Spreading And Creative Use Of Historical Materialism In China (1919-1949)

Based on historical data, classical works and explanatory texts of materialism, this thesis explores the historical materialism, the deep reasons and the particular process of its spreading in China. From an overall point of view, it studies the Chinese interpretation, the main features and the creative use in Chinese revolution and in the academic fields. By combining ism with academy, it also restores the winding process and the great influence of the spreading of historical materialistic conception in China. Finally, this thesis also summarizes experiences and lessons of both positive and negative, by which we can more correctly grasp essence, persist in, carry out and develop historical materialistic conception. Only by so doing, can we push ahead modern Chinese Marxism and the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics.To study the spreading and creative use of historical materialism in China, one should first make clear what on earth historical materialism is, for it is the main criteria to evaluate its spreading, its interpretation and its use in China. Generally, one thinks that historical materialism is a science which reveals the general principles of human development. However, current academic fields see great differences in what are the general principles of human development. This directly affects people's understanding of what historical materialism is. According to Marx and Angels'classical works in the era of its formation and maturation, historical materialism was a science about the real men and its development. Historical materialism is a complete system of scientific theories which contain inherent logical categories. Its main line is real men and men's development. Starting from men's material productive process, it maintains that social existence dominates social consciousness, believing that the main manifestation of society is the movement of contradiction between social productivity and social relationships, economic basis and the superstructure. Class struggle and social revolution is the only way to realize the transformation of productive relationships and superstructure, to set productivity and finally the whole human being. The ultimate stimulus of social development is human's material activity and practical capacity, which pushes social economic form ahead from lower level to higher, till to communistic society in which human's freedom will be completely developed. Historical materialism reveals the general process and human development both materialistically and dialectically.That historical materialism spread in China widely, first of all, is due to its particularity, that is its practicability, scientificity, criticalness and openness. Such particularity made it possible to flame theoretically in world's academic development and proletariate revolution against the capitalist class, and spread all over the world. The realization of a theory in a country depends on how much the country needs the theory. Ever since the modern times, China saw great national crisis, countryside crisis, belief crisis, and failures in material revolution, systematic revolution and cultural revolution, which reflects western capitalistic thoughts and culture can not save China. It also revealed that China urgently needed to guided with new theories in order to undermine the imperialistic and feudalistic domination and to achieve national, proletariate, and human liberation. With the guidance of historical materialism, Russia succeeded in October Revolution, which helped Chinese advanced intellectuals realized the direction and way of social revolution. Historical materialism, which is from the west but is against the west in turn, not only solved the contradictory thoughts of Chinese advanced intellectuals, but also adapted to their social and cultural psychology and their needs for social revolution theory for its fixed rational features. The integrated effects of both internal and external factors made it to be realized in China.The spreading of historical materialism in China is a complicated and winding process. Currently, academic fields divide the process either according to some important Chinese political events or according to some issues related closely to its development, and study them respectively. However, the problem is the spreading of historical materialism in China is the result of some integrated elements, so the study of only some important political events or issues related is no sufficient to reveal the complexity and development in China. Chronologically, to take into consideration the depth of spreading in China, Chinese intellectuals'understanding of the denotation, connotation and the maturity of the spreading subjects, the spreading process can be divided into 3 stages: wide spreading period (1919-1923), the deep spreading and the rudimentary use period (1924-1935) ,systematic and creative use period (1936-1949). Combined with the analysis on spreading media, way and contents, and at the same time, with the summary on the whole, this thesis believes that it can better reflect the particularity, complexity and development of the process.In this process, Chinese advanced intellectuals'interpretation of the connotation and denotation of historical materialism further reflects the particularity, complexity and development of the process. In the first period, they interpreted it as economic history conception, with a winding process of interpreting the relationship between historical materialism, historical materialism and class struggle. While in the second period, materialist dialectics came to be a scientific methodology and be accepted by Chinese intellectuals, thus its dialectic feature came to flame. In the third period, epistemological value , that is, its value to change the world came to spark. Through such interpretation, Chinese intellectuals ultimately found the new subjects of social history, new angle to inspect history, new ways to innovate society and thus dialectical way of analyzing problems. To summarize such a process, one can find out its distinctive features: scientificity, empiricality, subject-oriented, and historical limitedness. Although Chinese intellectuals shows some limitedness in the interpretation for certain reasons as texts, the social historical situation, and the subject's quality, yet one point should be sure, that is, their interpretations agreed with the main position, viewpoints and methods of historical materialism, grasping the essence and nature of historical materialism.The purpose of Chinese intellectual's interpretations is to innovate Chinese society, to realize national liberation, class liberation and human liberation. To achieve such a purpose, they, esp. Chinese communists, combined it with Chinese revolutionary practice and academic study and use it creatively. On the one hand, revolving the questions out of social practice like what revolution is, for what we revolute, how we revolute, what is the purpose of revolution, what guarantee the revolution,etc, Chinese communists put the basic theory into Chinese revolution practice, and gave answers, eg. The purpose of revolution is to realize national liberation, to realize people's domination, and to achieve people's economic happiness. With the method of class analysis, they analyzed Chinese classes, through which they clarified the enemy from friends and finally found out the way to innovate Chinese society and founded the China-featured revolution road. With the method of economic analysis, they inspect China by putting it into the world history development. In revolutionary practice, they located Chinese social nature correctly and made clear Chinese revolutionary purpose and stages and finally founded the theory of new democracy. With the guidance of the theory, China ultimately achieved the victory of new democracy and the final goal of national liberation and class liberation. In the process of founding the theory of new democracy, the thought route of"seek truth from facts"played an essential role of guidance. On the other hand, the creative use of historical materialism is also reflected in the rise of Marxism study in academic fields, for example, the combination of historical materialism with history and sociology, and thus forming Chinese Marxism-history and Marxism-sociology.The purpose of the overall study on the winding process of spreading, interpretation and use is to try to find the great role it plays in Chinese social development and men's development, so that we can better maintain and develop historical materialism in practice. From the study, one may find: whether historical materialism can be combined with Chinese reality is the key to whether we can exert its effect on practice. When not combined successfully, we may often make mistakes like"extreme right"or"extreme left". When combined successfully, our revolution will follow the correct way. Therefore, keeping combining historical materialism with Chinese reality is the key to spread and use it. The primary essence to spread and use historical materialism is to grasp the times direction; the cornerstone is to be genuine and realistic; the essential requirement is theoretical creation; and stimulus is thought conflict. In current construction of Chinese socialism, the national and international situations are complex, so we have to hold on Marxism, and promote theoretical creation. We have to hold on the basis of Marxism—historical materialism—to make Marxism more Chinese and commonplace. Only guided by historical materialism, can we build a study-featured party, and improve our administration power and level. Implement historical materialism in practice, hold on people-oriented policy, pay attention to people'livelihood, and we will realize the all-sided, harmonious and sustainable development of both men and nature.