How did the CPC come into being

BEIJING, Oct. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- An interview with Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China.org.cn, on the origin of the Communist Party of China:

It is generally accepted that your genes and environment determine who you are. I think the same is also true of political parties.

Western political parties mostly emerged within established systems due to divergent positions and interests with the aim of improving and operating the systems. In contrast, the CPC was born against a unique backdrop.

Many countries have been colonized in the history. However, after 1840, China was arguably in a worse situation than any other colonized country, as it suffered aggression and exploitation from major capitalist and imperialist countries around the world. From 1842 to 1949, successive Chinese governments signed more than 1,000 unequal treaties, which involved giving up land and paying reparations.

Moreover, in the early 20th century, there were also acute problems within Chinese society, which are epitomized by the well-known legend "The White-Haired Girl." In the story, a landlord wants to take a tenant farmer's daughter as his concubine, so he charged heavy interest rates on the farmer's unpaid rent, forcing him to sell his daughter to repay his debts. Later, the girl escaped from the landlord's home and hid in the mountains. Due to a lack of salt in her diet, her hair gradually turned white. The legend reflects the cruel exploitation that farmers were subjected to, when agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and farmers constituted the majority of society.

This is just one example. At that time, the Chinese nation was reduced to dire misery, the people lived in abysmal darkness, and society was torn to pieces.

After numerous failed attempts by the Chinese people to ensure national survival, Marxism arrived in China at the beginning of the 20th century, bringing fresh hope to some intellectuals. Marxism holds that the people are the decisive force driving social development and the major force behind social history. We'll come back to this point later on.

When Marxist theory combined with the Chinese workers' movement, the CPC was born.

Therefore, since the Party came into being, it has had one single goal, that is, to save the country and the people — to resist aggression, fight for national independence and bring people freedom. Its "genes" are also very clear: it represents the interests of the Chinese people, including farmers and workers.

This is not just lip service. The Party has honored its commitment through its political program, policies and actions. For example, multiple rounds of land reform were carried out to abolish the exploitative feudal land system and allow rural people to own land, which is the very basis for their survival. Other examples include organizing labor movements and ensuring the right to equal pay for equal work.

People who received tangible benefits regarded the CPC as family, so many enthusiastically joined the army to support revolution and the war against Japanese aggression. Finally, China achieved national independence and liberation with the support of the people.

Well, that basically covers the story of how the CPC came into being. The fact of the matter is, whoever works for the well-being of the Chinese people can gain popular support.

Simple as that. Any statesman or revolutionary knows the power of the people. But I think there's a difference here when we talk about the role of people.

To put it simply, the sociohistorical theory before Marxism believed that "heroes make history," that is, a certain hero appeared in an era, and he pushed history forward. However, Karl Marx affirmed that the fundamental driving force of social development is the development of productive forces, and the main body engaged in production is the masses, so the masses play the decisive role in promoting the development of history, and should be the masters of society.

There were more than 300 political parties established in China shortly after 1911. In particular, from the early years of the 20th century to 1949, the Kuomintang party controlled political power and the army. It also claimed to represent the interests of "all the people," but it ended up losing popular support and was overthrown by the people. Political parties hold different historical views and therefore different understandings of the role of people.

The CPC believes in Marxism. "Representing the fundamental interests of all Chinese people" is in its "genes," part of its true nature, and the source of its strength. The ultimate goal of the CPC, whether that was when leading the Chinese revolution or when governing the country after taking power, is to ensure the people live better lives. This, I believe, has been proved by facts.

China Mosaic
http://chinamosaic.china.com.cn/index.htm
How did the CPC come into being?
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2022-10/19/content_78474407.htm

SOURCE China.org.cn