The Milestone Significance of the Party’s Seventh National Congress in the History of Party Building

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Party’s Seventh National Congress. On October 27, 2022, less than a week after the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping led members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau

今年是党的七大召开80周年。2022年10月27日，党的二十大闭幕不到一周，习近平总书记带领中央政治局常委同志专程从北京前往延安，首站就来到杨家岭瞻仰中共七大会址。他指出，“党的七大在党的历史上具有极其重要的地位，为党后来不断从胜利走向胜利指明了正确方向、开辟了正确道路”。他强调，延安革命旧址“是一本永远读不完的书，每次来都温故而知新”，要求“讲好杨家岭的故事、讲好党的七大的故事”。

The Party’s Seventh National Congress, convened from April to June 1945, formulated the correct line, principles, and policies for establishing a new-democratic New China, established Mao Zedong Thought as the guiding ideology of the Party, and brought the entire Party to an unprecedented level of unity in ideology, politics, and organization. The Seventh Congress also holds milestone significance in the history of Party building. It developed Mao Zedong’s thought on Party building, made major revisions and supplements to the Party Constitution adopted at the Sixth National Congress, formally formed the Party’s first generation of central collective leadership with Comrade Mao Zedong at its core, marked the maturity of the Chinese Communist Party, and laid a profound political, ideological, and organizational foundation for the Party to lead the people in securing victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan and victory in the new-democratic revolution across the country.

1945年4月至6月召开的党的七大，为建立新民主主义的新中国制定了正确路线方针政策，确立毛泽东思想为党的指导思想，使全党在思想上政治上组织上达到空前统一和团结。七大在党的建设史上也具有里程碑意义。七大发展了毛泽东建党思想，对党的六大党章进行了重大修改和补充，正式形成了以毛泽东同志为核心的党的第一代中央领导集体，标志着中国共产党的成熟，为党领导人民去争取抗日战争的胜利和新民主主义革命在全国的胜利，奠定了政治上、思想上和组织上的深厚基础。

Mao Zedong’s New Expositions on Party Building and Their Significance

毛泽东关于党的建设的新论述及其意义

At the Party’s Seventh National Congress, Mao Zedong delivered important reports and speeches, including *On Coalition Government*, an oral political report, and a concluding speech. These works profoundly summarized the achievements and experience of the Party’s self-building, greatly enriching and developing Marxist-Leninist theory on Party building.

在党的七大上，毛泽东发表了包括《论联合政府》、口头政治报告和结论等在内的重要报告和讲话，对党的自身建设的成就、经验作了深刻总结，极大丰富发展了马克思列宁主义建党学说。

Regarding the summary of the three work styles, it established the distinctive hallmarks that distinguish the Chinese Communist Party from any other political party. In *On Coalition Government*, Mao Zedong summarized the three work styles, namely, “the style of integrating theory with practice, the style of maintaining close ties with the masses, and the style of self-criticism.” This was an important conclusion drawn from summing up the 24-year glorious history of the Chinese Communist Party, and it concentratedly encapsulated the spiritual characteristics of Communists.

关于三大作风的概括，树立了中国共产党区别于其他任何政党的显著标志。毛泽东在《论联合政府》中概括了三大作风，即“理论和实践相结合的作风，和人民群众紧密地联系在一起的作风以及自我批评的作风”。这是总结中国共产党24年光辉历史得出的重要结论，集中概括了共产党人的精神特质。

The Chinese Communist Party developed in the course of waging a resolute struggle against the erroneous tendencies of dogmatism and empiricism within the Party. “Dogmatism and empiricism are both forms of subjectivism, arising from two opposite poles.” Their core error lies in separating the subjective from the objective and divorcing theory from practice. Therefore, “it is necessary to make all leading cadres at every level understand that the close integration of theory and practice is one of the distinctive hallmarks that distinguish us Communists from any other political party.”

中国共产党是在同党内教条主义和经验主义错误作坚决斗争的过程中发展起来的。“教条主义、经验主义，两者都是主观主义，是从不同的两极发生的东西。”其核心是犯了主观和客观相分裂，理论和实践相脱离的错误。因此，“必须使各级党的领导骨干都懂得，理论和实践这样密切地相结合，是我们共产党人区别于其他任何政党的显著标志之一”。

The Chinese Communist Party is a party that serves the people wholeheartedly, a party that proceeds from the interests of the people in all its actions. Mao Zedong pointed out that the 24-year experience of the Chinese Communist Party shows that “all correct tasks, policies, and work styles are suited to the demands of the masses at the time and place and are linked to the masses; all erroneous tasks, policies, and work styles are unsuited to the demands of the masses at the time and place and are divorced from the masses.” To conform to the interests of the people, Communists should be ready at all times to uphold the truth and correct mistakes. Therefore, “another distinctive hallmark that distinguishes us Communists from any other political party is the establishment of the closest ties with the broadest masses of the people.”

中国共产党是全心全意为人民服务的政党，是一切从人民利益出发的政党。毛泽东指出，中国共产党24年的经验表明，“凡属正确的任务、政策和工作作风，都是和当时当地的群众要求相适合，都是联系群众的；凡属错误的任务、政策和工作作风，都是和当时当地的群众要求不相适合，都是脱离群众的”。为了符合人民利益，共产党人应该随时准备坚持真理、修正错误。因此，“我们共产党人区别于其他任何政党的又一个显著的标志，就是和最广大的人民群众取得最密切的联系”。

How to deal with ideological errors among Party comrades, how to handle differing opinions among Party comrades, and how to conduct serious and earnest inner-Party political life—these were issues the Chinese Communist Party explored through long-term practice. Mao Zedong vividly stated, “A house should be swept regularly, otherwise it will accumulate dust; a face should be washed regularly, otherwise it will become dirty with dust. The minds of our comrades and the work of our Party can also become contaminated with dust and should be swept and washed.” [1]1 Mao Zedong, *Selected Works of Mao Zedong*, Vol. 3 (Beijing: People’s Publishing House, 1991), p. 1096. Criticism and self-criticism are precisely the only effective method to resist the erosion of our comrades’ minds and our Party’s body by various political dust and political microbes. Therefore, “whether or not there is serious self-criticism is also one of the distinctive hallmarks distinguishing us from other political parties.”

如何对待党内同志的思想错误，如何处理党内同志间的不同意见，如何开展严肃认真的党内政治生活，中国共产党经过了长期的实践探索。毛泽东形象地指出，“房子是应该经常打扫的，不打扫就会积满了灰尘；脸是应该经常洗的，不洗也就会灰尘满面。我们同志的思想，我们党的工作，也会沾染灰尘的，也应该打扫和洗涤”（《毛泽东选集》第3卷，人民出版社1991年版，第1096页）。而批评和自我批评正是抵抗各种政治灰尘和政治微生物侵蚀我们同志的思想和我们党的肌体的唯一有效的方法。因此，“有无认真的自我批评，也是我们和其他政党互相区别的显著的标志之一”。

Regarding the exposition on Party spirit and individuality, it clarified the dialectical relationship between the collective and the individual, and between universality and particularity, within the Party. Mao Zedong emphasized that for the Chinese Communist Party, Party spirit is universality, and individuality is particularity. The Chinese Communist Party is the organized vanguard of the Chinese people, and it must first and foremost emphasize Party spirit. Unified action, unified opinion, and collectivism constitute Party spirit. He pointed out: “A contingent is often not very orderly, so it is necessary to constantly call for alignment, align left, align right, align center. We must align with the central benchmark, align with the benchmark of the congress. Alignment is the principle; deviation is actual life. When there is deviation, we call for alignment.” [2]2 Mao Zedong, *Collected Works of Mao Zedong*, Vol. 3 (Beijing: People’s Publishing House, 1996), pp. 297–298. Upholding the common will of the entire Party, such as the coalition government and the new-democratic program, is a manifestation of Party spirit. The entire Party should be unified on the basis of Marxist ideology.

关于党性和个性的论述，阐明了党内集体和个人、普遍性和特殊性的辩证关系。毛泽东强调，对中国共产党来说，党性就是普遍性，个性就是特殊性。中国共产党是中国人民有组织的先进部队，首先要讲党性。一致的行动，一致的意见，集体主义，就是党性。他指出：“一个队伍经常是不大整齐的，所以就要常常喊看齐，向左看齐，向右看齐，向中看齐。我们要向中央基准看齐，向大会基准看齐。看齐是原则，有偏差是实际生活，有了偏差，就喊看齐。”（《毛泽东文集》第3卷，人民出版社1996年版，第297~298页）维护联合政府、新民主主义纲领这些全党共同意志，就是讲党性的体现，全党应该在马克思主义思想的基础上统一起来。

While emphasizing Party spirit, the Chinese Communist Party also respects and protects the individuality of Party members. Mao Zedong believed, “No universality is built on a foundation other than particularity. Without particularity, where would universality come from? Without the individuality of Party members, where would Party spirit come from?” The Chinese Communist Party encourages revolutionary and creative individuality and resolutely opposes reactionary and destructive individuality. Creative individuality requires developing one’s professional expertise and possessing the ability to think independently and work independently; it is completely consistent and unified with Party spirit. Destructive individuality, on the other hand, is individualistic, placing personal interests first and engaging in so-called unconventionality. He emphasized that Party spirit and individuality are dialectically unified. “In any work or matter we undertake, there is both Party spirit and individuality. This individuality must be unified with Party spirit.”

在讲党性的同时，中国共产党也尊重和保护党员的个性。毛泽东认为，“没有一种普遍性不是建筑在特殊性的基础上的。没有特殊性哪里有普遍性？没有党员的个性，哪里有党性？”中国共产党鼓励革命的创造性的个性，坚决反对反动的破坏性的个性。创造性的个性，要求发展自己的业务专长，具有独立思考和独立工作的能力，它同党性是完全一致和统一的。而破坏性的个性，是个人主义的，把个人利益放在第一位，搞所谓标新立异。他强调，党性和个性是辩证统一的。“任何一项凡是我们要做的工作和事情中都有党性，也有个性。这种个性必须是与党性统一的”。

Regarding the exposition on relations among Party cadres, it played an important guiding role in ensuring inner-Party unity. The revolutionary cause involves a myriad of tasks, and every front requires cadres of various types. How to handle relations among cadres from different fronts bears on inner-Party unity and solidarity. Concerning relations among different groups of cadres, Mao Zedong emphasized the need to properly handle relations between new cadres and old cadres, between cadres from outside and local cadres, and between military cadres and local cadres. On the issue of cadres, regardless of region or front, all cadres are the Party’s precious assets and are equally glorious.

关于党内干部关系的论述，为确保党内团结发挥了重要指导作用。革命事业千头万绪，各条战线都需要方方面面的干部。如何处理不同战线干部之间的关系，关系到党内团结统一。对于不同干部群体之间的关系，毛泽东强调要处理好新干部与老干部、外来干部与本地干部、军队干部与地方干部之间的关系。在干部问题上，不分地域、不分战线，所有干部都是党的宝贵财富，都是一样的光荣。

Regarding the exposition on speaking the truth and the question of leadership methods, it pointed the way for improving the ideological and moral level of Party members and the competence of cadres. Mao Zedong particularly emphasized the need to be modest and prudent, to guard against arrogance and rashness, to speak the truth, and to refrain from stealing, pretending, and boasting. Stealing means plagiarizing; not stealing means not copying in writing articles or passing off the works of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin as one’s own. Pretending means putting on airs; not pretending means knowing what one knows and knowing what one does not know—understanding is understanding, not understanding is not understanding, and one should speak only as much as one understands. Boasting means bragging; not boasting means reporting actual figures, ensuring intelligence is truthful, and making shortcomings public. Speaking the truth concerns the Party’s work style and is, in essence, a demand for seeking truth from facts.

关于讲真话和领导方法问题的论述，为提高党员思想道德水平和干部能力素质指明了方向。毛泽东特别强调，要谦虚谨慎、不骄不躁，要讲真话，不偷、不装、不吹。偷就是偷东西，不偷，就是著作文章不能抄袭，不能把马恩列斯的东西说成是自己的东西。装就是装样子，不装，就是知之为知之，不知为不知，懂得就是懂得，不懂得就是不懂得，懂得多少就讲多少。吹就是吹牛皮，不吹，就是报实数，情报要真实，缺点要公开。讲真话，关系到党的作风，实际上是要求实事求是。

Regarding the question of leadership methods, Mao Zedong also elaborated. He believed, “Only when, at a time when a large number of obvious things have not yet appeared, when the tip of the mast has just emerged, one can see that this will develop into a large number of widespread things and can grasp it—only then can this be called leadership.” The Chinese Communist Party, guided by Marxism, is incomparable to other political parties because it can see the future of the revolution and guide the direction of the revolution. At the same time, it is also necessary to pool the wisdom of the masses and foster a work style of fully exchanging views; this is also an important leadership method of the Chinese Communist Party.

对于领导方法问题，毛泽东也作了阐述。他认为，“只有当着还没有出现大量的明显的东西的时候，当桅杆顶刚刚露出的时候，就能看出这是要发展成为大量的普遍的东西，并能掌握住它，这才叫领导”。以马克思主义为指导的中国共产党，是其他政党所不能比的，因为它能够看清革命的前途，指引革命的方向。同时，还必须集思广益，营造充分交换意见的作风，这也是中国共产党的重要领导方法。

Major Revisions and Supplements to the Party Constitution

对党章进行了重大修改和补充

The *Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party* adopted at the Party’s Seventh National Congress was a comprehensive summary of the Party’s 24 years of experience in Party building since its founding. It made major revisions and supplements to the Party Constitution adopted at the Sixth National Congress, thereby making the Party’s fundamental law more systematic and complete, and exerting a profound influence on Party building.

党的七大通过的《中国共产党党章》，是对建党以来24年党的建设经验的全面总结，对六大党章进行了重大修改和补充，从而使党的根本大法更加系统完备，对党的建设产生了深远影响。

First, the Party Constitution of the Seventh National Congress added a “General Program” section for the first time in the history of Party constitutions. This was a major innovation and set a precedent. From the perspective of the history of Party constitution development, the program formulated at the First National Congress was in fact a combination of a party program and a party constitution. However, the Party’s ideological and theoretical level was not yet high at that time, and both the programmatic content and the constitutional content were not sufficiently standardized or mature. The Party constitutions adopted from the Second National Congress to the Sixth National Congress were all purely organizational regulations, without any content related to a party program. Nevertheless, the Chinese Communist Party’s exploration of formulating a party program continued intermittently. At the Third National Congress, Qu Qiubai drafted a “Draft Party Program of the Chinese Communist Party,” which was subsequently revised by Chen Duxiu. However, this draft was not approved by the Communist International. The reason for this was probably that this party program was still immature, to the extent that it did not even clarify the Party’s nature, purpose, or guiding ideology.

首先，七大党章在党章历史上第一次增加了“总纲”部分，这是一个重大创新，开创了先例。从党章发展史上看，党的一大制定的纲领，事实上是党纲和党章的结合体。但当时党的思想理论水平还不高，无论是纲领性内容还是章程性内容，都不够规范成熟。从党的二大到党的六大通过的党章，都是单纯的组织法规，没有党的纲领的相关内容。但中国共产党对制定党纲的探索，依然断续地开展着。在党的三大上，曾由瞿秋白起草《中国共产党党纲草案》，并经陈独秀修改。但这一草案未被共产国际批准。究其原因，恐怕主要是这份党纲还不成熟，以至于连党的性质、宗旨和指导思想均未阐明。

According to newly published archival materials, the Sixth National Congress had plans to formulate a party program. The records of the 8th meeting of the Presidium of the Sixth National Congress contain the notation “party program canceled, not reported,” while the records of the 15th meeting of the Presidium note that Qu Qiubai proposed that “before the Seventh Congress, the new Central Committee must draft a party program draft.” The Sixth National Congress also adopted a “Resolution on the Party Program,” which stated: “The Sixth National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party entrusts the Central Committee with the task of, before the Seventh Congress, must produce a draft party program of the Chinese Communist Party, and distribute it to local Party organizations for discussion as early as possible, so that it can be formally placed on the agenda of the Seventh Congress for final decision.” (Selected Important Documents since the Founding of the Party (1921–1949), Vol. 5, Central Party Literature Press, 2011, p. 449)

从新公布的档案资料看，党的六大曾有制定党纲的计划，六大主席团第8次会议记录有“党纲取消不报告”的记载，大会主席团第15次会议记录记载，瞿秋白提议“在七次大会前新的中央要起草党纲草案”。党的六大还通过了《关于党纲的决议》，指出“中国共产党第六次大会委托中央委员会于第七次大会之前，必须拟出中国共产党党纲草案，及早发给各地党部讨论，以便提出第七次大会能够正式列入议事日程，为最终之决定”（《建党以来重要文献选编（1921—1949）》第5册，中央文献出版社2011年版，第449页）。

After 24 years of revolutionary struggle and successive explorations through the Party’s national congresses, the Seventh National Congress formally formulated the Party’s General Program and incorporated it into the Party Constitution. The General Program is “the Party’s basic program,” “also a component part of the Party Constitution, the premise and general principles of the Party Constitution,” and the code of conduct for all Party members. The General Program of the Party Constitution of the Seventh National Congress concentratedly embodies the nature, guiding ideology, and organizational principles of the Chinese Communist Party, explains the nature, motive forces, tasks, and characteristics of the Chinese revolution, and summarizes the Party’s fine traditions and work style. It is an important manifestation of the Chinese Communist Party’s ideological and theoretical maturity.

经过24年革命斗争和党的全国代表大会的接续探索，党的七大正式制定了党的总纲并列入党章。总纲是“党的基本纲领”，“也是党章的组成部分，是党章的前提和总则”，是一切党员的行动准则。七大党章总纲，集中体现了中国共产党的性质、指导思想和组织原则，说明了中国革命的性质、动力、任务和特点，概括了党的优良传统和作风，是中国共产党在思想理论上走向成熟的重要体现。

Second, the Party Constitution of the Seventh National Congress clearly and accurately stipulated the nature of the Chinese Communist Party for the first time in a Party constitution. The Party Constitution of the Seventh National Congress explicitly states: “The Chinese Communist Party is the advanced, organized contingent of the Chinese working class, the highest form of its class organization. The Chinese Communist Party represents the interests of the Chinese nation and the Chinese people. At the present stage, it strives for the realization of China’s new democratic system. Its ultimate goal is the realization of the communist system in China.”

其次，七大党章首次在党章中清楚准确地规定了中国共产党的性质。七大党章明确指出：“中国共产党，是中国工人阶级的先进的有组织的部队，是它的阶级组织的最高形式。中国共产党代表中国民族与中国人民的利益。它在现阶段为实现中国的新民主主义制度而奋斗。它的最终目的，是在中国实现共产主义制度。”

The Chinese Communist Party is the product of the integration of Marxism-Leninism with the Chinese workers’ movement, and from its inception it was a completely new-style party of the working class. After the Party was founded, and especially after the failure of the Great Revolution, the center of the revolution shifted to the countryside, and Party members of peasant and petty-bourgeois origin constituted the majority. The nature of the Party was a question that had to be confronted. In this regard, Liu Shaoqi made relevant expositions in his “Report on the Revision of the Party Constitution.” He believed that “the social origin of Party members alone cannot determine everything; what determines things is our Party’s political struggle and political life, our Party’s ideological education, ideological leadership, and political leadership.”

中国共产党是马克思列宁主义与中国工人运动相结合的产物，从一开始就是一个工人阶级的完全新式的政党。党成立后，特别是大革命失败后，革命中心转向农村，党内农民和小资产阶级出身的党员占大多数。关于党的性质，是一个必须面对的问题。对此，刘少奇在《关于修改党章的报告》作了相关论述，他认为，“仅仅是党员的社会出身，还不能决定一切，决定的东西，是我们党的政治斗争与政治生活，是我们党的思想教育、思想领导与政治领导”。

Third, the Party Constitution of the Seventh National Congress made new provisions regarding Party members. The Seventh National Congress stipulated for the first time in the Party Constitution the four obligations and four rights of Party members. The four obligations mainly include: studying and comprehending Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, which is “the basic joint for every Party member to correctly strive for the people’s cause” and is the first obligation of Party members; observing Party discipline, actively participating in inner-Party political life and revolutionary activities, and obeying Party resolutions, which requires Party members to care about all Party affairs politically and be politically responsible to the Party; serving the masses of the people, which is the duty of every Party member; and exemplary observance of the discipline of the revolutionary government and organizations, mastering professional skills, and playing an exemplary role in the revolutionary cause. The four rights mainly include: participating in discussions on Party policies at Party meetings and in Party publications; the right to vote and stand for election within the Party; submitting proposals and statements to any Party organ, up to the Central Committee; and criticizing any Party functionary at Party meetings.

再次，七大党章关于党员相关内容作出新的规定。党的七大在党章中首次规定了党员的4项义务和4项权利。4项义务主要包括：学习领会马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想，这是“每一个党员能否正确地为人民事业而奋斗的基本关节”，是党员义务的第一项；遵守党纪，积极参加党内政治生活和革命活动，服从党的决议，这就要求党员从政治上关心党的一切，在政治上对党负责；为人民群众服务，这是每一个党员的职责；模范遵守革命政府和组织的纪律，精通业务，在革命事业中起模范作用。4项权利主要包括：在党的会议和刊物上参加关于党的政策的讨论；党内的选举权和被选举权；向党的任何机关直至中央提出建议和声明；在党的会议上批评党的任何工作人员等内容。

The Party Constitution of the Seventh National Congress restored the provisions on the age for Party membership from the Party Constitution of the Fifth National Congress, requiring that “only those who have reached the age of eighteen may be admitted as Party members,” “because a person generally does not have a relatively definite political judgment until after the age of eighteen.” At the same time, for young people with precocious political development, they could be admitted as probationary Party members, and only after reaching the age of eighteen could they be transferred to full Party membership.

七大党章恢复了五大党章关于入党年龄的规定，要求“年满十八岁者，方得被接收为党员”，“因为一个人一般地要到十八岁以后，才可能有自己的比较确定的政治上的判断力”。同时，对于那些政治上发育早的青年，可以接收为候补党员，年满18岁后，方能转为正式党员。

The Party Constitution of the Seventh National Congress made strict distinctions in the procedures for admitting Party members of different social origins. At the same time, it also stipulated for the first time the circumstances for withdrawal from the Party: “Those who, without legitimate reasons, do not participate in Party life, do not carry out the work assigned by the Party, and do not pay Party dues for six months shall be considered to have voluntarily withdrawn from the Party.” Persons who have withdrawn from the Party shall be removed from the rolls by a decision of the branch general membership meeting, subject to approval by the higher-level Party committee.

七大党章对不同社会出身的人的入党手续作了严格区分，同时，还首次对脱党的情况作了规定，“没有正当理由，在六个月内不参加党的生活，不进行党所分配的工作，又不缴纳党费者，即认为自行脱党”。脱党人员，由支部大会通过除名，报上级党委批准。

Finally, the Party Constitution of the Seventh National Congress introduced new content regarding the Party’s democratic centralism. On the basis of the Party Constitution of the Fifth National Congress, which first included democratic centralism, and the Party Constitution of the Sixth National Congress, which preliminarily elucidated the basic principles of democratic centralism, the Party Constitution of the Seventh National Congress elevated the Party’s understanding and stipulations of democratic centralism to a new height. The Party Constitution of the Seventh National Congress stipulates: “The Party’s organizational structure is built according to democratic centralism. Democratic centralism means centralism on the basis of democracy and democracy under the guidance of centralism.” At the same time, it added the “Four Obediences” to the basic principles of democratic centralism, namely: “The individual Party member obeys the Party organization to which he belongs, the minority obeys the majority, the lower-level organization obeys the higher-level organization, and all parts of the organization uniformly obey the Central Committee.”

最后，七大党章对党的民主集中制提出新的内容。七大党章在五大党章首次写入民主集中制、六大党章初步阐明民主集中制的基本原则基础上，又将党对民主集中制的认识和规定提升到一个新的高度。七大党章规定，“党的组织机构，是按照民主的集中制建设起来的。民主的集中制，即是在民主基础上的集中和在集中领导下的民主”。同时还在民主集中制的基本原则中增加了“四个服从”，即“党员个人服从所属党的组织，少数服从多数，下级组织服从上级组织，部分组织统一服从中央”。

The Party’s strength comes from organization, and the strength of organization comes from democratic centralism. Centralism on the basis of democracy indicates that the authority of the Party’s leading organs is conferred by the Party membership, and the Party’s leading organs are generally elected by the Party membership. Democracy under the guidance of centralism means that “all Party meetings are convened by leading organs, all meetings are conducted under leadership, all resolutions and regulations are formulated after full preparation and careful consideration, all elections have carefully considered lists of candidates, the entire Party has a unified Party Constitution and unified discipline that all Party members must observe, and there is a unified leading organ that all Party members must obey” (Selected Works of Liu Shaoqi, Vol. 1, People’s Publishing House, 1981, p. 359). The Party must oppose tendencies toward extreme democratization and anarchic states.

党的力量来自组织，组织的力量则来自民主集中制。民主基础上的集中，表明党的领导机关的权力是党员群众授予的，党的领导机关一般由党员群众选举产生。集中指导下的民主，这就是说，“党的一切会议是由领导机关召集的，一切会议的进行是有领导的，一切决议和法规的制订是经过充分准备和仔细考虑的，一切选举是有审慎考虑过的候选名单的，全党是有一切党员都要履行的统一的党章和统一的纪律的，并有一切党员都要服从的统一的领导机关的”（《刘少奇选集》上卷，人民出版社1981年版，第359页），党内必须反对极端民主化倾向和无政府主义状态。

The Formal Formation of the First Generation of the Party’s Central Collective Leadership with Comrade Mao Zedong at Its Core

以毛泽东同志为核心的党的第一代中央领导集体正式形成

The Seventh National Congress formally formed the first generation of the Party’s central collective leadership with Comrade Mao Zedong at its core. For the Chinese Communist Party, this was hard-won.

党的七大正式形成了以毛泽东同志为核心的党的第一代中央领导集体。对于中国共产党来说，这是来之不易的。

Deng Xiaoping once pointed out, “Historically, before the Zunyi Conference, our Party had not formed a mature Party Central Committee” (Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, Vol. 3, People’s Publishing House, 1993, p. 309). The Zunyi Conference began to establish the leading position of the correct Marxist line, mainly represented by Comrade Mao Zedong, within the Party Central Committee, reorganized the central leading organs, elected Mao Zedong as an alternate member of the Politburo Standing Committee, and decided that Zhou Enlai would be the person entrusted by the Party with the final decision on military command. Through the enlarged Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee, Mao Zedong’s correct propositions gained understanding and support from the overwhelming majority of comrades at the meeting. Peng Dehuai stated in his speech: “Leadership is the summation of long-term struggle experience, and is produced through long-term struggle. Mao Zedong’s leading position was achieved through correct leadership.” Thereafter, Mao Zedong’s leading position in the Party was further consolidated, and Ren Bishi and Liu Shaoqi also successively joined the central leadership work.

邓小平曾指出，“历史上，遵义会议以前，我们的党没有形成过一个成熟的党中央”（《邓小平文选》第3卷，人民出版社1993年版，第309页）。遵义会议开始确立以毛泽东同志为主要代表的马克思主义正确路线在党中央的领导地位，改组了中央领导机构，增选毛泽东为中央政治局常委，决定周恩来为党内委托的对于指挥军事下最后决心的负责者。经过党的扩大的六届六中全会，毛泽东的正确主张在会上得到绝大多数同志的理解和拥护。彭德怀在发言中说：“领袖是长期斗争经验总结的，是长期斗争中产生的。毛泽东的领导地位是由正确的领导取得的。”此后，毛泽东在全党的领导地位得到进一步巩固，任弼时、刘少奇也先后参加中央领导工作。

During the Rectification Movement, in order to adjust and streamline the central leadership organs and strengthen the centralized unified leadership of the Central Committee, the Central Committee of the CPC held a Politburo meeting in Yan’an in March 1943, adopting the “Decision on the Adjustment and Streamlining of Central Organs.” It designated Mao Zedong as Chairman of the Politburo and also as Chairman of the Secretariat; Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, and Ren Bishi formed the Secretariat, handling daily work according to the policies decided by the Politburo, with the Chairman having the final say in Secretariat discussions; Liu Shaoqi joined the Central Military Commission of the CPC and was appointed Vice Chairman of the Military Commission. From May 1944 to April 1945, the enlarged Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Party was held in Yan’an. The plenary session elected a presidium, with Mao Zedong as its chairman, and decided that during the session the presidium would handle the Central Committee’s daily work. In this way, full preparations were made for the formal election of the Central Committee leadership collective with Comrade Mao Zedong at its core at the Party’s Seventh National Congress.

在整风运动中，为了调整及精简中央领导机构，加强中央的集中统一领导，中共中央于1943年3月在延安举行政治局会议，通过《关于中央机构调整及精简的决定》，推定毛泽东为中央政治局主席，并决定他为中央书记处主席；毛泽东、刘少奇、任弼时组成中央书记处，根据中央政治局决定的方针处理日常工作，中央书记处讨论问题，主席有最后决定权；刘少奇参加中共中央军委并任军委副主席。1944年5月至1945年4月，党的扩大的六届七中全会在延安召开，全会选举主席团，毛泽东为主席团主席，决定全会期间由主席团处理中央日常工作。这样，就为党的七大正式选举以毛泽东同志为核心的中共中央领导集体做了充分准备。

In their reports and speeches at the Party’s Seventh National Congress, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and Ren Bishi all highly appraised Mao Zedong’s historical achievements and fully affirmed Mao Zedong’s leadership status. Liu Shaoqi said in his “Report on the Revision of the Party Constitution” that the Communist Party of China had already become a party possessing its own great leader, “this leader is precisely the organizer and leader of our Party and modern China’s revolution—Comrade Mao Zedong” (Selected Works of Liu Shaoqi, Vol. 1, p. 319). Ren Bishi said in his speech at the opening ceremony, “The three characters ‘Mao Zedong’ have not only become the banner of the Chinese people but also the banner of the Eastern peoples in their struggle for liberation” (Ren Bishi on Party Building, Central Party Literature Press, 2024 edition, p. 271).

刘少奇、周恩来、朱德、任弼时在党的七大的报告和发言中，都高度评价了毛泽东的历史功绩，充分肯定了毛泽东的领袖地位。刘少奇在《关于修改党章的报告》中说，中国共产党已经是一个拥有了自己伟大领袖的党，“这个领袖，就是我们党和现代中国革命的组织者与领导者——毛泽东同志”（《刘少奇选集》上卷，第319页）。任弼时在开幕典礼上的讲话中说，“毛泽东三个字不仅成为中国人民的旗帜，而且成为东方各民族争取解放的旗帜”（《任弼时论党的建设》，中央文献出版社2024年版，第271页）。

In the speeches at the congress, representatives elected from all sides also highly recognized Mao Zedong’s leadership status. Chen Yi said in his speech, “A ship carries a thousand jin, but there is only one helmsman. Looking at our Party’s history, Chairman Mao is the best helmsman. In the more than twenty years of his work, he encountered several serious crises, and each time he was able to rescue our Party and our army, this ship, and steer it in the correct direction, sailing very steadily.”

在大会发言中，各方面选举的代表也高度公认了毛泽东的领袖地位。陈毅在发言中说，船载千斤，掌舵一人。“我们从党的历史上来看，毛主席是最会掌舵的，他在二十多年的工作中间，遇到过几次的严重关头，他都能把我们党和军队这个船挽救过来，并且引向正确方向，走的很稳”。

It was precisely on the basis of such a high degree of consensus that the Party’s Seventh National Congress fully developed democracy, and through preliminary elections and secret balloting, elected a new Central Committee composed of 44 full members and 33 alternate members. The First Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee, held after the congress, elected Mao Zedong and 12 others as members of the Politburo; elected Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, and Ren Bishi as members of the Secretariat; and elected Mao Zedong as Chairman of the Central Committee of the CPC, Chairman of the Politburo, and Chairman of the Secretariat. Facts have proven that this was a strong leadership collective with high prestige, capable of uniting the entire Party.

正是在这样高度共识的基础上，党的七大充分发扬民主，经过预选和无记名投票，选举产生由中央委员44人、候补中央委员33人组成新的中央委员会。会后召开的七届一中全会，选举毛泽东等13人为中央政治局委员；选举毛泽东、朱德、刘少奇、周恩来、任弼时为中央书记处书记；选举毛泽东为中共中央主席、中央政治局主席、中央书记处主席。事实证明，这是一个具有很高威信的、能够团结全党的坚强的领导集体。

The Party’s Seventh National Congress, adapting to the needs of the developing situation, clearly put forward a series of measures to strengthen the Party’s own construction, formulated and revised the Party Constitution—this fundamental law within the Party—and elected a strong leadership collective. This enabled the Communist Party of China to withstand various tests of storms and waves and to continuously grow and strengthen, demonstrating the enormous institutional advantages of a Marxist political party. Establishing Mao Zedong Thought as the guiding ideology for the entire Party reflected the Party’s ideological and political maturity. After the Seventh National Congress, all Party comrades, under the guidance of Mao Zedong Thought, united as one and strove to advance the historical process of the Chinese revolution, finally achieving the great historical victory of the New Democratic Revolution in 1949.

党的七大适应形势发展的需要，明确提出加强党的自身建设的系列举措，制定和修改党章这一党内根本大法，选举坚强的领导集体，使中国共产党能够经得起各种风浪考验而不断发展壮大，彰显出马克思主义政党巨大的制度优势，确立毛泽东思想在全党的指导地位，反映了全党思想上、政治上的成熟。七大之后，全党同志在毛泽东思想的指引下，团结一致，为推进中国革命的历史进程努力奋斗，终于在1949年取得了新民主主义革命的伟大历史胜利。

(Author: Li Ying, Director and Researcher of the Second Research Department of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the CPC)

（作者：李颖，系中央党史和文献研究院第二研究部主任、研究员）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心