The Party’s Leadership over the United Front and the Establishment of a Democratic Republic
(September 16, 1936)
The national bourgeoisie had participated in the Great Revolution but betrayed it in 1927.
Now, due to the deepening economic crisis and Japanese oppression, the comprador bourgeoisie holds an absolute advantage within the Nanjing regime,
creating the possibility that the national bourgeoisie may shift toward the revolutionary camp. Facts have proven that only the Communist Party possesses the strength to lead the anti-Japanese united front; however, this leadership must be actively won, which is precisely what we are doing at present. Meanwhile, the Kuomintang is also striving to secure leadership over the peasantry and the petty bourgeoisie.
There exists the potential for the middle classes to form new political parties. They enjoy broad mass support, yet their stance remains wavering. It is imperative that we endeavor to win them over. During the Great Revolution, our alliance with the bourgeoisie was a world first—an alliance that was, in essence, led by the Communist Party. Today, as we once again seek to unite with the bourgeoisie, it is even more crucial that we assume the leading role, so as to ensure victory in the War of Resistance against Japan. All possible means should be employed to compel Chiang Kai-shek to engage in resistance against Japan. Intensifying united front work among all parties outside Nanjing will further pressure Chiang to adopt an anti-Japanese stance. We have shifted from overthrowing Chiang to criticizing him, and from opposing him to forming an alliance with him, while maintaining unwavering vigilance. In accordance with instructions from the Comintern, establishing a democratic republic constitutes the immediate task. Such a democratic republic will be of a bourgeois character, yet it differs from the Western modern state advocated by the Kuomintang; rather, it will be a state of workers and peasants with bourgeois participation. Once a democratic republic is established, we ought to take part in it, while safeguarding the Communist Party’s political independence. Ultimately, the establishment of a democratic republic can only be achieved under conditions of expanding mass movements, a growing Red Army, and the continuous expansion of soviets.

[1] This is part of Mao Zedong’s speech at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.