From Friend to Comrade: The Founding of the Chinese Communist Party, 1920-1927

389 Pages·1992·8.534 MB·English

by  Hans J. van de Ven

F r o m
F r i e n d t o
C o m r a d e
THE FOUNDING OF THE
CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY,
1920-1927
••••••••
HANS J. VAN DE VEN
The author points out the localiz:ed
nature of these organiz:ations, as well as
their origins in the world of study socie From
ties and the continuing influence of tradi
tional elite norms of political action. The
Friend to
second stage, from 1921 to 1923, dem
onstrates the nebulous distribution of
authority in the early CCP, the inability Comrade
of CCP leaders to bring all Chinese com
munists into the party, and the party's
failure to establish durable mass organi THE FOUNDING OF THE
z:ations. From 1923 to 1925, in the face CHINESE COMMUNIST
of a crisis for survival, Chinese commu PARTY, 1920-1927
nists for the first time began to refashion •••••••••
the CCP using Leninist organiz:ation con
HANS J. VAN DE VEN
cepts. However, van de Ven shows, it
was only between 1925 and 1927 that
the CCP became larger than life in the
eyes of its own membership, with a party Scholars have long held that the
culture based on Marxism-Leninism. Only Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
then had the CCP become a mass party, was a centraliz:ed, Leninist organi
active throughout southern China and in z:ation from its founding in 1 921.
all major urban centers. In a departure from that view,
While past scholarship has empha From Friend to Comrade
siz:ed the influence of the October Rev demonstrates how the CCP began
olution and Soviet communism on the as a group of study societies, only
CCP, van de Ven stresses the thinking gradually evolving into a mass
and actions of Chinese communists them Marxist-Leninist party by 1927.
selves, placing their struggle in the Using party documents of the
context of China's political history and 1920s that have only recently
highly complex society. become available, as well as the
writings of a wide range of Chinese
communists, Hans I. van de Ven
analyz:es the party's difficulty in
building a cohesive organiz:ation
firmly rooted in Chinese society.
Van de Ven identifies four
stages in the emergence of the
Hans I. van de Ven is Lecturer in Chinese
CCP. The first, of 1 920 and 1 921,
Studies at Cambridge University and
saw the formation of a range of
Fellow of St. Catharine's College,
Chinese communist organiz:ations.
Cambridge.
From Friend to Comrade
This volume is sponsored by the
Center for Chinese Studies,
University of California, Berkeley
Froin Friend
to Coinrade
The Founding of the Chinese
Communist Party, 1920-1927
HANS J. VAN DE VEN
University of California Press
BERKELEY LOS ANGELES OXFORD
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
Oxford, England
© 1991 by
The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
van de Ven, Hans ).
From friend to comrade : the founding of the Chinese
Communist Party, 1920-1927 I Hans). van de Ven.
p. cm.
Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph.D.-Harvard
University).
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 0-520-07271-5 (alk. paper)
1. Chung-kuo kung ch'an tang-History. 2. China-Politics
and government-1912-1928. I. Title.
JQ1519.A5V36 1991
324.251 '075'09- dc20 91-13571
CIP
Printed in the United States of America
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. §
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Romanization xi
INTRODUCTION 1
1. CHINESE COMMUNISTS AND CHINA'S POLITICAL CRISIS 9
2. THE FOUNDING OF COMMUNIST CELLS AND THE
FIRST CONGRESS 55
3. HESITANT BEGINNINGS, 1921-1925 99
4. THE CCP AS MASS PARTY: TAPPING THE POWER OF
THE MASSES 147
5. THE PARTY ARISES 199
6. CONCLUSION 240
Abbreviations 247
Notes 251
Selected Bibliography 319
Index 351
v

Illustrations
PHOTOGRAPHS (FOLLOWING PAGE 90)
1. Group photograph of New Citizen Study Society
members in Changsha 91
2. Group photograph of New Citizen Study Society
members in France 91
3. Group photograph of the Peking Marxism Research
Society 92
4. Group photograph of a consumer cooperative of Anyuan
railroad and mine workers 92
5. Demonstration in Shanghai during the May Thirtieth
movement 93
6. Demonstration in Shanghai during the May Thirtieth
movement 94
7. Group photograph of members of the Shanghai Executive
Branch of the KMT 95
8. An example of CCP propaganda 96
9. Haifeng peasant association certificate for rent reduction 97
10. Meeting place of the Fifth Congress 98
MAPS
1. Birthplaces of the CCP 60
2. Guangdong Province 166
3. Southern China 184
TABLE
1. Growth of CCP membership by region, October 1925-
April 1927 194
vii