A Re-examination of the CPC’s Role as the Mainstay in the War of Resistance Against Japan

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan and the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan was the war in the Second World War that began the earliest, lasted the longest, pinned down and annihilated the most Japanese troops, and exacted the greatest national sacrifice. It was also the first national liberation war in nearly a hundred years in which the Chinese people won a complete victory, and it was a major turning point in the Chinese nation’s transition from decline to rejuvenation. It awakened the Chinese nation, changed China’s destiny, and propelled the process of China’s new-democratic revolution. Its victory completely shattered the Japanese militarists’ plot to colonize and enslave China, washed away the national humiliation of repeated defeats in resisting foreign aggression since modern times, re-established China’s status as a major power in the world, and laid an important foundation for the subsequent victory of the Chinese People’s War of Liberation and the opening up of the bright prospect of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

今年是中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年。中国人民抗日战争是第二次世界大战中开始时间最早、持续时间最长、牵制和消灭日军最多、付出民族牺牲最大的战争，也是近百年来中国人民第一次赢得完全胜利的民族解放战争，是中华民族由衰败走向复兴的重大转折点。它唤起了中华民族的觉醒，改变了中国的命运，推动了中国新民主主义革命的进程。它的胜利彻底粉碎了日本军国主义殖民奴役中国的图谋，洗刷了近代以来中国抗击外来侵略屡战屡败的民族耻辱，重新确立了中国在世界上的大国地位，为后来的中国人民解放战争的胜利和中华民族伟大复兴光明前景的开辟，奠定了重要基础。

The Necessity of Re-examining the CPC’s Role as the Mainstay in the War of Resistance Against Japan

对中国共产党在抗日战争中发挥的中流砥柱作用再认识的必要性

In 2020, at the symposium commemorating the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan and the World Anti-Fascist War, General Secretary Xi Jinping, in response to the once rampant historical nihilism that slandered the

2020年，在纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利七十五周年座谈会上，习近平总书记针对曾经猖獗一时的历史虚无主义诋毁中国共产党在抗日战争中的中流砥柱作用的言论，掷地有声地指出“中国人民抗日战争胜利是中国共产党发挥中流砥柱作用的伟大胜利”，强调“在抗日战争时期，在民族危亡的历史关头，中国共产党以卓越的政治领导力和正确的战略策略，指引了中国抗战的前进方向，坚定不移推动全民族坚持抗战、团结、进步，反对妥协、分裂、倒退。中国共产党高举抗日民族统一战线的旗帜，坚决维护、巩固、发展统一战线，坚持独立自主、团结抗战，维护了团结抗战大局。中国共产党人勇敢战斗在抗日战争最前线，支撑起中华民族救亡图存的希望，成为全民族抗战的中流砥柱”。习近平总书记的重要论述，是我们认识、研究和宣传抗日战争史的重要指导思想。

After the founding of New China, certain biases appeared in the understanding, research, and propaganda of the history of the War of Resistance Against Japan, such as overemphasizing the passive resistance of the国民党 government [1]1 国民党 (Guomindang): The Nationalist Party of China, which was the ruling party of the Republic of China during the War of Resistance Against Japan. while insufficiently affirming the role of the frontal battlefield where 国民党 troops were the main force, and so on. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party [2]2 The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC: A landmark meeting held in December 1978 that initiated China's reform and opening-up policy and restored the ideological line of seeking truth from facts., our Party re-established the Marxist ideological line of seeking truth from facts. In the research and propaganda of the history of the War of Resistance, it corrected the above biases, achieving a correct understanding and grasp of the dual nature of the 国民党 government and the role of the frontal battlefield. It recognized both the 国民党 government's side of compromise, retreat, anti-communism, and division, and its side of uniting with the Chinese Communist Party to resist Japanese aggression; it recognized both the fact of the 国民党 army's successive defeats and the heroic fighting of its broad ranks of officers and soldiers against the Japanese army and some major victories they achieved. However, during a period when the trend of historical nihilism centered on "farewell to revolution" was rampant, some people's research and propaganda went to another extreme. Cloaked in academic garb and using artistic means, on the one hand, they strove to whitewash the 国民党 diehards represented by Chiang Kai-shek, covering up their actions of compromise and retreat toward Japan and of restricting and creating friction with the Chinese Communist Party, artificially elevating the role of the frontal battlefield, and even defending the traitors and national sellouts represented by Wang Jingwei [3]3 Wang Jingwei: A prominent 国民党 politician who later collaborated with the Japanese and headed a puppet regime in Japanese-occupied China during the war., spreading the theories of "saving the nation through a detour" and "treason is justified." On the other hand, they tried by every means to belittle the role of the Chinese Communist Party and the armed forces it led, such as the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, vilified the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, and even fabricated rumors to wantonly insult the martyrs and heroes who shed blood and sacrificed their lives for the War of Resistance. After the 18th National Congress of the CPC [4]4 The 18th National Congress of the CPC: Held in November 2012, this congress marked the beginning of Xi Jinping's leadership and the launch of the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party., this phenomenon was generally curbed, but it still occasionally emerges in certain film and television works and on the internet. Therefore, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, it is very necessary to revisit General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions and, guided by these expositions, to re-understand the Chinese Communist Party's role as the mainstay in the War of Resistance Against Japan.

新中国成立后，在抗日战争史的认识、研究、宣传中出现过一些偏颇，如过多强调国民党政府消极抗战的一面，而对以国民党军队为主体的正面战场的作用肯定不够，等等。党的十一届三中全会后，我们党重新确立了马克思主义的实事求是的思想路线，在抗日战争史的研究和宣传上，纠正了上述偏颇，做到了正确认识和把握国民党政府的两面性及正面战场的作用，既看到国民党政府妥协退让、反共、分裂的一面，又看到其联合中国共产党反抗日本侵略的一面；既看到国民党军队节节败退的事实，又看到其广大将士对日军英勇作战和取得的一些重大胜利。然而，在以“告别革命”为核心的历史虚无主义思潮甚嚣尘上的一段时间里，一些人的研究和宣传又走向另一个极端。他们披着学术外衣，采用文艺手段，一方面，竭力粉饰以蒋介石为代表的国民党顽固派，掩盖其对日本妥协、退让和对中国共产党限制、摩擦的行径，人为抬高正面战场的作用，甚至为以汪精卫为代表的汉奸、卖国贼辩护，散布“曲线救国”“卖国有理”论；另一方面，千方百计贬低中国共产党及其领导的八路军、新四军等武装的作用，丑化中国共产党的领导人，甚至编造谣言，肆意污辱为抗日流血牺牲的烈士和英雄人物。党的十八大后，这种现象在总体上得到了遏制，但在某些影视作品和互联网上，仍然不时露头。因此，在中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年到来之际，很有必要重温习近平总书记的重要论述，并以这一论述为指导，对中国共产党在抗日战争中的中流砥柱作用进行再认识。

The Main Manifestations of the Chinese Communist Party's Role as the Mainstay in the War of Resistance Against Japan

中国共产党在抗日战争中发挥的中流砥柱作用的主要体现

Regarding the Chinese Communist Party's role as the mainstay in the War of Resistance Against Japan, it is at least manifested in the following eight aspects.

关于中国共产党在抗日战争中发挥的中流砥柱作用，至少体现在以下八个方面。

First, it was the first to issue the call for resistance and to carry out armed resistance. After the outbreak of the September 18th Incident in 1931 [5]5 September 18th Incident: The Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, which began with a staged explosion on a railway near Mukden (now Shenyang)., it was the Chinese Communist Party that first and consistently held high the banner of resolutely resisting Japanese aggression. Not only did it make and issue resolutions and declarations opposing the Japanese imperialists' military aggression and occupation of the three northeastern provinces at the earliest possible moment, resolutely oppose the 国民党 authorities' policy of non-resistance, and put forward that only the armed forces of the workers and peasants themselves were the truly anti-imperialist force; at the same time, it advocated organizing the masses to carry out guerrilla warfare, sent capable cadres to the northeast to strengthen Party organizational building, instructed the underground Party in the northeast to establish anti-Japanese armed forces directly led by the Party, and carry out anti-Japanese guerrilla warfare, and ultimately formed the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, which dealt a heavy blow to Japan's colonial rule in the northeast, pinned down a large number of Japanese invading troops, and effectively supported and inspired the resistance within the Shanhaiguan Pass and the nationwide anti-Japanese national salvation movement. Subsequently, the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic and the Revolutionary Military Committee of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army successively issued statements expressing willingness to conclude agreements for joint resistance against Japan with any armed forces, achieved cooperative resistance against Japan with some 国民党 members, and supported and united with various anti-Japanese organizations and armies for joint resistance. The Central Committee of the CPC also dispatched the Advance Detachment for Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation from the southern revolutionary base areas. This series of measures enabled patriotic forces to see hope, boosted their confidence, and lifted their spirits, effectively curbing the expansion of the trend of compromise and retreat and the spread of various theories of defeatism and capitulationism.

第一，最早发出抗日号召并进行武装抵抗。1931年“九一八”事变爆发后，是中国共产党首先并始终高举坚决抵抗日本侵略的大旗，不仅在第一时间作出和发表反对日本帝国主义军事侵略和占领东三省的决议、宣言，坚决反对国民党当局的不抵抗政策，提出只有工农劳苦大众自己的武装军队，才是真正反对帝国主义的力量；同时，主张组织民众开展游击战争，并且派出得力干部到东北加强党的组织建设，指示东北地下党建立由党直接领导的抗日武装，开展抗日游击战争，并最终组建了东北抗日联军，沉重打击了日本在东北的殖民统治，牵制了大量侵华日军，有力支援和鼓舞了关内抗战和全国的抗日救亡运动。此后，中华苏维埃共和国临时中央政府、中国工农红军革命军事委员会又先后发表声明，愿同任何武装部队订立共同抗日作战的协定，与部分国民党人实现了合作抗日，并支援和联合了各种抗日组织和军队共同抗日。中共中央还从南方革命根据地，派出了北上抗日先遣队。这一系列举措使爱国力量看到了希望，提升了信心，振奋了精神，有效遏制了妥协退让势头的扩大和各种失败论、投降论的蔓延。

Second, it was the first to propose the idea of establishing an anti-Japanese national united front and actively promoted 国民党-CPC cooperation. After the North China Incident in 1935 [6]6 North China Incident: A series of events in 1935 where Japan expanded its control over North China, leading to increased Chinese resistance., it was the Chinese Communist Party that launched the nationwide December 9th Patriotic Movement [7]7 December 9th Patriotic Movement: A large-scale student-led protest on December 9, 1935, in Beijing against Japanese aggression and the 国民党 government's passivity., exposing Japan's plot to swallow up North China and monopolize China, striking at the 国民党's policy of compromise and retreat, awakening the patriotic fervor of the people across the country, inspiring more sons and daughters of China to rise up in resistance, and ushering in a new upsurge in the Chinese people's movement for national salvation and democracy. Subsequently, it was again the Chinese Communist Party that first issued a declaration advocating the cessation of the civil war and joint resistance against Japan, emphasizing the need to organize and unite millions upon millions of people and all possible revolutionary allied forces, formulating a new strategy for the anti-Japanese national united front, actively carrying out work to win over allies, and promoting the formation of the anti-Japanese national united front. After the Xi'an Incident [8]8 Xi'an Incident: A 1936 crisis where General Zhang Xueliang kidnapped Chiang Kai-shek to force him to form a united front with the CPC against Japan., it was also the Chinese Communist Party that adhered to the policy of putting the overall interests of the nation first, actively mediated among all parties, facilitated its peaceful resolution, and after the July 7th Incident [9]9 July 7th Incident: The Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, which marked the full-scale outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War., stopped the policies of overthrowing the 国民党 regime and confiscating the land of the landlord class, abolished the names and designations of the Soviet government and the Red Army, agreed to reorganize the Red Army into the National Revolutionary Army under the jurisdiction of the National Government's Military Commission, thereby facilitating the second 国民党-CPC cooperation and the formal formation of the anti-Japanese national united front, building an iron Great Wall of the Chinese nation against the Japanese aggressors.

第二，率先提出建立抗日民族统一战线的主张并积极推动国共合作。1935年华北事变发生后，是中国共产党发动了全国性的“一二九”爱国运动，揭露了日本吞并华北、独占中国的阴谋，打击了国民党的妥协退让政策，唤醒了全国民众的爱国热情，激励了更多中华儿女奋起抗战，迎来了中国人民救亡民主运动的新高潮。此后，又是中国共产党最先发表宣言，主张停止内战、共同抗日，强调要组织和团结千千万万民众和一切可能的革命友军，制定出抗日民族统一战线的新策略，积极开展争取同盟者的工作，推动抗日民族统一战线的形成。在西安事变后，也是中国共产党坚持以民族利益大局为重的方针，积极斡旋各方，促使其和平解决，并在“七七事变”后停止推翻国民党政权和没收地主阶级土地的政策，取消苏维埃政府和红军的名义、番号，同意将红军改编为国民革命军，受国民政府军事委员会统辖，从而促成了国共的第二次合作和抗日民族统一战线的正式形成，筑成了中华民族抗击日本侵略者的钢铁长城。

Third, correctly formulating the line of total resistance and the general strategy of protracted war. Faced with the Chiang Kai-shek clique, which represented the interests of Western powers such as Britain and the United States as well as the big landlords and the big bourgeoisie, and which pursued a line of partial resistance—unwilling to implement democracy, improve people’s livelihoods, or dare to mobilize and rely on the broad masses—and faced with the reality that the intermediate forces placed their hopes for resistance on the Kuomintang, it was the Chinese Communist Party that correctly assessed the war situation and its evolution, formulated the Ten-Point Program for Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation, and put forward correct policies such as upholding the leadership of the proletariat within the united front, mobilizing the masses behind enemy lines, and waging independent guerrilla warfare, as well as the basic policy of reducing rent and interest to solve the peasant problem, thereby forming the line of total resistance and ensuring the sustained progress of the entire nation’s war of resistance. At the same time, Comrade Mao Zedong, in response to the “theory of national subjugation” and the “theory of quick victory” that pervaded the country, wrote *On Protracted War*, scientifically predicted the protracted nature of the War of Resistance and that the war would pass through three stages—strategic defense, stalemate, and counteroffensive—and systematically put forward the idea of waging a protracted war against Japan and a complete set of theories, strategies, and operational principles for protracted war, thereby pointing the correct path for winning over people of all social strata to participate in the resistance, greatly arousing the enthusiasm of the people in supporting the war, and inspiring and strengthening the confidence and determination of the broad masses of soldiers and civilians to achieve victory.

第三，正确制定全面抗战路线和持久战战略总方针。面对代表英美等西方国家和大地主大资产阶级利益的蒋介石集团不愿实行民主、改善民生和不敢发动依靠人民大众的片面抗战路线，以及中间力量把抗战希望寄托在国民党身上的实际情况，是中国共产党对战争形势及其演变作出了正确判断，制定了抗日救国十大纲领，提出坚持统一战线中的无产阶级领导权、在敌后放手发动群众、开展独立自主的游击战争等正确方针，以及实行减租减息以解决农民问题的基本政策，从而形成了全面抗战的路线，保证了全民族抗战的持续进行。与此同时，毛泽东同志针对弥漫全国的“亡国论”和“速胜论”，撰写了《论持久战》，科学预见了抗日战争的持久性和战争将经过战略防御、相持、反攻的三大阶段，系统提出对日实行持久战的思想和一整套关于持久战的理论、战略及作战方针，为争取全国各阶层人民参加抗战指明了正确道路，极大调动了民众支持抗战的热情，鼓舞和坚定了广大军民争取胜利的信心和决心。

Fourth, actively expanding the anti-Japanese armed forces and extensively waging anti-Japanese guerrilla warfare. Faced with the successive defeats on the Kuomintang’s frontal battlefield, it was the Chinese Communist Party that fully unleashed the power of people’s war, shattered the myth of the invincibility of the Japanese invading forces, and greatly boosted the confidence of the entire nation’s soldiers and civilians in the resistance. After the Red Army was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army and the New Fourth Army, it quickly marched to the front lines of the anti-Japanese war. In North China and areas such as southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, and central China, it fought against the Japanese and puppet forces while establishing anti-Japanese base areas and developing anti-Japanese armed forces. The Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, the Dongjiang Column established in South China, and the Hainan Island Qiongya Column, also reorganized from the Red Army, persisted in fighting the Japanese and puppet forces under extremely difficult conditions. Through a series of victories in battles against Japan, such as the Battle of Pingxingguan, the Battle of Huangtuling, and the Hundred Regiments Offensive, as well as the extensive waging of guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, the anti-Japanese armed forces led by the Chinese Communist Party annihilated large numbers of Japanese and puppet troops, disrupted the Japanese invasion plans, pinned down the forces of the Japanese and puppet armies, gradually making the enemy’s rear area the main battlefield of the War of Resistance and reducing the pressure on the frontal battlefield. At the same time, through mutual coordination and joint resistance with the Kuomintang army’s frontal battlefield, they prompted the Kuomintang government to persist in the war until final victory. At that time, China’s comprehensive national strength was far inferior to Japan’s, and the equipment and supplies of the forces led by the Chinese Communist Party were even more backward. The reason they could play such a crucial role was their close ties with the masses, their strong capacity for mobilization and organization, their effective unified command, and the tenacious style of the troops. It is no exaggeration to say that if the forces led by the Chinese Communist Party had possessed even half the equipment and supplies of the Kuomintang army, the time to victory in the War of Resistance would not have been dragged out so long, and the suffering and losses borne by the Chinese people would not have been so great.

第四，积极壮大抗日武装并广泛开展抗日游击战争。面对国民党正面战场节节败退的局面，是中国共产党充分发挥人民战争的威力，打破了侵华日军不可战胜的神话，极大地振奋了全国军民的抗战信心。红军改编为国民革命军第八路军和新四军后，迅速开赴抗日前线，在华北和苏南、皖南、华中等地，边同日伪军作战，边建立抗日根据地，发展抗日武装；在东北、华南等地建立的抗日联军、东江纵队，以及由红军改编成的海南岛琼崖纵队，也在极其困难的条件下坚持同日伪军作战。由中国共产党领导的抗日武装，通过平型关战役、黄土岭战斗、百团大战等一系列对日作战的胜利，以及敌后游击战争的广泛开展，歼灭了大量日伪军，打乱了日军的侵华部署，牵制了日伪军的兵力，使敌后战场逐渐成为抗日战争的主战场，减轻了正面战场的压力；同时通过与国民党军队主导的正面战场的互相配合、共同抗敌，促进国民党政府将抗战坚持到了最后胜利。当年，中国综合实力远不如日本，中国共产党领导的武装在装备、给养上更是落后，之所以能发挥如此关键的作用，靠的是联系人民群众的紧密、动员组织能力的强大、统一指挥的有效、部队作风的顽强。毫不夸张地说，如果中国共产党领导的武装能拥有国民党军队一半的装备、给养，抗战胜利的时间也不会被拖得那么长，中国人民所承受的苦难和损失也不会那么大。

Fifth, adhering to the policy of resistance, unity, and progress, and mobilizing all forces to join the war effort. Faced with the shift in Japan’s strategy from primarily military strikes against the Kuomintang government to primarily political inducements to surrender, and the increasingly serious activities of capitulation, splitting, and retrogression within the Kuomintang ruling clique, it was the Chinese Communist Party that, by extensively mobilizing the masses to carry out the national salvation movement against Japan, consolidated and expanded the Anti-Japanese National United Front. The Chinese Communist Party also actively supported and assisted the Kuomintang military forces fighting against Japan, taking the initiative to contact and promote the resistance or preparation for resistance by generals and regional power-holders such as Feng Yuxiang, Fu Zuoyi, Cai Tingkai, Jiang Guangnai, Zhang Xueliang, Yang Hucheng, Wang Yizhe, Yu Xuezhong, Gao Guizi, and Yan Xishan. It maintained close ties with left-wing Kuomintang figures such as Soong Ching-ling, He Xiangning, Liu Yazi, and Tan Pingshan, as well as progressive figures in the national industrial and commercial circles, cultural circles, religious circles, and overseas Chinese circles, propagating its anti-Japanese propositions to them and uniting them to participate in the anti-Japanese struggle. It was precisely these resolute and powerful actions of the Chinese Communist Party, along with its correct strategic and tactical policies and strong organizational capacity, that led more and more people to place their hopes for national independence, people’s democracy, and national prosperity on the Chinese Communist Party, forming a powerful momentum of total national resistance, building a broad and deep mass base for defeating the Japanese invaders, thereby effectively suppressing the Kuomintang’s undercurrent of capitulation and ushering in a nationwide upsurge of resistance.

第五，坚持抗战、团结、进步方针，动员一切力量投入抗战。面对日本侵略者将以军事打击国民党政府为主转向以政治诱降为主，以及国民党统治集团内投降、分裂、倒退活动日益严重的情况，是中国共产党通过广泛发动民众开展抗日救亡运动，巩固、扩大了抗日民族统一战线。中国共产党还积极支持和帮助对日作战的国民党军事力量，主动联络、推动冯玉祥、傅作义、蔡廷锴、蒋光鼐、张学良、杨虎城、王以哲、于学忠、高桂滋、阎锡山等将领和地方实力派进行抗战或准备抗战；密切联系宋庆龄、何香凝、柳亚子、谭平山等国民党左派和民族工商界、文化界、宗教界、华侨界中的进步人士，向他们宣传抗日主张，团结他们参加抗日斗争。正是中国共产党这些果断有力的行动，以及正确的战略策略和强大的组织能力，使越来越多的人把实现民族独立、人民民主和国家富强的希望寄托在中国共产党身上，形成了全民抗战的浩大声势，为战胜日本侵略者构筑了广泛深厚的群众基础，从而有效压制了国民党的投降暗流，迎来了全国上下的抗战高潮。

Sixth, correctly handling the contradictions between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and resolutely repelling and stopping the anti-Communist high tides of the Kuomintang die-hards. From the very beginning of the War of Resistance, the Kuomintang die-hards, represented by Chiang Kai-shek, adopted a policy of passive resistance against Japan and active opposition to the Communist Party. It was the Chinese Communist Party that always placed the national contradiction in the first position, adhered to the line of total resistance, adopted an offensive in the political sphere and a defensive in the military sphere, implemented the policy of “both unity and struggle with the Kuomintang, seeking unity through struggle,” resolutely resisted its wavering in the total national resistance, and exposed the seriousness of its compromise with Japan. The Chinese Communist Party’s clear stance of putting the greater national interest first won widespread sympathy and support from the people across the country, the intermediate forces, righteous figures within the Kuomintang, and international public opinion. Hundreds of cultural figures issued declarations opposing the Kuomintang’s turning its guns inward. In response to the serious incidents in which the Kuomintang die-hards, in places such as Boshan in Shandong, Shenxian in Hebei, Pingjiang in Hunan, and Queshan in Henan, manufactured attacks and killed anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians or rear-area personnel led by the Chinese Communist Party, as well as the three anti-Communist high tides they stirred up, the Chinese Communist Party gave tit-for-tat and resolute counterattacks. This effectively curbed the third anti-Communist high tide before it could develop into a large-scale armed offensive, and the critical domestic situation was thus turned for the better. Because the countermeasures were appropriate, no advantage was given to the forces that undermined unity in the resistance, the rupture of Kuomintang-Communist cooperation was avoided, and the Anti-Japanese National United Front was maintained until victory in the War of Resistance.

第六，正确处理国共矛盾，坚决打退和制止国民党顽固派的反共高潮。从抗日战争一开始，以蒋介石为代表的国民党顽固派便采取消极抗日、积极反共的方针，是中国共产党始终坚持把民族矛盾放在第一位，坚持全面抗战路线，在政治上取攻势、在军事上取守势，执行与国民党“又联合又斗争、以斗争求团结”的方针，坚决抵制其对全民族抗战的动摇，揭露了其对日妥协的严重性。中国共产党以民族大义为重的鲜明立场，得到了全国人民、中间势力、国民党内正义人士以及国际舆论的广泛同情和支持，数百位文化界人士发表宣言，反对国民党枪口对内。对国民党顽固派先后在山东博山、河北深县、湖南平江、河南确山等地制造袭击和杀害共产党领导的抗日军民或后方工作人员的严重事件，以及掀起的三次反共高潮，中国共产党给予了针锋相对的坚决回击，使国民党第三次反共高潮尚未发展成大规模武装进攻即被有效遏制，国内危急时局得以趋向好转。由于反击措施得当，没有给破坏团结抗日的势力以可乘之机，避免了国共合作的破裂，使抗日民族统一战线得以维持到抗战胜利。

Seventh, striving to build anti-Japanese democratic base areas, which served as demonstration zones for national salvation and upheld hope for the entire nation’s war of resistance. During the War of Resistance, it was the Chinese Communist Party that, through armed struggle and close ties with the masses, successively established 19 anti-Japanese democratic base areas behind enemy lines, covering a total area of over 1 million square kilometers and a total population of about 100 million, which became the strategic bases supporting protracted and extensive guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. To consolidate the base areas, the Chinese Communist Party put forward a relatively complete set of basic policies for building a new democratic society. For example, in political construction, it implemented the “three-thirds system” [10]10 The “three-thirds system” (三三制) was a policy for the composition of political power in the anti-Japanese base areas, under which Communists, progressive non-Party figures, and centrists each occupied roughly one-third of the positions in representative councils and administrative organs., grassroots elections, and streamlined administration, thereby implementing the principle of democratic centralism. In economic construction, it implemented rent and interest reduction and developed cooperative economic organizations based on the individual economy, thereby balancing the interests of both peasants and landlords. In cultural construction, it implemented a new education system aimed at resisting Japan and saving the nation, promoted the formation of various forms of educational systems, and established literary and artistic groups and a large number of rural drama troupes with the purpose of propagating resistance to Japan, launching a new cultural movement to inspire the people to resist. Against this policy background, the anti-Japanese democratic base areas presented a new atmosphere of political democracy, national unity, economic development, and clean government, forming a sharp contrast with the autocratic, corrupt, and bureaucratic situation in the Kuomintang-ruled areas. Faced with the Japanese army shifting its operational focus to the enemy’s rear areas and the Kuomintang die-hards’ economic blockade of the anti-Japanese democratic base areas, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region and other anti-Japanese base areas also universally launched large-scale production self-rescue movements, achieving improvements in the lives of soldiers and civilians and reductions in the people’s burdens, effectively supporting the arduous resistance behind enemy lines. This series of measures not only laid a solid material foundation for persisting in the resistance behind enemy lines but also set an example for China’s social governance, greatly strengthened the flesh-and-blood ties between the Chinese Communist Party and the people of the base areas, enhanced the Party’s prestige among all social strata in China and its international image, and upheld hope for the entire nation’s salvation from subjugation and survival.

第七，努力进行抗日民主根据地建设，起到了树立救亡图存示范区的作用，为全民族抗战撑起了希望。在抗日战争中，是中国共产党通过武装斗争和密切联系群众，陆续建立起总面积达100多万平方公里、总人口约1亿人、遍布敌后的19块抗日民主根据地，成为支撑持久、广泛的敌后游击战争的战略基地。为了巩固根据地，中国共产党提出了一套比较完整的建设新民主主义社会的基本政策。比如，在政权建设上，实行“三三制”和基层选举、精兵简政，以此贯彻民主集中制原则；在经济建设上，实行减租减息，发展个体经济基础上的合作经济组织，以此兼顾农民和地主两方面利益；在文化建设上，实行以抗日救国为目标的新教育制度，推动形成各种形式的教育体制，成立以宣传抗日为主旨的文艺团体和大批农村剧社，开展激励人民抗战的新文化运动。在此政策背景下，抗日民主根据地呈现出一派政治民主、民族团结、经济发展、政府廉洁的新气象，与国民党统治区专制独裁、官僚腐败的局面形成了强烈反差。面对日军把作战重点转向敌后战场和国民党顽固派对抗日民主根据地的经济封锁政策，陕甘宁边区和各抗日根据地还普遍掀起大规模的生产自救运动，实现了军民生活改善、人民负担减轻，有力支持了敌后的艰苦抗战。这一系列举措，不仅为坚持敌后抗战奠定了坚实物质基础，也为中国的社会治理树立了示范，大大增强了中国共产党同根据地人民的血肉联系，提高了中国共产党在国内各阶层中的威望和国际形象，为全民族救亡图存撑起了希望。

Eighth, countless anti-Japanese heroes and heroic deeds emerged, forging the great spirit of the War of Resistance for the victory of the war. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, it was the Chinese Communist Party that exemplarily played the role of the vanguard of the Chinese nation, forging the great spirit of the War of Resistance, the Yan’an spirit, and the spirit of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army through its practical actions of hard struggle, fearlessness of sacrifice, rooting itself among the masses, equality between officers and men, strict discipline, and consideration for the overall situation. These spirits not only greatly enriched the spiritual genealogy of Chinese Communists but also became an important component of the Chinese national spirit, providing powerful spiritual strength for the victory of the war. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the anti-Japanese military and civilians led by the Chinese Communist Party paid enormous sacrifices, giving rise to countless heroic figures and groups whose stories move people to tears, such as Yang Jingyu, Zhao Shangzhi, Zuo Quan, Peng Xuefeng, Zhao Yiman, and the “Eight Women Throwing Themselves into the River,” the “Five Heroes of Langya Mountain,” and the “Liu Laozhuang Company.” [11]11 The 18th National Congress of the CPC, held in November 2012, marked the beginning of the New Era under Xi Jinping’s leadership and the adoption of the “Two Establishments” (establishing Xi These heroes and their deeds represented the image of the Chinese Communist Party and were the carriers of the great spirit of the War of Resistance. It was precisely this spirit and these heroic deeds that won the respect of the broad masses of the people, including patriotic progressive figures, for the Chinese Communist Party, attracted the participation of a large number of intellectuals, including writers, professors, and university students, and became the banner that throughout the entire process of the War of Resistance always led the Chinese nation to advance amid the enemy’s gunfire. As the comment of the US Army Observer Group stationed in Yan’an at the time stated, the war of resistance led by the Communist Party had “a vibrant atmosphere and strength, a desire to engage the enemy, which was rarely seen in Kuomintang China.”

第八，涌现出无数抗日的英雄人物和事迹，为抗战胜利凝练出伟大的抗战精神。在抗日战争中，是中国共产党模范发挥了中华民族先锋队的作用，以艰苦奋斗、不怕牺牲、扎根群众、官兵平等、严守纪律、顾全大局的实际行动，铸就了伟大的抗战精神、延安精神、抗联精神。这些精神不仅大大丰富了中国共产党人精神谱系，也成为中华民族精神的重要组成部分，为抗战胜利提供了强大精神力量。在抗日战争中，中国共产党领导的抗日军民付出了巨大的牺牲，涌现出杨靖宇、赵尚志、左权、彭雪枫、赵一曼和“八女投江”“狼牙山五壮士”“刘老庄连”等无数可歌可泣的英雄人物、英雄群体。这些英雄及他们的事迹，代表了中国共产党的形象，是伟大抗战精神的载体。正是这种精神和这些英雄事迹，赢得了包括爱国进步人士在内的广大人民群众对中国共产党的尊重，吸引了包括作家、教授、大学生在内的广大知识分子的加入，成为抗战全过程中始终引领中华民族冒着敌人炮火前进的旗帜。正如当年美军驻延安军事观察组的评论所说，共产党领导的抗战，“有一种生机勃勃的气氛和力量，一种和敌人交手的愿望，这在国民党的中国是难以见到的”。

As long as one respects historical facts, it is not difficult to see from the above eight aspects the mainstay role played by the Chinese Communist Party in the War of Resistance Against Japan. An important reason for the repeated setbacks suffered by modern China in its struggles against foreign aggression

只要尊重历史事实，都不难从以上八个方面看出中国共产党在抗日战争中所发挥出的中流砥柱作用。近代中国在抗击外来侵略的斗争中屡遭挫折，其重要原因就在于统治集团的腐朽无能和民族内部的软弱涣散。在内忧外患中诞生成长的中国共产党，自成立之初就把为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴确立为自己的初心使命。历史事实充分表明，是中国共产党勇敢战斗在抗日战争最前线，凝聚组织起全民族力量共御外侮，从而洗刷了中华民族自鸦片战争以来的百年耻辱。如果没有中国共产党，抗日战争将难以有正确路线的指引、广大民众的参与和强大的精神支撑，也不会有真正的民族独立和人民解放。

Through a reconsideration of the Chinese Communist Party’s role as the mainstay in the War of Resistance Against Japan, we unite the broad masses more closely around the Chinese Communist Party and strive unremittingly for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

通过对中国共产党在抗日战争中发挥中流砥柱作用的再认识，把广大群众更加紧密地团结在中国共产党周围，为实现中华民族伟大复兴而不懈奋斗

On 3 September 2014, in his important speech at the symposium commemorating the 69th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan and the World Anti-Fascist War, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that “the Chinese Communist Party’s role as the mainstay was the key to the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan,” emphasizing that “the Chinese Communist Party adhered to the line of total resistance, formulated correct strategies and tactics, opened up extensive enemy rear areas, and became the backbone of the resistance. No matter how arduous the conditions, how perilous the situation, or how brutal the war, the Chinese Communist Party always insisted on resistance and opposed capitulation, insisted on unity and opposed splits, insisted on progress and opposed retrogression, and together with all patriotic parties, groups, and the broad masses, jointly maintained the overall situation of united resistance. With their own political propositions, firm will, and exemplary actions, the Chinese Communists propped up the hope of the entire nation for survival in the face of national subjugation and led the correct direction for winning the war, becoming the national vanguard in achieving victory.” General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important exposition is the most incisive summary of the Chinese Communist Party’s role as the mainstay in the all-nation War of Resistance.

2014年9月3日，习近平总书记在纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利69周年座谈会的重要讲话中指出“中国共产党的中流砥柱作用是中国人民抗日战争胜利的关键”，强调“中国共产党坚持全面抗战路线，制定正确战略策略，开辟广大敌后战场，成为坚持抗战的中坚力量。无论条件多么艰苦、形势多么险恶、战争多么残酷，中国共产党始终坚持抗战、反对投降，坚持团结、反对分裂，坚持进步、反对倒退，同各爱国党派团体和广大人民一起，共同维护团结抗战大局。中国共产党人以自己的政治主张、坚定意志、模范行动，支撑起全民族救亡图存的希望，引领着夺取战争胜利的正确方向，成为夺取战争胜利的民族先锋”。习近平总书记的重要论述，是对中国共产党在全民族抗战中发挥中流砥柱作用的最为精辟的概括。

After the 18th National Congress of the CPC [11]11 The 18th National Congress of the CPC, held in November 2012, marked the beginning of the New Era under Xi Jinping’s leadership and the adoption of the “Two Establishments” (establishing Xi, the situation in China’s ideological sphere underwent a comprehensive and fundamental transformation. The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core emphasized that ideological work is the work of establishing a foundation for the country and a soul for the nation, that it is necessary to establish and uphold the fundamental system of Marxism’s guiding position in the ideological sphere, and to clearly oppose and resist erroneous trends of thought such as historical nihilism. These requirements not only clarified theoretical right and wrong and calibrated the orientation of work, but also created a clean and upright public opinion environment. We must also recognize that hostile forces at home and abroad will never be reconciled to defeat, will not voluntarily withdraw from the historical stage, and will use various opportunities, pretexts, and banners to belittle and deny the Chinese Communist Party’s role as the mainstay in the War of Resistance Against Japan, thereby slandering and attacking our Party’s history, in an attempt to negate our Party’s qualification to govern, overthrow the Party’s leadership, and the socialist system. As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan and the World Anti-Fascist War, we must, in conjunction with the history of the War of Resistance, revisit General Secretary Xi Jinping’s relevant important expositions, adhere to the correct view of the history of World War II and the War of Resistance, vigorously publicize the Chinese Communist Party’s role as the mainstay in the War of Resistance Against Japan, uphold historical truth, and counter the fallacies of historical nihilism with historical facts. Only by remembering history can we create the future. Correctly understanding and vigorously publicizing the Chinese Communist Party’s role as the mainstay in the War of Resistance Against Japan will help people further correctly understand the history of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance and the history of the CPC, understand the greatness, glory, and correctness of the Chinese Communist Party, thereby further enhancing the spiritual strength for unity and struggle, uniting the broad masses more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, advancing courageously along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and striving unremittingly to build China into a great modern socialist country and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!

党的十八大之后，我国意识形态领域形势发生全局性、根本性的转变。以习近平同志为核心的党中央强调，意识形态工作是为国家立心、为民族立魂的工作，要确立和坚持马克思主义在意识形态领域指导地位的根本制度，旗帜鲜明地反对和抵制历史虚无主义等错误思潮。这些要求不仅廓清了理论是非，校准了工作导向，更营造了风清气正的舆论环境。我们也要看到，国内外敌对势力绝不会甘心失败，不会自动退出历史舞台，还会利用各种机会，使用各种借口，打出各种旗帜，贬低和否认中国共产党在抗日战争中的中流砥柱作用，以此污蔑、攻击我们党的历史，妄图达到否定我们党的执政资格、推翻党的领导和社会主义制度的目的。我们纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年，就要结合抗日战争史，重温习近平总书记的有关重要论述，坚持正确的二战史观、抗战史观，大力宣传中国共产党在抗日战争中的中流砥柱作用，维护历史真相，以历史事实反击历史虚无主义的谬论。铭记历史才能开创未来，正确认识和大力宣传中国共产党在抗日战争中的中流砥柱作用，有助于人们进一步正确认识中国人民抗战史和中共党史，认识中国共产党的伟大、光荣、正确，从而进一步增进团结奋进的精神力量，把广大群众更加紧密地团结在以习近平同志为核心的党中央周围，沿着中国特色社会主义道路奋勇前进，为把我国建成社会主义现代化强国、实现中华民族伟大复兴而不懈奋斗!

Online editor: Jing Mu

网络编辑：静穆