The CPC Was the Mainstay of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was a magnificent, arduous and extraordinary great national liberation war. In this war that decided the future and destiny of the Chinese nation, the CPC, with its outstanding political leadership, scientific strategic planning, exemplary military actions and lofty national integrity, played an irreplaceable key role and indisputably became the mainstay of the War of Resistance. The CPC was the first to call for resistance against Japan and to advocate the establishment of a national united front against Japan. The CPC was the earliest to raise the banner of resistance against Japan, awakening the nation’s consciousness of national salvation. After the September 18th Incident [1]1 The September 18th Incident (1931): A staged event used by the Japanese Kwantung Army as a pretext to invade and occupy Northeast China., the Party Central Committee issued declarations and resolutions, profoundly exposing Japan’s criminal aggression and calling on the workers and peasants of the whole country to arm themselves and wage a national revolutionary war. The CPC organized and led the resistance struggle in the Northeast region, creating the Northeast United Resistance Army [2]2 The Northeast United Resistance Army: A unified anti-Japanese guerrilla force formed and led by the CPC in Northeast China from the early 1930s., which carried out 14 years of arduous resistance amidst the mountains and forests, dealing heavy blows to the Japanese aggressors and greatly inspiring the anti-Japanese morale of the people across the country.

中国人民抗日战争是一场波澜壮阔、艰苦卓绝的伟大民族解放战争。在这场决定中华民族前途命运的战争中，中国共产党以其卓越的政治领导、科学的战略谋划、模范的军事行动和崇高的民族气节，发挥了不可替代的关键作用，无可争议地成为抗日战争的中流砥柱。中国共产党率先号召抗日、倡导建立抗日民族统一战线。中国共产党最早举起抗日旗帜，唤醒民族救亡意识。九一八事变后，中共中央发表宣言、决议，深刻揭露日本的侵略罪行，号召全国工农武装起来，进行民族革命战争。中国共产党组织并领导东北地区的抗日斗争，创建了东北抗日联军，在白山黑水间进行了长达14年艰苦卓绝的抗战，沉重打击了日本侵略者，极大鼓舞了全国人民的抗日斗志。

Facing the unprecedented crisis of national subjugation and genocide, the CPC profoundly understood that it must unite all forces that could be united to achieve a nationwide war of resistance. In October 1935, the Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic and the Party Central Committee issued the “Letter to All Compatriots on Resistance Against Japan and National Salvation” (i.e., the August First Declaration) [3]3 The August First Declaration (1935): A public appeal issued by the CPC during the Long March, calling for a ceasefire between the CPC and the Kuomintang and a united front against Japan., calling for an end to the civil war and united resistance against Japan. In December of the same year, the Party Central Committee convened the Wayaobu Conference [4]4 The Wayaobu Conference (December 1935): A key CPC Politburo meeting that formally adopted the policy of forming a national united front against Japan., which clearly proposed that the Party’s basic strategic task was to establish a broad national united front against Japan. In 1936, the CPC, prioritizing the greater national interest, promoted the peaceful resolution of the Xi’an Incident [5]5 The Xi’an Incident (December 1936): The kidnapping of Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek by two of his generals, which was resolved peacefully through CPC mediation, leading to a second CPC-Kuomintang united front., which became a pivot point in the transformation of the situation. After the July 7th Incident [6]6 The July 7th Incident (1937): A clash between Chinese and Japanese troops near Beijing that marked the beginning of full-scale war between China and Japan., the CPC quickly issued a telegram, calling on the entire nation to unite and build a solid Great Wall of the national united front against Japan based on Kuomintang-CPC cooperation. Subsequently, the main forces of the Red Army were reorganized into the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army [7]7 The Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army: The main military forces of the CPC during the War of Resistance, formed after the reorganization of the Red Army under the nominal command of the Kuomintang government. and immediately marched to the front lines of the War of Resistance. This was a great pioneering feat of the CPC’s far-sighted political vision; it consolidated the immense power of 400 million compatriots and was the fundamental guarantee for the great victory of the War of Resistance. The CPC put forward the line of total resistance and the general strategic policy of protracted war. The CPC emphasized that the great power of war resides among the masses of the people, that necessary political and economic reforms must be carried out nationwide, and that the broad masses must be mobilized and relied upon to make the War of Resistance a genuine people’s war. This formed a sharp contrast with the Kuomintang’s line of partial resistance, which relied mainly on the government and the army. The CPC extensively mobilized the masses behind enemy lines, established democratic political power, implemented rent and interest reduction, and improved the people’s livelihood, thereby greatly stimulating the anti-Japanese enthusiasm of hundreds of millions of people and providing an inexhaustible source of strength for the War of Resistance.

面对亡国灭种的空前危机，中国共产党深刻认识到，必须团结一切可以团结的力量，实现全民族抗战。1935年10月，中华苏维埃共和国中央政府和中共中央发表《为抗日救国告全体同胞书》（即八一宣言），号召停止内战，一致抗日。同年12月，中共中央召开瓦窑堡会议，明确提出党的基本策略任务是建立广泛的抗日民族统一战线。1936年，中国共产党以民族大义为重，推动西安事变和平解决，成为时局转换的枢纽。七七事变后，中国共产党迅速发表通电，呼吁全民族团结起来，筑成以国共合作为基础的抗日民族统一战线的坚固长城。随后，红军主力改编为八路军、新四军，立即奔赴抗日前线。这是中国共产党在政治上高瞻远瞩的伟大创举，它凝聚了四万万同胞的磅礴力量，是抗日战争取得伟大胜利的根本保证。中国共产党提出全面抗战路线和持久战战略总方针。中国共产党强调战争的伟大力量存在于民众之中，必须在全国进行必要的政治经济改革，动员和依靠广大民众，使抗日战争成为真正的人民战争。这与国民党主要依靠政府和军队的片面抗战路线形成了鲜明对比。中国共产党在敌后广泛发动群众，建立民主政权，实行减租减息，改善人民生活，从而极大地激发了亿万人民的抗日热情，为抗战提供了取之不尽、用之不竭的力量源泉。

In order to thoroughly clarify erroneous ideas such as the “theory of national subjugation” and the “theory of quick victory” prevalent in the early stages of the nationwide War of Resistance, and to strengthen the confidence of the nation’s military and civilians in the War of Resistance, Comrade Mao Zedong published “On Protracted War” in 1938. This work profoundly analyzed the four basic characteristics of the Chinese and Japanese sides: the enemy is strong while we are weak, the enemy is retrogressive while we are progressive, the enemy is small while we are large, and the enemy is bereft of justice while we enjoy abundant support. It convincingly demonstrated the objective law that the War of Resistance would be a protracted war and that final victory would belong to China, and scientifically predicted that the war would go through three stages: strategic defensive, strategic stalemate, and strategic counter-offensive. “On Protracted War” not only provided scientific strategic guidance for the CPC but also for the entire Chinese war effort, becoming a powerful theoretical weapon for the Chinese people to overcome the enemy during the War of Resistance. The CPC opened up enemy rear battlefields and waged people’s war. Following the strategic deployment of the Party Central Committee, the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army penetrated deep behind Japanese lines, extensively waged guerrilla warfare, and opened up vast enemy rear battlefields. This action forced the Japanese army to fight on two fronts, thereby greatly dispersing and weakening its offensive strength. The enemy rear battlefields and the frontal battlefields mutually needed and complemented each other, forming a strategic posture of pincer attack against the Japanese aggressors in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance, completely shattering Japan’s delusion of a “quick decision.”

为了彻底澄清全民族抗战初期“亡国论”和“速胜论”等错误思想，坚定全国军民的抗战信心，毛泽东同志于1938年发表了《论持久战》，深刻分析了中日双方的四个基本特点：敌强我弱、敌退步我进步、敌小我大、敌失道寡助我得道多助，极具说服力地论证了抗日战争是持久战，最后胜利属于中国的客观规律，并科学预见了战争将经历战略防御、战略相持、战略反攻三个阶段。《论持久战》不仅为中国共产党，也为整个中国的抗战提供了科学的战略指导，成为抗战时期中国人民克敌制胜的强大理论武器。中国共产党开辟敌后战场、开展人民战争。八路军、新四军遵照党中央的战略部署，深入日军后方广泛开展游击战争，开辟了广阔的敌后战场。这一行动迫使日军不得不两面作战，从而极大地分散和削弱了日军的进攻力量。敌后战场与正面战场相互需要、相互配合，构成了中国人民抗日战争夹击日寇的战略态势，使日本“速战速决”的妄想彻底破灭。

The CPC adhered to people’s war, closely relying on the masses of the people, and created a series of flexible and mobile guerrilla tactics behind enemy lines, such as tunnel warfare, landmine warfare, sparrow warfare, and sabotage warfare. With a high degree of political consciousness and tenacious fighting spirit, under conditions of crude weapons and material scarcity, they fought a life-and-death struggle against the well-equipped Japanese army. During the stage of strategic stalemate, the enemy rear battlefields gradually became the main battlefield of the War of Resistance. The CPC led the anti-Japanese military and civilians in heroic struggles against “mopping-up” operations [8]8 “Mopping-up” operations: Large-scale Japanese military campaigns aimed at destroying CPC-led base areas and forces behind enemy lines. and “pacification” campaigns [9]9 “Pacification” campaigns: Japanese operations to consolidate control over occupied areas, often involving brutal suppression of resistance., paying a huge price, pinning down and annihilating a large number of Japanese and puppet troops, and playing a decisive role in the victory of the War of Resistance. The CPC advocated hard struggle, sacrifice and dedication, fully demonstrating the power of spirit. The CPC possessed the fine style of hard struggle. During the extremely difficult period of the Japanese blockade and the economic encirclement by the Kuomintang die-hards, Yan’an, the seat of the Party Central Committee, became a spiritual symbol of hard struggle. Through the Great Production Campaign [10]10 The Great Production Campaign: A CPC-led movement (1941-1943) in the Yan’an base area to achieve economic self-sufficiency through farming, manufacturing, and other productive activities., Party, government, military, civilian and educational sectors overcame economic difficulties through self-reliance and hard struggle. This spirit was as important as heroic fighting on the frontal battlefields; it was the spiritual pillar that sustained the military and civilians behind enemy lines through the difficult years.

中国共产党坚持人民战争，紧紧依靠人民群众，在敌后创造了地道战、地雷战、麻雀战、破袭战等一系列灵活机动的游击战术。他们以高度的政治觉悟和顽强的战斗精神，在武器简陋、物资匮乏的条件下，与装备精良的日军进行殊死搏斗。在战略相持阶段，敌后战场逐渐成为抗日战争的主战场。中国共产党领导抗日军民进行了英勇的反“扫荡”、反“清乡”斗争，付出了巨大牺牲，牵制、消灭了大量日伪军，为抗日战争胜利发挥了决定性作用。中国共产党提倡艰苦奋斗、牺牲奉献，充分彰显了精神的力量。中国共产党具有艰苦奋斗的优良作风，在日军封锁和国民党顽固派经济围困的极端困难时期，中共中央所在地延安成为艰苦奋斗的精神象征。通过大生产运动，党政军民学克服经济困难，自力更生、艰苦奋斗。这种精神与正面战场上的英勇杀敌同样重要，它是支撑敌后军民度过艰难岁月的精神支柱。

The CPC possessed a lofty spirit of sacrifice and firm national integrity. The anti-Japanese armed forces led by the CPC paid an extremely tragic price in the war. Senior commanders of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, such as Zuo Quan and Peng Xuefeng [11]11 Zuo Quan and Peng Xuefeng: Senior CPC military commanders killed in action during the War of Resistance., shed their blood on the battlefield. Yang Jingyu [12]12 Yang Jingyu: A prominent CPC commander of the Northeast United Resistance Army, who died fighting in 1940. of the Northeast United Resistance Army fought to the last moment in the freezing wilderness; after his death, only grass roots and cotton wadding were found in his stomach. Their heroic deeds moved heaven and earth, fully demonstrating the lofty integrity of CPC members who faced death unflinchingly and preferred death to surrender for the cause of national liberation.

中国共产党具有崇高的牺牲精神与坚定的民族气节。中国共产党领导的抗日武装在战争中付出了极其惨烈的牺牲。八路军、新四军的高级指挥员如左权、彭雪枫等血洒疆场。东北抗联的杨靖宇在冰天雪地中战至最后一刻，牺牲后胃里只有草根棉絮。他们的英勇事迹感天动地，充分彰显了中国共产党人为了民族解放事业视死如归、宁死不屈的崇高气节。

History is the best textbook. The CPC was the initiator and defender of the national united front against Japan, the formulator and executor of the line of total resistance and the strategy of protracted war, the main opener and strong leader of the enemy rear battlefields, and the most steadfast promoter and practitioner of the great spirit of the War of Resistance. The CPC was the mainstay of the War of Resistance. Through the tempering of this great war, the Chinese people chose the CPC, and history chose the CPC. Profoundly understanding and adhering to this historical conclusion has extremely important practical significance for us today in promoting the spirit of the War of Resistance, consolidating national strength, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

历史是最好的教科书，中国共产党是抗日民族统一战线的发起者和维护者，是全面抗战路线和持久战战略的制定者与执行者，是敌后战场的主要开辟者和坚强领导者，是伟大抗战精神最坚定的弘扬者和践行者，中国共产党是抗日战争的中流砥柱。通过这场伟大战争的锤炼，中国人民选择了中国共产党，历史选择了中国共产党。深刻理解和坚持这一历史结论，对于今天我们弘扬抗战精神，凝聚民族力量，实现中华民族伟大复兴，具有极其重要的现实意义。

(Author: Liu Zhipeng, head of the National Social Science Fund general project “Compilation and Research of Party Documents of the Shandong Anti-Japanese Base Area,” professor at the School of History and Culture, Shandong Normal University)

（作者：刘志鹏，系国家社科基金一般项目“山东抗日根据地党的文献整理与研究”负责人、山东师范大学历史文化学院教授）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心