THE HISTORIC VICTORY OF THE CHINESE PEOPLE

In the period of the war against Japan, the number of members of the Communist Partyrose from 500,000 to 1,250,000. While in the beginning of the war the People’s LiberationArmy, led by the Chinese Communist Party comprised of a total of nearly 45,000, at the momentof the capitulation of Japan, its ranks comprised more than one and half million soldiers andofficers. Besides this, nearly two million people participated in the partisan struggle. Under theleadership of the Chinese Communist Party, a territory of more than 2 million sq. kilometerswith a population of nearly 100 million was liberated from the Japanese usurpers. A democraticregime was created on this territory and radical democratic, political, economic and culturaltransformations were carried out. The Communist Party of China defeated the numerousattempts of the Kuomintang capitulators and treacherous elements to conclude a dishonourablepeace with Japan.In the course of the anti-Japanese population liberation war in China, the United Front ledby the Communist Party was consolidated; it embraced more and more the broad masses ofworkers and peasants, the artisans and the tradesmen, the progressive strata of the intelligentsia,the petty and the middle bourgeoisie. The successes of the People’s Liberation Army and theinfluence of the Communists in the people were so strong that after the defeat of the Japanesetroops by the Soviet Army, the Kuomintang was forced to come to an agreement with theCommunist Party. However, immediately at the order of the American imperialists, theKuomintang reactionaries once again went over into the attack. They trampled underfoot theagreement on the United Front, violated the decisions of the Political Consultative Council andunleashed a new civil war on a nation-wide scale. Chiang Kai-shek relied upon the numericaland technical superiority of his army, which was rigged out by the imperialists of the USA. InJuly 1946, the armed forces of the Kuomintang comprised of four-and-a-half million people,while the People’s Liberation Army was only 1,200,000 in number. The Kuomintang troopswere well-equipped and armed with American guns, tanks and aeroplanes. The American gavethe Kuomintang Government huge loans and credits amounting to six milliard American dollarsand gave away free of charge or for a more song hundreds of planes and tanks, a large amount ofartillery and tons of thousands of automobiles and a Navy consisting of 271 warships. AmericanMilitary Advisers and instructors trained and fully supplied with American weapons 22Kuomintang Divisions with a total number of more than 750,000 men. They took a direct part in6

the working out of plans for an armed onslaught against the democratic forces. The main forcesof the Kuomintang Army were transferred from South China to the Northern Regions inAmerican planes and sea transport. Here they occupied initial positions for an attack against thedemocratic forces of China. By disembarking their troops in the biggest centres of the country(Shanghai, Nanking, Tientsin, Peking, Tsingtao), the imperialists of the USA helped theKuomintang Government to seize them.The American imperialists pursued the aim of enslaving the Chinese people. They forcedenslaving agreements on China and obtained wide opportunities for converting it into anAmerican colony, into a military jumping-off ground for a struggle against the Soviet Union andthe national-liberation movement in the countries of S.E. Asia. The USA has secured at itsdisposal on the territory of China and Formosa, military, naval and aviation bases and controlover the aerodromes built by the Japanese on Chinese territory during the war. American planeshave accomplished flights over China without any hindrance and American vessels sail freely inthe territorial waters of China. The armed forces of the Kuomintang, the secret and open police,State finances and the budget, have passed over under the control of the Americans. The foreignimperialists began dictating to China her foreign policy and made it subservient to their aims –the preparation of a new war in the Far East.The Kuomintang Government signed an agreement with the American staff in China, bywhich American soldiers and officers, who commit a crime are to be under the jurisdiction not ofa Chinese but an American Court. The Chinese-American Arbitration Commission, in which theAmerican dominated in practice, was given the right of deciding all controversial question in thesphere of trade.The Kuomintang Government permitted the American capitalists to developunrestrictedly their industrial and commercial activities over the entire territory of China, i.e. toexploit without restriction on the Chinese people and conduct a survey of the profitable mineralresources. Together with the Americans, the Kuomintang had even worked out a “plan” ofChinese-American technical “co-operation” in agriculture. The Canton-Hankow and Szechwan-7

Yunnan Railways were turned over from the Kuomintang to exploitation by a joint AmericanChinese company.In the course of 1946-48, American firms opened more than 500 offices (branches) in theregions controlled by the Kuomintang. On the basis of an agreement with the Kuomintangauthorities, they began the utilisation of the natural riches of China and the building andexploitation of gasolene, cement, glass and other factories in a number of regions in the country.American firms concluded agreements for the exploitation of the natural riches of the islands ofHainan and Formosa and for capital investment in the aluminium, paper, chemical, foodstuffsand other branches of industry. Thousands of representatives of American firms settledthemselves as official “advisers” and “experts” in the central apparatus of the KuomintangGovernment or in the local Provincial Governments. These “advisers” were protected by theirfirms and they obstructed in every way the commercial activity of the firms of other countriesand in particular those of British firms.The ruling Kuomintang clique became an open agent of the USA imperialists, whodeveloped wide expansion in China. But the designs of the American plunderers to convertChina into their own colony were defeated by the heroic Chinese people.Already during the first stage of the civil war (1946-47) the Kuomintang troops suffered anumber of serious defeats. In one year of battles, they lost more than 1,200,000 soldiers andofficers in dead, wounded and captured; more than 500,000 deserted. This compelled theKuomintang army in the middle of 1947 to cease its offensive operations and to go over to thedefensive in all the parts of the front. At a time when the forces of the Kuomintang army wereswindling away, the forces of the People’s Liberation Army grew uninterruptedly. Hundreds ofthousands of Chinese patriots filled its ranks. In 1947, the number of regular troops grew to 2million. In the battles against the enemy, the People’s Liberation Army captured rich trophiesand considerably improved its arms. It obtained the biggest assistance from the industry ofliberated regions and particularly from Manchuria.8

The consolidation and the growth of the People’s Liberation Army, the tremendoussupport and sympathy of the people allowed it to pass over in August 1947 from an activedefensive into the offensive. Its troops swiftly seized the initiative in their own hands andsmashed the enemy in dogged battles.The international situation after the Second World War contributed to the successes ofthe Chinese people. As a result of the victory of the Soviet Union in the Patriotic War, the forcesof German Fascism and Japanese Imperialism were defeated, the camp of imperialism wasweakened and the camp of democracy and Socialism became stronger. Of tremendoussignificance for the historic victory of the Chinese people was the defeat of Imperialist Japan bythe Soviet Army and the liberation of Manchuria, which was transformed into a stronghold of thedemocratic forces of revolutionary China. Mao Tse-tung wrote:“Had there been no Soviet Union, had there been no victory in the anti-FascistSecond World War, had Japanese imperialism not been defeated (which is particularlyimportant for us), had there been no People’s Democracies in Europe .the pressure ofthe international reactionary forces would, of course, have been much stronger than it isto-day. Would we have been able to achieve victory in these circumstances? Of coursenot.” (Mao Tse-tung, Ibid.)Already in the period of the birth of the Chinese revolutionary army, Comrade Stalin hadpointed to the tremendous role of a genuinely revolutionary army in the Chinese Revolution.“Firstly,” said Comrade Stalin, “the Chinese Communists must intensify politicalwork of every kind in the army and succeed in making the army into an effective andexemplary bearer of the idea of the Chinese Revolution.” (J.V. Stalin: Collected Works,Vol. VIII, Russian Ed., Moscow, p. 363).The Chinese Communists mastered this task successfully. The People’s Liberation Armyof China became a school of revolutionary training of millions of men; it enjoyed the immenselove and respect of the Chinese people.9

“Secondly,” Comrade Stalin pointed out, “the Chinese revolutionaries and amongthem also the Communists must take to a close study of military affairs. They must notregard military affairs as of minor importance because in China military work is atpresent the most important factor of the Chinese Revolution.” (J.V. Stalin: Ibid., p. 364).The Chinese Communists also implemented successfully this task put forward byComrade Stalin. After 22 years of an almost uninterrupted armed struggle against external andinternal enemies, the heroic People’s Liberation Army from a 45,000 strong armed group into amighty army of four million. The Communist Party of China directed its best people to themilitary section and trained for war engagements hundreds of thousands of peasants and workers,who comprised the skeleton of the fighting revolutionary army. Many Communists receivedspecial military instruction in the officers’ schools and military academies, organised by theCommunist Party. The talented Generals and outstanding strategists of the People’s LiberationArmy (Chu-Teh, Peng Te-hwai, Lin Piao, Hu Lun, Chen Yi, Liu Po-cheng and others) werewrought out from the commanding staff of the army. The operations of the People’s LiberationArmy showed that its commanders had mastered excellently the art of war and that its ranks andfile combatants had gone through the school of political education in a revolutionary patrioticspirit.The last year’s offensive battles of the People’s Liberation Army were particularlysignificant. Only from the middle of 1948 till the middle of 1949, the People’s Liberation Armyin the course of attack smashed more than 50 Kuomintang armies, consisting of more than 3million soldiers and officers, made captive more than 30 armies with all their equipment andmade more than 20 armies of the enemy revolt and come over to its side. During this year, thePeople’s Liberation Army completed the liberation of Manchuria, freed Inner Mongolia and 15Provinces of North, Central and North-West and South China, occupied one thousand and twohundred and seventy towns, the most important centres of the country, the ports, the railwayjunctions and communications.10

The People’s Liberation Army has smashed the superior forces of the Kuomintang and isdestroying the remains of its armed forces. It is moving forward steadily in the South East,South, South-west, and North-west. The People’s Liberation troops occupied the important seaport of Amoy on October 17, 1949 and are less than 150 miles by sea from Formosa; they havecentered the Provinces of Kwantung and Sinkiang and reached the borders of the Provinces ofKwangsi, Kweichow, Szechwan. The overwhelming majority out of the 475 million Chinesepeople have already been liberated from the imperialist rule.The Kuomintang top strata, after expulsion out of Canton, fled to Chunking and toFormosa and is feverishly rallying together the remains of its forces in order to continue thearmed struggle in the South and South-west of China. Being unable to render any seriousresistance to the People’s Liberation Army, the demoralised units of the Kuomintang army arebeating a retreat. The final liberation of China from Kuomintang reaction is a matter of theshortest time (a question of the nearest future).***The great victories achieved by the Chinese people are above all due to the correct policyof the Chinese Communist Party which consistently defends the interests of the workers andexposes the reactionary, anti-national policy of the Kuomintang. Now it is clear to the entireChinese people that the Kuomintang defended the interests of the reactionary bloc of big Chinesebourgeoisie, the landlords and American imperialism. The Chinese people are completelyconvinced that the leadership of the Kuomintang is sacrificing the independence of China for thesake of its personal mercenary ends and the preservation of its power, that it has sold the countryto the American imperialists and at their behest hurled China in the fire of a civil war anddoomed the people to starvation.At the same time, the Chinese Communist Party, uniting more than 3 million in its ranks,has earned the respect, recognition and love of all the people. A United Revolutionary Front,unprecedented in breadth and depth was formed inside the country:11

“We have a broad and strong revolutionary front – so broad that it includes theworking class, the peasantry, the petty bourgeoisie and the national bourgeoisie; so strongthat it possesses the resolute will and boundless possibility of vanquishing any enemy andovercoming any difficulty,” said Mao Tse-tung at a session of the Preparatory Committeefor the convocation of the new Political Consultative Council. (For a Lasting Peace, For aPeople’s Democracy – July 1, 1949).The alliance of the working class with the toiling peasantry under the leading role of theworking class is the basis of this United Front. The policy of the Communist Party which isbeing carried out in recent years in the Liberated Areas of China and directed towards theconsolidation of democracy and improvement of the well-being of the people has contributed tothe strengthening of this alliance.Thanks to the policy of the Communist Party and the radical democratic transformationcarried out in the Liberated Areas, the programme of the Central People’s Government of China,adopted by the Political Consultative Conference stands forth as a clear example of the alreadyexisting revolutionary reality over parts of the territory of China.In the areas liberated earlier, village, regional, district and provincial organs of powerbased on general direct and equal elections, with secret ballot were elected. In a number ofcompletely liberated Provinces of China, the highest Provincial organs of power, the People’sCongresses were created.Democratic liberties – freedom of speech, assembly, press and organisation etc., wereensured for the Chinese people. In the Liberated Areas of China women began to enjoy completeequality in political, social and economic life; they are participating actively in the work of thelocal organs of power and hold responsible administrative posts.In the democratic areas, national oppression was abolished, the property and capital ofthe Kuomintang top strata was confiscated and the system of feudal and semi-feudalrelationships in agriculture was abolished by the confiscation of landlords’ land. The confiscated12

land was distributed among the poor peasants and the farm labourers and the forest areas(massifs), the big irrigation constructions, the large pastures and the tracts of waste land werehanded over to the keeping of the People’s Government. The main resources and the sources ofeconomic development of the country became the property of the people.Nevertheless, the policy of the Communist Party and of the People’s Democratic powersdid not set before itself the aim of liquidating the enterprises belonging to the commercial andindustrial bourgeoisie. The Communist Party of China condemned the ultra-Left policy ofexcessively high imposition of taxes on income which had been pursued from 1929 to 1934 andhad hampered the activities of private industrial and commercial enterprises. The discontinuationof the work of private enterprises is opposed to the interests of the working class and thepeasantry of the Liberated Areas. The owners of private-owning enterprises who were loyal intheir attitude to the people’s power guaranteed the preservation of private property and thesecurity of profits.Private industrial and commercial enterprises have remained and continue to remain sideby side with State and co-operative enterprises. The agrarian reform which was carried out in anumber of districts by the democratic authorities played a tremendous role in the democratic andnational-liberation movement in China. Formerly, feudal and semi-feudal relationships in theirmost crude form had dominated in the Chinese countryside. In the old China, from 40 to 80 percent of the entire land was in the hand of landlords and kulaks who comprised less than 20percent of the entire peasant economy. Nearly 30 per cent of the peasants had no land at all andthe overwhelming majority had insufficient land. It was, therefore, that the peasants werecompelled to either rent out land from the landlords and kulaks or hire themselves out to them asfarm labourers. The Chinese peasant used to pay 50-70 per cent of the harvest to the landowneras rent for the land. Out of the remaining part of the harvest he paid State taxes and debts to themoney-lenders. The feudal relationships doomed the Chinese peasantry to starvation andpoverty. The big capital of the Kuomintang top strata was amassed through the starvation andmisery of the peasants. More than 50 per cent of the debt obligations of the peasant farm-steadson the loans given to them is in the hands of the “Four Families”. American imperialismsupported in every way the feudal and moneylenders’ exploitation of peasants and attempted to13

convert the agriculture of China into a raw material appendage of American industry. Therefore,the agrarian problem is the most important among the internal political and economic problemsof China and the peasantry, led by the working class has played the role of one of the basicmotivating forces of the national liberation struggle of the Chinese people. The ChineseRevolution in rising its hand against imperialism, cannot but at the same time deal blows atfeudalism and at the big compradore capital as the main agent of imperialism.In the period from 1931-1934 the Communist Party in the areas liberated from theKuomintang pursued a policy of confiscating the lands of the landlords and distributing it amongthe peasants. In the period of the war against Japan, the Communist Party changed the policy andbegan to pursue the policy of lowering rent payments and interests on lease. The landownerswere forbidden from evicting the peasants from the land till the termination of the term of lease.Thus the exploitation of the peasant by the landlords and the kulaks was only restricted by notabolished.After the termination of the war against Japan, the democratic authorities of the LiberatedAreas under the leadership of the Communist Party carried out a number of supplementarymeasures which

Comrade Stalin brilliantly foresaw “a transitional power towards a non-capitalist or to be mere precise, towards the Socialist development of China.” (J. V. Stalin: Collected Works, Russian . 5 Ed. Vol. VIII, p. 366). From tha