VIth International Marx Congress, September 2010, Socialism Section, Liu Cheng
From Lenin to MAO Zedong: the Formation of multiparty Regime in Socialist Country
LIU Cheng
Professor of Yangzhou University
Abstract: Multiparty cooperation is the important struggling strategy and political regime for Marxism political parties, Marx and Engels always proposed that the proletarian parties should unite all non-proletarian parties in the revolutionary struggle to achieve the victory. But which kind of political party regimen should be carried out in the socialist countries is restricted by the practice, which has not been pre-assumed by Marx and Engels beforehand. In the practice after the October Revolution, Lenin inherited and developed the multiparty cooperation theory set up by Marx and Engels, initiatively advocated the multiparty cooperation political party regime in the socialist countries, put forward idea of sharing political power with other parties and cooperating with the other parties inside the Soviet and government on the basis of alliance of workers and peasants.Lenin illustrated the two conditions for multiparty cooperation. One is the principle that “the majority should master the political power” on the perspective of the relationship of the political party and the government power, which will make the power center on the Bolshevik to assure the Bolshevik’s leading status in the multiparty cooperation so as to guarantee the proletarian nature of the state power, for the Bolshevik is the biggest political party in the Soviet of all Russia. The other is that the minority party should admit and persist in the target of the transmission toward the socialism, which will ensure the socialist direction of the Soviet political power. This had been attempted in the practice. But due to various reasons, the political party regime of multiparty cooperation had not been formed in Russia. The CPC members with MAO Zedong as their representative, constructed new democratic state system and political system in China in theory according to the practice in Chinese revolution, that is to say, the state system of the coalition dictatorship of all revolutionary classes led by the proletariats and the state system of the People’s Congress. The political regime corresponded with the state system should belong to the theoretical system of political party regime of multiparty cooperation under the CPC’s leadership. In practice, on the basis of consultative democracy development, various methods should be adopted at every stage in Chinese revolution and the CPC should have sufficient cooperation with other parties. At last the institutional arrangement of multiparty cooperation, the CPPCC was established. In the long operation of this institution, good features for multiparty cooperation such as the nature of publicity of the consultative subject, the diversity nature of the consultative form, the extensiveness of the consultative content, the effectiveness of consultative democracy and the sufficiency nature of the consultative process have been made standout, which makes multiparty cooperation operate healthily in China to add new contents into Marxism democratic theory treasure-house.
Multiparty regime is the important struggling strategy and political regime for Marxism political parties’ revolution and construction. Marx and Engels insist all the time that the proletarian political parties should unite all the other non-proletarian parties in the revolutionary struggle to gain victory. But what kind of political regime should be carried out in socialist country is restricted by practice, which has not been pre-assumed by Marx and Engels. In the practice of leading the Russian revolution, Lenin inherits and develops the multiparty cooperation theory established by Marx and Engels. But due to various reasons, political regime of multiparty cooperation has not been formed in Russia. The CPC members,with MAO Zedong as their representative, have correctly solved and dealt with the relationship between the other political parties and the CPC itself, and have established the theory and regime of multiparty cooperation under the leading of the CPC, which has added new content into the treasure-house of Marxism theory.
1 Lenin is the initiator of political party regime of multiparty cooperation in socialist countries
1.1 the practice exploration for multiparty cooperation about Lenin
In the Soviet representative congress of all Russia on the day when October Revolution gained victory, the Bolshevik party with Lenin as its representative, did not stand the view of mastering the power solely on the issue of establishing socialist political party system, but assumed to share the power together with the other revolutionary parties to set up the Soviet United Government. Hence at the second conference, among 101 committee members, there were 62 for Bolshevik, 29 for the left wing Socialist Party, 6 for Menshevik, 3 for Ukraine socialist, 1 for Socialist Revolution Party Maximalists. On the last-ten days of November, the left wing of the Socialist Revolutionary Party entered the People’s Committee in succession, taking the office of legislation, agriculture, urban management, postal service，state-owned assets, local autonomy department to form the government agencies organized by Bolshevik and the left wing of the Socialist Revolution Party.
After October Revolution, the multiparty cooperation and the conjoint ruling in Soviet Russia have an important and far-reaching influence in the evolutionary history in the socialist political system, which is a kind of brave attempt and exploration for Lenin and the Bolshevik party to the socialist political party system. Though it did not last long, it is still the embodiment of political regime of Lenin’s socialist democratic thought.
1.2 the theory questing of multiparty cooperation about Lenin
In the period after October Revolution, Lenin quested in theory that the Bolshevik party and the other parties have the possibility and realization paths of cooperation not only inside the Soviet, but also inside the government.
1.2.1 Share the ruling power inside the Soviet and the government to realize multiparty cooperation.After the victory in October Revolution, the Bolshevik party with Lenin as its representative, did not stand the view of mastering the power solely on the issue of establishing socialist political party system,but assumed to share the power together with the other revolutionary parties to set up the Soviet United Government.This thought was reflected in the second conference and the organization process of state office and government agencies after that.
1.2.2 Insist on the basic principle of cooperation means the principle that the majority takes the ruling power in the Soviet representative conference. This principle has the implication that, in the highest authority elected by Soviet representative conference of all Russia, the Central Executive Committee of All Russia, the party which takes up the majority will be the one to organize the government. This will put the gravity center of the political power on the Bolshevik, which could assure the leading status of the Bolshevik in multiparty cooperation so that the proletarian character of the state power for the Bolshevik is the biggest party in the Soviet of all Russia.
1.2.3 Insist the right direction of cooperation to require the minority party acknowledging and persisting the objective of transmission to the socialism. This is to say, the minority should obey the majority honestly and earnestly, and carry out the creed sanctified by the second representative conference of all Russia to take stable and incremental steps toward the socialism. To insist on this could protect the socialist direction of the Soviet power.
1.2.4 The foundation of multiparty cooperation is the alliance of the workers and the peasants. Russia is a backward country with peasants as the majority. The proletarian dictatorship does not exclude multiparty cooperation. On the contrary, it permits the left wing of the Socialist Revolution Party to share the ruling power, and permits the two to unite.
1.3 the breakdown of the multiparty cooperation of the Soviet Russia
The left wing of the Socialist Revolution Party took the path of cooperating with the Bolshevik, but it was opposed to the proletarian dictatorship and had some bias with the Bolshevik on some fundamental problems in socialist construction, which was manifested by two problems. One is that the left wing of the Socialist Revolution Partyset itself firmly against assigning the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The second is the left wing of the Socialist Revolution Party was against the measures of the Soviet power about the single-head system and job discipline reinforcing in the enterprises and the railway. The principle divergence on policies and inharmoniousness made the two parties each going their own ways. Multiparty cooperation broke down.
The reason for the failure of multiparty cooperation lied in the right wing of the Socialist Revolution Party，the Menshevik, and the left wing of the Socialist Revolution Party had the wrong route and theory which violated the developing rule for Russian development. If the Bolshevik party could have more endurance and instruction in the course of their cooperation, especially adjusting in time on the left policy toward peasants’ issue, the cooperation might last longer. Furthermore, the upright tendency of party members inside accelerated the breakdown of the cooperation.
2 The leadership of MAO Zedong established China’s political regime of multiparty cooperation
In September of 1949, under the CPC’s leadership, Common Program of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference adopted, which is the temporary charter for People’s Republic of China. Common Program regulates that New China is a country led by the working class with the joint dictatorship of workers, peasants, petty bourgeoisie, and national bourgeoisie. A lot of democratic party members take the leading post in the central government office and local people’s government. The reason why the multiparty cooperation under the leadership of CPC can be formulated lies in two decisive factors: one is the CPC’s correct design for state political system with MAO Zedong as its representative; the other is that multiparty cooperation have the developing base of consultative democracy.
2.1 On New Democracy written by MAO Zedong constructed the political system and state system of new democratic China from the macroscopic view, and immanently regulated the political regime for New China.
In 1940, MAO Zedong wrote his famous work On New Democracy, which symbolized the maturity of CPC’s new democracy theory. In this book, he established the state system and political system for the new democratic China, that is, the state system of the joint dictatorship led by the proletarian class and the People’s Congress System, while the political party regime corresponded with the state system is the multiparty cooperation led by the CPC. He put forward the three-thirds system. In his article On Coalition Government, MAO again illustrated the mutual relationship between the new democratic state political power and the new democratic political regime. He pointed out that the proposition of the CPC is to establish a state institution of democratic alliance with the foundation of the majority people of the whole country led by the working class with united front. Meanwhile he indicated that there is big difference between the new democratic state political power and the political party regime and those in the Soviet Union, which shows distinct Chinese characteristics as the great creation of the CPC.
2.2 MAO Zedong’s practice exploration of multiparty cooperation and the formulation od China’s consultative democracy tradition
The cooperation between the CPC and the other parties is based on the consultative democracy development. Political consultation in multiparty cooperation is the initiative and main form of the consultative democracy. The consultative democracy in multiparty cooperation refers to a kind of democratic form under the leadership of the CPC on the context of China with the instruction of the CPC’s democracy theory and united front theory that the CPC fully consult with all democratic parties on national and local political, economic, cultural, and social life problems and finally achieve common recognition. This theory is the theoretical basis for China’s multiparty cooperation political party regime.
2.2.1political consultation: the important form for the CPC leaders to strive for democracy
The First Round of KMT-CPC Cooperation wan the initiative practicing attempt for the CPC and the KMT to solve the state affairs in the form of political consultation. The political proposition of the CPC to struggle against imperialism and feudalism was accepted by the KMT led by SUN Yatsen by the way of consultation, which re-interpreted the Three Principles of the People put forward by Dr. Sun Yat-sen so that it became the political foundation for the CPC-KMT cooperation.
During the Second Round of the CPC-KMT Cooperation, the CPC was the joint party of all classes which was united closely to fight against the Japanese invaders with the National Political Council as the forum, which insisted on legal struggle in the way of political consultation with the KMT. And it fought firmly against WANG Jingwei’s surrendering and traitor actions and the reactionary anti-Communist trend of the KMT. In January of 1946, the political consultative conference was held, which was a great creation in Chinese political history and the product of the common struggle of the CPC to unite people from all classes. It manifested that the time for KMT’s dictator dream on the state affairs came to an end, while Chinese affairs should be dealt with by the common consultation with all classes and all political parties. Later, Chiang Kai-shek tore the political consultative treaty into pieces, outrageously start the civil war against the democratic trend with utterly losing their reputation at last.
2.2.2 political consultation: the important form of democracy in the CPC’s partial ruling period
In the Anti-Japanese War period, the CPC concluded the historical experience in the Chinese democratic construction that the political consultative principle should be carried out in the base area first to discuss with political parties from all classes the state affairs, whose output is the Three-Thirds System.
The essence of the Three-Thirds System is democracy which means that all those classes and political parties willing to participate in anti-Japanese activities could have the right and chance to take part in the discussion of state affairs, that the CPC would not run the whole show of state affairs, but discuss state affairs with all other classes and political parties. ZHOU Enlai deeply concluded the characteristics of the Three-thirds Principle: “One characteristic is that the CPC would not always take the majority in the number，but to struggle for the cooperation with other democratic personages. Any big party should not overwhelm others in the number, but should admit all and win victory with its propositions. The other characteristics is to consult with all, make agreements with all and achieve common programs as their administrative policy.”In short, it is the cooperation on state affairs and political consultation. The Three-Thirds Principle became the basic code in the Chinese democratic politics construction later.
2.3 the formulation of multiparty political regime after the foundation of New China
It is the distinct characteristic of the political regime of Chinese people’s democratic dictatorship to prepare to build New China in the way of political consultation. On April 30 of 1949, the release of the CPC’s “May 1st” signal showed the sincerity that the CPC was willing to consult state affairs with democratic parties, all democratic classes, non-party members to build New China. All democratic parties warmly responded to “May 1st” signal, showing their earnest expectation for building New China in the way of consultation.
On October 1st of 1949, the People’s Republic of China was founded, which is “the democratic coalition government under the leadership of the CPC with the participants of appropriate representatives from all democratic parties and all people’s groups.”From the perspective of class relationship, it is the alliance with the working class as its leader. From the perspective of party relationship, it is the multiparty cooperation regime with the CPC as its leader. The relationship between the CPC and all democratic parties is not the relationship between the ruling party and the opposition party, but the relationship between the ruling party and the participating parties.
In multiparty cooperation, the CPC, as the ruling party and leading party, stressed the democratic parties’ function in administering state affairs. The central government committee was made up with 56 members, among which there were 26democratic party members and non-party members, taking up 46.4%. Among the chairmen and the vice chairmen, there were 3 democratic party members and nonparty members, taking up 50%. In the Government Administration Council established in the October of 1949, 2 in 4 deputy premiers were democratic members and nonparty members, taking up 50%. In the committee of politics and law, finance and economics, culture and education, people’s supervision in the Government Administration Council, democratic party members and nonparty members took 2 office posts as the director, taking up 50%. Among the 4 committee deputy director-post with 12 members, 5 was democratic party members, taking up 41.6%. Among the 42 posts as minister grade, 18 belonged to democratic members and nonparty members, taking up 40.5%. This is the good beginning for multiparty cooperation after the foundation of New China.