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On June 19, 1945, the First Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China elected Mao Zedong as Chairman of the Central Committee, Chairman of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, and Chairman of the Central Secretariat , Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai and Ren Bishi were the secretaries of the Central Secretariat, known in history as the "Five Major Secretarys". With this as a symbol, the first generation of the central leadership group of the Communist Party of China with Mao Zedong as the core was officially formed. The formation of this leadership collective has gone through a arduous and complex process and is an important milestone for the Chinese Communist Party to mature.
The Fifth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee was first established as the Central Secretariat
In January 1934, the Fifth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Ruijin, Central Soviet District, and the Political Bureau of the Central Committee was re-elected. The plenary session elected the first Central Secretariat in the history of the Communist Party of China (actually the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee), and recommended that Bo Gu be presided over the work and be responsible for the overall responsibility. There are many versions of the secretariat secretary members selected by the plenary session. According to the information introduction of the "Dictionary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China" (edited by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Party History Research Office of the CPC Central Committee, the 2004 edition of the CPC Party History Press), seven people include Qin Bangxian (Bo Gu), Zhang Wentian (Luo Fu), Zhou Enlai, Xiang Ying, Chen Shaoyu (Wang Ming, in the Soviet Union), Zhang Guotao (in the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Area), and Chen Yun.
The Secretariat established by the Fifth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has the powers equivalent to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee formed by the Fifth and Sixth National Congresses of the Communist Party of China. At that time, the Secretariat of the Central Committee and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee were usually mixed, and its members were sometimes called secretaries and sometimes called standing committee members. For example, the Zunyi Conference elected Mao Zedong as a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, namely the Secretary of the Central Secretariat. It is generally believed that the Secretariat of the Central Committee at that time was actually the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee.
On June 16, 1936, a delegation from the Central Secretariat in northern Shaanxi called the Communist International delegation to the Communist International, saying that "the current centralized organization is concentrated, the Politburo: Luofu, Enlai, Bogu, Zedong, Deng Fa, Kaifeng, Jiaxiang, Zhongzhou (Zhang Hao, Lin Yuying), Dehuai. Standing Committee members: Luofu (Secretary), Enlai, Bogu, and Zedong." At this time, among the members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee (Secretary of the Secretariat), Chen Yun was sent to the Soviet Union during the Long March. Wang Ming was already in the Soviet Union. Zhang Guotao followed the Red Fourth Front Army during the Long March, and Xiang Ying stayed in the Central Soviet Area.
In early December of the same year, Zhang Guotao, Zhu De, Ren Bishi and others arrived at the security guard and met with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Since then, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (Secretary of the Secretariat) in Yan'an included Zhang Wentian, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhang Guotao and Bo Gu, and Zhang Wentian was in charge of the work of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau.
The Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee clarified the nature and status of the Central Secretariat
In November 1937, Wang Ming, representatives of the Communist International to the Communist International, Kang Sheng, and Chen Yun, representatives of the Communist International, arrived in Yan'an by plane.
After Wang Ming returned to China, most of the members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee from all over the country had gathered in Yan'an. In order to listen to the instructions of the Communist International and summarize the work of the Party, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a Politburo meeting (i.e. the "December Meeting") from December 9 to 14. At this meeting, due to the boycott of Mao Zedong and others, Wang Ming's wrong opinions did not form a meeting resolution.
At the December meeting, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee decided to establish the Preparatory Committee of the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China, with 25 members, Mao Zedong as chairman and Wang Ming as secretary. The Secretariat consists of five people: Zhang Wentian, Mao Zedong, Wang Ming, Kang Sheng and Chen Yun. The meeting reiterated that the Central Standing Committee members were composed of Zhang Wentian, Mao Zedong, Wang Ming, Kang Sheng, Chen Yun, Zhou Enlai, Zhang Guotao, Bo Gu and Xiang Ying. It was also decided to add Wang Ming, Kang Sheng and Chen Yun as secretary of the Central Secretariat. At this time, there were many statements from the members of the Central Secretariat, and most of them believed that the Secretariat was composed of five people: Zhang Wentian, Mao Zedong, Wang Ming, Kang Sheng and Chen Yun. However, some experts also found that the secretary of the Central Secretariat at the "December Meeting" also included Zhou Enlai and Bo Gu.
This meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee was re-established in accordance with the provisions of the Party Constitution of the Sixth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee was established as the leading body for "period work" during the recess of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee. But at the same time, there is the Central Secretariat under the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, and all the members are members of the Central Standing Committee. The meeting agreed that the central government should implement collective leadership.On April 1, 938, Zhang Wentian published the Zhang Wentian (Luofu) Notice in the Xinhua Daily, which also explained this point. The Notice stated that "the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has a secretariat organized by several comrades, but there is no so-called General Secretary." At the same time, there is also a division of labor within the Secretariat. Taking the division of labor made by the Secretariat of the Central Committee on daily telegrams at that time as an example, it was clarified that "the Party's exchanges with Luo (Fu), the army's exchanges with Mao, the United Front exchanges with Wang (Ming), and the king's exchanges with Luo when he went out."
At this time, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China regarded the Central Secretariat and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee as "two signs of a set of people", and they are often used in the name. Since then, there has been both the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and the Secretariat of the Central Committee, with institutions coexisting and personnel overlapping. However, this two-in-one organization is still "different from inside and outside" in form. From the revised "Zhang Wentian Biography (Part 1)" (2010 edition of the Communist Party of China History Press): The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee holds meetings and decisions, and is mostly published to the outside world in the name of the Central Secretariat. This situation of mixed titles by the Secretariat and Standing Committee continued until November 1938, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
In August 1938, Wang Jiaxiang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, returned to Yan'an from the Soviet Union to participate in the work of the Central Secretariat. At the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee in September, Wang Jiaxiang conveyed the instructions made by the leaders of the Communist International that "the leadership organs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China should be headed by Mao Zedong" by the leaders of the Communist International, and the power that Wang Ming had was significantly weakened. From September 29 to November 6, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Yan'an. The plenary session made the "Decision on the Work Rules and Discipline of the Central Committee", which became the first resolution in the history of the Party that clearly stipulates the nature, tasks, powers, disciplines, etc. of the Central Committee, the Central Political Bureau and the Central Secretariat.
This "Decision" is the working rules and discipline requirements of the Central Committee, especially the Politburo and the Secretariat, formulated after the Organization Law of the Central Executive Committee of the Three National Congresses of the Communist Party of China. The content is relatively clear and specific, and many regulations have been used later. The "Decision" proposes to replace the "Standalone Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee" stipulated in the Party Constitution of the Sixth National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The main provisions on the "Central Secretariat" include: (1) "The task of the Central Secretariat is to handle the daily work of the organizational and execution nature of the Central Committee, and to convene meetings of the Politburo, prepare issues that must be discussed at the Politburo meetings, and make a work report to the Politburo."
(2) "The Central Secretariat must fully implement the resolutions of the Politburo, but when a new major emergency occurs before and after the Politburo meeting, the Central Secretariat must make new decisions and publish declarations, resolutions and telegrams in the name of the Central Committee, but it must be submitted to the Politburo meeting for approval and ratification afterwards."
(3) "The Secretariat must hold a meeting at least once a week to collectively solve the daily work of the central government and handle the problems of each party committee. When the Secretariat meets, all members of the Politburo of the Central Government shall attend."
(4) "The work of the central departments and central bureaus led by the members of the secretaries and the political bureaus must be frequently reported to the Secretariat. The handling and replies of important issues of the central departments and the appointment or dispatch of important personnel of each department must be approved by the Secretariat."
1938 In 1998, members of the presidium of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China took a group photo
Five secretaries of the Central Secretariat at the time of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China were held: Zhang Wentian, Mao Zedong, Wang Ming, Kang Sheng, and Chen Yun. After the meeting, Wang Jiaxiang continued to participate in the work of the Central Secretariat. During the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee, Zhang Wentian sincerely proposed to Mao Zedong that Comrade Mao Zedong should be elected as General Secretary of the Central Committee. But after comprehensive consideration at that time, Mao Zedong did not advocate raising this issue. After the meeting, Zhang Wentian began to "take the initiative to give in" and gradually handed over the work to Mao Zedong. The meeting place of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee was moved from the cave where he lived to Mao Zedong's residence in Yangjialing. After the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee, Zhang Wentian mainly engaged in the Party's propaganda and education work. At that time, some central meetings were still chaired by Zhang Wentian. However, Mao Zedong ranked first in the ranking of documents and telegrams issued by the central government. It can be said that at this time the main leadership work of the Party Central Committee had actually been transferred to Mao Zedong's side.
On May 30, 1940, Wang Ming delivered a speech on "Learning from Mao Zedong" at the opening ceremony of the "Zedong Youth Cadre School" in Yan'an, praising Mao Zedong as "the core of the unity of the whole party" and "a recognized leader." Although Zhang Wentian was still the top leader in the form of the CPC Central Committee at that time, Mao Zedong had become the core of leadership of the whole party that even Wang Ming had to admit.
Working meeting of the Central Secretariat and Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi and Ren Bishi formed the Central Secretariat in March 1940, Ren Bishi, a member of the Central Political Bureau, returned to Yan'an from the Soviet Union, began to participate in the work of the Central Secretariat, and was responsible for preparing for the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China. In August 1941, in order to adapt to the increasingly heavy tasks of the leadership body of the Party Central Committee and to enhance the effectiveness of the work of the Party Central Committee, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee decided to adjust the decision-making system of the high-level party within the Party based on the proposals of Ren Bishi and others. The main arrangements related to the Secretariat include:
0 First, establish a work meeting of the Secretariat and expand the working members of the Secretariat. The Secretariat Working Meeting was formed by seven members of the Politburo, Mao Zedong, Ren Bishi, Wang Jiaxiang, Wang Ming, Zhang Wentian, Chen Yun and Kaifeng, who lived in Yangjialing, Yan'an. Among them, Mao Zedong, Ren Bishi and Wang Jiaxiang are the members who must be admitted, while the other four can be admitted at the meeting at the same time. The work meeting of the Central Secretariat is actually responsible for the daily work of the Central Committee.
The second is to decide that Ren Bishi will serve as Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee, and the agenda of the Secretariat and the Politburo will be proposed by the Secretary-General. The work meeting of the Central Secretariat is tentatively scheduled to be held twice a week and is responsible to the Political Bureau of the Central Committee. The host is Mao Zedong. Since then, the Secretariat Working Conference replaced the functions of the Secretariat Meeting in the decision-making system of the CPC Central Committee. Mao Zedong, Ren Bishi and Wang Jiaxiang are the members of the Secretariat's work meeting, and their roles are more important. As the host, Mao Zedong naturally has a more prominent position.
From September 10 to October 22, 1941, the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee was held in Yan'an. Some comrades who made mistakes in the past due to Wang Ming's "left" adventures have criticized themselves. At the meeting, Zhang Wentian made a serious review of his mistakes in the late Soviet movement. Soon, with the approval of the central government, he left his central job and led a Yan'an rural work investigation team to Suide, northern Shaanxi and northwest Shanxi for inspection. It continued until March 1943 before returning to Yan'an. Wang Ming refused to review his mistakes at the meeting and suddenly claimed that he was sick during the meeting. After that, he absent from the meetings of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and the Secretariat for a long time.
In the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japan, although Wang Ming's mistakes were resisted and corrected to a certain extent, members of the leadership of the Communist Party of China have not made adjustments, and some leaders who have made serious mistakes are still in leadership positions. At the same time, Liu Shaoqi, who has served as an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee for a long time, has been fully recognized by Mao Zedong and many comrades in the Party.
At the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee in September 1941, Mao Zedong commented that Liu Shaoqi was the representative of the correct route in the white area. Chen Yun, Ren Bishi, Wang Jiaxiang and others believed that Liu Shaoqi and Mao Zedong "are representatives of the correct route in the later period of the Soviet movement and should be given important leadership responsibilities." At that time, Liu Shaoqi was not in Yan'an. In November 1938, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made the strategic deployment of "consolidating North China and developing Central China". At the beginning of the following year, Liu Shaoqi went to Central China to work. In the following three years, he served as Secretary of the Central Plains Bureau, Secretary of the Central China Bureau, and Political Commissar of the New Fourth Army, making significant contributions to the development and growth of the Central China Anti-Japanese Base Area and the New Fourth Army.
In March 1942, Liu Shaoqi left central China according to the instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and returned to Yan'an for 9 months, which was called the "Little Long March". Mao Zedong attached great importance to Liu Shaoqi's return to Yan'an. On his way back to Yan'an, he called for his whereabouts more than ten times, and informed the heads of the base areas along the way to pay attention to the protection and ensure Liu Shaoqi's safety. On December 30, 1942, Liu Shaoqi arrived in Yan'an.
On March 20, 1943, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee passed the "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Adjustment and Simplification of Central Institutions", and decided to adjust and streamline the central institutions, and further clarified the division of labor between the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and the Secretariat.The "Decision" clearly states that the Political Bureau of the Central Committee is responsible for leading the entire Party's work between the two Central Plenary Sessions and has the right to decide all major issues; all major ideological, political, military, policy and organizational issues must be discussed and approved at the Political Bureau meeting. The Secretariat of the Central Committee is an office that handles daily work in accordance with the principles decided by the Politburo, obeys the Politburo in organization, is responsible for organizing the implementation of the Politburo resolutions and checking its implementation, but has the right to deal with and decide on all issues of daily nature under the Politburo policy.
At the same time, the Central Political Bureau meeting also made important personnel arrangements and elected Mao Zedong as Chairman of the Central Political Bureau. It was decided that the Central Secretariat consisted of Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi and Ren Bishi, and the chairman was Mao Zedong. Under the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and the Secretariat, a propaganda committee and an organization committee were established, with Mao Zedong as secretary of the propaganda committee and Liu Shaoqi as secretary of the organization committee. The Secretariat manages the work of various central departments directly or through them. Each region will report work directly to the Secretariat. The Secretariat meeting is not fixed and is convened by the Chairman at any time. The Chairman has the "final decision-making power" for the issues discussed in the meeting.
In this way, Mao Zedong became the first leader of the leadership of the Communist Party of China in terms of organizational form. At the same time, Liu Shaoqi and Ren Bishi entered the core level of the first generation of the central leadership collective for the first time. Among them, Liu Shaoqi entered the core leadership of the Party Central Committee and was added to the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, thus laying the foundation for him as the second-in-commander of the first generation of the Party’s leadership collective.
Moreover, from March 1943 to June 1945, Liu Shaoqi served as the secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee as an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee (actually equivalent to a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee). He was the only member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee from the establishment of the Secretariat in January 1934 to the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China. With this organizational adjustment as a sign, Zhang Wentian and Wang Ming, who were once the chief executive of the Central Committee, officially left the Central Secretariat.
This adjustment and streamlining officially established Mao Zedong's core leadership position from an organizational perspective. While standardizing and strengthening the leadership of the work of the entire Party, the status and functions of the Central Secretariat were also clarified and strengthened, realizing the unified leadership of the Central Political Bureau and the Secretariat over the work of the entire Party and enhancing the leadership effectiveness of the Central Secretariat.
The formation of the pattern of the five major secretaries of the Communist Party of China
From May 21, 1944 to April 20, 1945, the Seventh Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Yan'an. The Seventh Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee was held on the basis of the whole party’s rectification movement. Through this meeting, the whole party has achieved a high ideological and political unity based on the correct line represented by Mao Zedong. The "Resolution on Several Historical Issues" and other documents passed by the meeting made sufficient preparations for the convening of the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
On May 21, the first session of the Seventh Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China passed the proposal of the Central Secretariat, electing five people to form the presidium, with Mao Zedong as the chairman of the presidium. During the plenary session, the presidium was responsible for handling the daily work of the Central Committee and the preparations for the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The former Secretariat of the Central Committee and the Politburo stopped performing their powers.
This is a more significant and profound organizational change than the adjustment of institutions such as the Central Secretariat a year ago. In essence, it is a replacement of old and new central institutions. On the one hand, the Presidium of the Seventh Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee is to preside over the preparation of the temporary organization of the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and on the other hand, it is the highest decision-making body that leads the comprehensive work of the Party. Since the 7th Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee lasted for 11 months and lasted until the eve of the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China, this working method naturally formed a new leadership pattern. During this period, the five-member presidium, as the new leadership group of the central government, worked together and successfully completed the preparations for the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The five-member presidium can also be said to have formed the prototype of the "five major secretaries".
7 conference venue
1945 from April 23 to June 11, 1945, the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Yan'an. The Party Constitution passed by the meeting abolished the establishment of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and replaced it with the Secretariat of the Central Committee. The method, status and functions of the Central Secretariat were first clarified from the Party Constitution. The Party Constitution stipulates that "the plenary session of the Central Committee elects the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and the Secretariat of the Central Committee, and elects one person to the Chairman of the Central Committee.The Political Bureau of the Central Committee was the Central Committee of the Party’s central guiding organs during the two plenary sessions of the Central Committee and guided all the work of the Party. The Secretariat of the Central Committee handles the daily work of the Central Committee under the resolution of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee. The Chairman of the Central Committee is the Chairman of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and the Chairman of the Secretariat of the Central Committee.
At the subsequent First Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee, 13 members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee were elected, namely Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Ren Bishi, Chen Yun, Kang Sheng, Gao Gang, Peng Zhen, Dong Biwu, Lin Boqu, Zhang Wentian, and Peng Dehuai. The meeting also elected Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai and Ren Bishi as the secretaries of the Secretariat of the Central Committee. These five people are in the history of the Communist Party of China. It is known as the "Five Major Secretarys". This meeting also elected Mao Zedong as the Chairman of the Central Committee, the Chairman of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, and the Chairman of the Central Secretariat. At this point, the central leadership group headed by Mao Zedong was officially formed. The "Five Major Secretarys" played their respective strengths, both personal division of labor and close cooperation, forming a mature, united and powerful central leadership group.
After the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Central Secretariat actually played the role of the highest leadership and decision-making body of the central government, This situation continued until the Eighth Congress of the Communist Party of China. During the War of Liberation, the Secretariat of the Central Committee led by Mao Zedong to lead the whole party to win the victory of the New Democratic Revolution. After the founding of New China, it continued to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups in the country and successfully completed all work and tasks during the recovery period of the national economy and the socialist transformation period.
In the early days of the founding of New China, the Secretariat of the Central Committee carried out some personnel replacement and supplementation. Ren Bishi had been recuperating due to illness since April 1949, and later went to the Soviet Union to treat his illness. In June 1950, the Third Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China approved Chen Yun as the acting secretary of the Central Committee. In October of the same year, after Ren Bishi's death, Chen Yun was officially relegated to the Secretary of the Central Committee Secretariat. The highest level of the Communist Party of China still maintained the pattern of "five major secretaries". During this period, Peng Zhen was the alternate secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee, Gao Gang, Deng Xiaoping, Bo Yibo and others who have been transferred to the central government have participated in the work of the Central Secretariat.
As the ruling party that has seized national power, the work of the Central Secretariat is extremely heavy. In order to adapt to the daily work needs of the Central Committee under the new situation, on April 27, 1954, the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee decided to establish the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General to establish the Secretary-General meeting system. The meeting appointed Deng Xiaoping as the Secretary-General Secretary-General, Li Fuchun, Yang Shangkun, Tan Zhenlin, Ma Mingfang, Song Renqiong, Liu Lantao, Lin Feng, Li Xuefeng, Hu Qiaomu and others as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Central Committee, and formed the Secretary-General's Work Conference to handle daily work on behalf of the Central Committee to reduce the work burden of the Central Secretariat.
September 1956, The Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China made major adjustments to the Party’s organization and leadership system. The most important change is to re-establish the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee instead of the original Central Secretariat, which can also be said to change the former Central Secretariat to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Secretariat. The original secretaries of the Central Secretariat became members of the new Central Secretariat.
Among them, Mao Zedong was the chairman of the Central Committee, and Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and Chen Yun were the vice chairman. At this point, the pattern of the "five major secretaries" was officially over. At the same time, based on the working meeting of the Secretary-General, a new Central Secretariat was established. Most members of the Secretary-General’s Work Conference were elected as members of the new Central Secretariat at the First Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Secretariat. The new Central Secretariat was under the leadership of the Political Bureau of the Central Secretariat and its Standing Committee. Handle the daily work of the Central Committee. The Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China’s adjustments to the party’s organization and leadership system have made the central leadership body more reasonable and standardized, and better adapted to the daily work needs of the central government as a ruling party.
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