The Communist Party Of China's Early Exploration On Party-Army Relations

The army-building principle of maintaining the Party's absolute leadership overthe army was formed during the development of the Fourth Army of the Red Armybuilt by Mao Zedong and Zhu De. The establishment of scientific and rationalrelationship between the Party and the army was not only important for thedevelopment of the Fourth Army, but also served as the building model of thepeople's army under the Party's leadership. The Party's absolute leadership over thearmy is a major factor leading to the success of China's revolutionary war. However,the principle did not enjoy a smooth establishment.In April of 1928, the armies led by Mao Zedong and Zhu De met and joinedforces and established the Fourth Army of the Red Army and founded FrontCommittee and Military Committee, with Mao Zedong and Zhu De as the secretaryrespectively. Due to the obstructions set by the Kuomintang, the Fourth Army sufferedfrom a severe environment and many setbacks. Out of the needs of marches andbattles, the Front Committee abolished the Military Committee. An interim militarycommittee was restored later owing to the expansion of their bases and numerousaffairs. This decision, aiming at the smooth development of the Fourth Army,unexpectedly aroused a dispute between Mao Zedong and Zhu De over the relationsbetween the Party and army. The dispute originated in Hulei Town of YongdingCounty, was developed in Baisha Meeting and the Fourth Army's seventh congressand not resolved until Gutian Meeting. During this period, because of Liu Angong andLinbiao, misgivings and contradictions between Mao and Zhu once became more andmore serious.The cause of this dispute was the relations and cooperation between the FourthArmy's Front Committee and Military Committee and the focus was theestablishment of the Military Committee. Mao Zedong and Zhu De both put forwardcorrect opinions and upheld the Party's absolute leadership over the army. Theirlong-time dispute focused on the role of the party: should it lead everything ormanage everything. Although the debate ended in the Fourth Army's seventh congress,their contradictions were not completely eliminated. Later, Chen Yi went to Shanghaiand reported the development of the Fourth Army to the Party's Central Committeeand truthfully described the dispute within the party. Under the guidance of"Letterfrom the Central Committee in September"drafted by Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong and Zhu De let go of their misgivings. They appropriately handled the relations betweenthe Party and army, resolved the problem of obscure rights and responsibilities of theParty in leading the army and basically built a new party-army relationship in accordwith China's revolutionary realities.