—A Sketch of Chairman Mao's Speech [at the First All-Soviet Congress]—January 22, 1934

Comrades! On behalf of the Central Executive Committee, I declare the opening of the First All-China Soviet Congress. (Music plays) Comrades! Today is the opening day of the First All-China Congress of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers' Soviets. On behalf of the Central Executive Committee, I extend revolutionary greetings to all the delegates. Two years and two months have passed. In the past two years, the development of events throughout the country has fully demonstrated and proven that the counter-revolutionary ruling class is further wavering and collapsing, while the Soviet movement and the national revolutionary struggle have greatly developed. China is a country oppressed and invaded by imperialism, a country slaughtered, oppressed, and enslaved by the landlord-bourgeois Kuomintang government. Vast territories of the country have been given to the imperialists by the Kuomintang, subjecting all of China to the threat of imperialist partition and joint control, bringing China to the brink of destruction. Under these circumstances, the working class, peasants, and toiling masses of China, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, have united themselves, armed themselves, and established their own government and state. Our First All-Soviet Congress declared the establishment of this state, which is our Chinese Soviet Republic. From then on, there has been an extremely sharp opposition between two political powers in China. The development of the revolution in the past two years has further expanded the national revolutionary situation. The broad masses of workers and peasants, united under the banner of the Soviets, are attacking our enemies, the imperialists and the Kuomintang. In the past two years, we have achieved extremely great victories. The imperialists and the Kuomintang are trembling in the face of our victories. After three "encirclement and suppression" campaigns, they organized the fourth and even the fifth "encirclement and suppression" campaigns. But we have broken through the enemy's four "encirclement and suppression" campaigns, and we have already achieved the first step of victory in crushing the fifth "encirclement and suppression" campaign. Now we are in the decisive battle against the fifth "encirclement and suppression" campaign, at the most critical juncture. In the past two years, the national Red Army has achieved great victories in bloody struggles. In the midst of this, many of our comrades shed their last drop of blood for the Soviets and gloriously sacrificed themselves. Many comrades who led the revolutionary struggle in the Kuomintang areas and white areas were slaughtered by the Kuomintang. Among these comrades are Huang Gonglue, Zhao Bosheng, Wei Baqun, Yun Daiying, Cai Hesen, Deng Zhongxia, Chen Yuandao, Lu Yi, Shen Zemin, Wang Liang, Hu Alin, Zhang Xilong, Wu Gaoqun, Peng Ao, and others. They gloriously sacrificed themselves on the front lines, on all fronts, under the enemy's bullets and knives. I propose that we observe three minutes of silence to express our condolences and admiration for these comrades. (All delegates stand and observe three minutes of silence) The task of the Second All-China Soviet Congress is to thoroughly crush the enemy's fifth "encirclement and suppression" campaign, to push the Soviet movement to all of China, and to oppose the imperialist Kuomintang's conspiracy to destroy China. Our congress bears a great responsibility. Our congress should call on all the Soviet areas and all the workers, peasants, and toiling masses of China to fight for the expansion of a million-strong iron Red Army, call on the masses in all Soviet areas and all of China to arm themselves, concentrate all their strength, crush the fifth "encirclement and suppression" campaign, strive for the greatest and most thorough victory in the revolutionary war, and strive for the victory of the revolution in all of China. Our congress is the highest political power organ in the country. It has great power to solve these problems. We believe that we will definitely be able to solve these problems and that we have complete confidence in solving these problems. Our congress will thoroughly crush the fifth "encirclement and suppression" campaign, develop the revolution to the whole country, expand the territory of the Soviets to all places ruled by the Kuomintang, and plant the red flag throughout the country. Let us shout: Long live the First All-China Soviet Congress! Long live the new Soviet China! (Overwhelming applause)