It is common knowledge that the
Communist Party of China won national power through a long
revolutionary period. Outstanding China expert in the US,Kenneth
Lieberthal,pointed out:“The CCP''s path to power was characterized
by uncertainty,experi— mentation,disappointment and tenacity…it
became softly rooted in some of the poorest regions of this
third—world country....Six basic strategies were adopted seriatim
in this complex, wide—ranging struggle to achieve national
power—Labor Mobilization1 921—23,United Front with the GMD1
924—27, Adapting to the Countryside1 929—34,S~ategic Retreat:The
Long March1934—35,The Yan’an Era1935—47,Fighting a Civil
War1947—49….The Yan’an era had a profound effect on the Chinese
Communist party and its fortunes.’”The summary by Mr. Lieberthal is
concise and appropriate. In the early years after the founding of
the Communist Party of China,it adopted a clear direction——leading
the Chinese people to “overthrow the imperialist oppression,and
achieve complete indepen—dence for the Chinese nation,’’“eliminate
civil strife,overthrow warlords and establish domestic peace.’
’During the Yan’an period,when it faced Japanese aggression and the
fate of the nation was at stake,it boldly pressed its program for
the liberation of the Chinese nation.In July 1 937 when the Lugou
Bridge Incident。occurred,the Communist Party of China immediately
published an open telegram tO the nation appeal —ing,“Peiping and
Tianjin in imminent danger!North China in imminent danger!The
Chinese nation in imminent danger!Only the war of resis—tance
against Japanese aggression by the whole nation offers a way
out.”Putting national interests first and galvanizing mass
resistance against Japanese aggression were strategies that formed
a sharp contrast with the actions of the Kuomintang and Chiang
Kai—shek,who compromised China externally and oppressed the people
internally in this early period·Samuel Huntington pointed out that
the Communist Party“mobilized the peasants into politics under
their auspices on behalf of both nation—alism and revolution.”
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