History of the Communist Party of China: 100 People, 100 Events

Author: Xiao Shen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: After the Xinhai Revolution, facing national peril under imperialist aggression and social darkness, the patriotic young Li Dazhao, filled with indignation, studied abroad in Japan, determined to seek a path to save the nation and its people, and resolved to dedicate himself to the cause of national liberation. During his time in Japan, he began to come into contact with Marxism by reading the works of progressive scholars such as Kaito Higuchi and Kōtarō Yasuda. A year and a half after returning to China, hearing reports about the Russian October Revolution, he was greatly moved and inspired. However, class enemies and all reactionary forces viewed the October Revolution as a "flood of beasts" and slandered the Bolshevik Party as an "extremist party." In this perilous environment, Li Dazhao, undaunted by danger and self-disciplined, after distinguishing and comparing the French bourgeois revolution and the Russian socialist revolution, published "A Comparison of the French and Russian Revolutions" in July 1918. The article elucidated the nature of the Russian revolution and its impact on the world, stating that "the Russian revolution is the revolution of the early 20th century, a revolution based on socialism, a social revolution that also carries the color of a world revolution." This was the earliest Chinese text to praise and introduce the October Revolution. In November, to celebrate the victory of the Allied Powers in World War I, Peking University held a three-day lecture series at Central Park (now Zhongshan Park). Most of the speakers indulged in abstract discussions about the triumph of "justice over power," while Li Dazhao delivered a lecture titled "The Victory of the Common People," hailing the October Revolution as "the victory of the common people," "the victory of laborism," and "the herald of the world revolution in the 20th century." He pointed out that China must follow the path of the October Revolution. Subsequently, Li Dazhao wrote an article titled "The Victory of Bolshevism," arguing that the path of the October Revolution was the only way for revolutions worldwide. He noted that the outcome of World War I was "the victory of the red flag, the victory of the world working class, and the victory of the new trend of the 20th century." With unwavering confidence, he predicted: "Look at the future of the world—it will surely be a world of red flags!" At that time, promoting the October Revolution was inseparable from spreading Marxism. These memorable words, though not mentioning the content of Marxism, actually pioneered the dissemination of Marxism, provided important ideological preparation for the May Fourth Movement, and marked Li Dazhao's transformation from an ardent democrat into a intellectual with preliminary communist ideas. P3