survive purge, Communists marched
- 5000 out of 80,000 reached Yan'an from Jiangxi- difficult terrain, starvation, etc.
- peasants press-ganged (forcibly enlisted)

aftermath of long march: How was Long March portrayed by Mao?

MILITARY- CCP forces remaining in south formed part of New Fourth Army for civil war

PROPAGANDA
centre of Chinese Communist story, testament to communist endurance

POWER STRUGGLE
- Mao as undisputed visionary leader making right choices
e.g. successful guerrilla warfare
- Mao protected Zhou Enlai despite abandoning Mao's plan to find secure base

→ loss of Jiangxi Soviet: Enlai in debt to Mao
(has administrative ability & army experience)
- attacked Bo Gu for same mistake
Zhang Guotao split Fourth Red Army went southwest and defeated
Mao had majority in Politburo due to influence in march

Twenty-Eight Bolsheviks

orthodox communists sent to Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow for training (vs Mao's Chinese version of communism)
e.g. Bo Gu, Wang Ming, Zhang Guotao

Mao

1936 Chairman of Politburo & Chairman of CCP's Military Council
allied w/ Zhou Enlai (Vice-Chairman of CCP)
Jiangxi Soviet 1931-4
Rivals:
Zhang Guotao, but defected to GMD + defeated via Long March
1941 Wang Ming outvoted at Politburo meeting, easier w/ Mao's control over Politburo
broad ideology incl. guerilla warfarej

theory of the 'mass line'

mao pretended that policy was desired by masses

Purges

→ remove "imperialists, warlords, corrupt party, local tyrants, and evil gentry"
- 1931-4: 700,000 killed
- 'denunciation boxes': for anonymous notes accusing others
- claimed discovery of non-existent organisations (e.g. Secret Watch Brigade)→ pretext to round up disloyal suspects
- 'Regulations for the Punishment of Counter-revolutionaries' published in 1934 listed over 24 counter-revolutionary offences , incl. engaging in conversation to undermine faith in soviets

1942-3 Yan'an Rectification Campaign
result?

Mao forced potential opposition in CCP to:
→ read prescribed texts written by Mao e.g. 'On New Democracy'
→ attend 'struggle meetings' & make self-criticisms
under pretence of moral purification, liberation, class consciousness
- reinforced by secret police led by Kang Sheng
- 1000+ CCP members tortured for confession
- 40,000 dismissed from CCP despite no evidence to suspicion
→ 1945 seventh Party Congress: Mao Zedong Thought formalised in Party constitution as dogmatic official ideology of/ guide to CCP→ achieved democratic centralism w/ 1 application of M-L according to Chinese Rev

Wang Shiwei:
aftermath

- individualists, intellectuals, artists targeted e.g. 'Yan'an Talks on Arts and Literature'→ impose literary orthodoxy, political education to encourage CCP
- 1942 wrote an article condemning hypocrisy luxury lifestyle of CCP leaders while Red Army fighting against Japan + GMD enemies
- accused of 'anti-Party thinking', individualism (especially threatening since GMD attack again + Japan intensifying)
- Mao's determination to X individualism→ other writers stopped supporting Wang
- 1947 executed for refusing to retract charges!

→ 1943-4: all Party leaders openly engaged in self-criticism incl. Zhou Enlai
→ Kang claimed 70% of CCP sympathised w/ Wang→ opportunity to purge

Wang Ming

- leader of the Twent-Eight Bolsheviks
- Politburo (incl. Zhou Enlai) supported desire for closer cooperation w/ GMD
- however, GMD continually conceding cities over to Japan, incl. loss of Wang's independent base in Yan'an
- Mao opposed, wanted guerilla warfare + military capacity to be retained under CCP w/in UF
- SUPPORTED when communist 1941 New Fourth Army ambushed by GMD

Mao's personality cult

- history of CCP written→ emphasise Mao's struggle to lead CCP
- Mao as undisputed visionary leader making right choices
e.g. successful guerilla warfare in Long March
- 'The East is Red' song eulogises & deifies Mao

Mao Zedong Thought

- the importance of the peasants as a revolutionary class
- national self-reliance
- continuing revolution
- class struggle
- learning from the people
- mass mobilisation (due to revolutionary zeal)
- a national revolution

peasants as a revolutionary class

tactical since majority of pop

mao as leaders of peasants training institute

since industrial workers = only 1% of society & driven out of cities by GMD, dependence on peasants

national self-reliance + revolution

- growing controversy w/in CCP over USSR's input
- rev= not only Marxist idea of bourgeois rev to overthrow feudal landlords, but also lead broad-based coalition incl. 'national bourgeoisie' (to X foreign imperialists)
- 'unite against the enemies of the nation'

continuing revolution

after CCP control class enemies (bourgeoisie + landlords) wld still control economy + own most property
Mao: encourage future gens to continue revolutionary struggle→ show support to regime > political stability like CCP wanted

class struggle

Mao: rev= "where one class overthrows another"
CCP requires periodic purging→ prevent formation of exploitative ruling class detached from people

learning from the people

1944 'Serve the People' speech→ unity
wanted masses to participate in discussing policy→ prevent commandist USSR-like, dictatorial rule

Second United Front

since 1931 Mao wanted new UF w/ GMD + subscribed to 3PP
→ CCP seen as national party
→ X GMD eradication of CCP

tactical flexibility

e.g. communist rev incl. social, economic, cultural transformation < defeating Japan
CCP's weakness in some areas

CCP Land Reform

rich peasants= "bourgeoisie of the countryside"
in Jiangxi Soviet confiscated land of landlords→ equal distribution to poor peasants depending on no. mouths to feed whereas landlords received nothing
after 1937 UF- rent reductions + improve farming methods for peasants

CCP social reform

women: ended arranged marriages in Yan'an
more literacy amongst peasants

right to vote limited to:

• poor & middle peasants

• working class

• soldiers

Xian Incident aftermath

why kept alive?
Propaganda: hero who did not kill jiang fro retribution, adn recongised jiang as leader of chinese resistance to japanese
Humiliation of arrest by own troops (mutiny)
Ccp cld make demands
Negotiations at politburo meetings w/ mao: jiang released if:
End of GMD's campaigns against Reds
Recognition of ccp as party→ legitimacy
Second United Front against Japanese
1936 jiang released & published declaration ordering GMd troops to withdraw from red areas

war 37-45

37-8: gmd forces in northern regions pushed out→ leaving reds to defend
→ Comms guerillas became main troops resisting japan, and provided local gov