Speech on the Question of Organizational Unity Within the Party[1]

(April 24, 1937)

At present we see certain situations, such as the practice in some places of "a new emperor, a new set of ministers," and in northern Shaanxi there is also the problem of relations between outside cadres and local cadres, and so on. It must be made very clear that the main thing is unity on the line; only unity on this principle can lead to solidarity and unity. In the past, we had painful experiences—Chen Duxiu’s and Li Lisan’s sectarianism, and so forth. In the future, such shortcomings will still inevitably occur, because China’s economy is backward, making it easy for these shortcomings to emerge. Our task is to wage a struggle against sectarianism; only through ideological unity can we defeat the enemy. As the Party develops nationwide, the intellectual element will account for a certain proportion. The existence of this situation further increases our responsibility for education. Every organizational error always stems from an ideological deviation; organizational unity and ideological unity cannot be separated. To maintain ideological unity, it is necessary to expand democracy in the organization and to be prudent in drawing organizational conclusions.

[1] This is part of Mao Zedong’s speech on the question of organizational unity within the Party at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.