Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the founding of our Party and the sixth anniversary of the War of Resistance. At present, all anti-fascist forces throughout the world and in China—communist parties of every nation as well as our own Communist Party of China—have but one single task: to defeat the fascist aggressors of Germany, Italy, and Japan, who are the common enemies of humanity.

Comrade Mao Zedong, summing up six years of the War of Resistance, remarked that China has been fighting for six years already, a period which, in terms of duration, is even longer than that of other countries. He pointed out that over the past year the situation in the world war has undergone a fundamental transformation. Formerly, all nations were under attack by fascism; the fascists took the initiative to invade every country and, in their offensives, they won victories and oppressed the anti-fascist powers. That was the previous state of affairs—a most unfavorable, arduous, and dire condition. The present situation, however, is entirely different; it has fundamentally changed. This change has occurred within the past year. The success of the Soviet winter offensive, the Anglo-American victories in North Africa, the Anglo-American successes in the Pacific, together with China’s steadfast six-year resistance, have brought about this radical transformation. Among these factors, the great victory at Stalingrad played the principal and decisive role in reversing the tide. In the past, the fascist aggressors were rampant and held the initiative in their hands; now, they have lost that initiative, which has passed into the hands of the Allied Powers. With firm conviction, Comrade Mao stated that the task ahead is to vanquish fascism. This will be accomplished in two stages: first Germany, then Japan. The coming year will be the year of the decisive battle in Europe. Comrade Mao noted that last year he had predicted that Europe could reach a decisive stage in 1942; however, since the Second Front in Europe had not yet been opened, that did not come to pass. This year, again, the key issue remains the establishment of this Second Front in Europe. The sooner it is set up, the sooner victory will arrive.

Comrade Mao further explained: In the past, we used to point out trends and possibilities. As communists, we constantly did so in order to help everyone see a bright future amid difficulties. The Allies’ former passive position has now given way to an active stance; therefore, what was once merely a possibility has today become a concrete reality. Although Europe still lacks a Second Front, it is certain that this will soon be realized. This is the goal toward which all humankind is striving today.

Turning to the Chinese theater of war, Comrade Mao said that once the chief culprit Hitler is defeated, the second-ranking Japanese fascists will inevitably be overthrown as well. Some people in the rear areas remain confused and object to prioritizing the defeat of Hitler, but this view is incorrect. The entire world has now formed a united anti-fascist front, and no country fights in isolation. Consequently, when formulating strategy, we should not consider only the immediate interests of a single nation, but rather determine what action would be most beneficial to the overall anti-fascist coalition. From this perspective, it becomes clear that defeating Hitler will make the elimination of Japan much smoother.

Having compared the past six years of the War of Resistance with the current situation, Comrade Mao concluded: It can be confidently asserted that the bright future we have long foreseen is now drawing near.

Comrade Mao then summarized the 22-year history of the Communist Party of China, contrasting the world of the First World War with that of the Second World War, and comparing China twenty-two years ago with China today. He emphasized that the conclusions drawn from these comparisons strengthen our confidence in a new, brighter world and a new, brighter China, assuring us that both the world and China are moving in that direction—whether the world will quickly become a light-filled realm and China a radiant nation remains to be seen.

Comrade Mao began by comparing the two world wars. Over the course of thirty years, the world witnessed two unprecedentedly large-scale conflicts, which were an inevitable outcome of global economic development. Lenin accurately foresaw the First World War, while Stalin correctly predicted the Second. Their accurate predictions serve as proof that Marxism-Leninism is a genuine scientific truth.

The First World War was an unjust, imperialist war. At that time, there existed only the Bolshevik Party in Russia, and very few individuals elsewhere were true communists. Meanwhile, the social-democratic parties of various countries, led by figures who supported the imperialist war, largely consisted of unenlightened members. Such was the situation thirty years ago.

By contrast, the face of the world had completely changed by the time of the Second World War. The Allies included socialist states, capitalist countries, and colonies and semi-colonies alike. Communist parties from many nations participated in this just war.

Only in the third year of the First World War did the Bolshevik Party in Russia establish the socialist state—the Soviet Union. Just over two decades later, the Soviet Union had become the central protagonist in the global anti-fascist struggle. Without the Red Army, the Soviet people, and their leader Stalin, and without the Battle of Stalingrad, the fate of humanity would still have been uncertain. Thanks to the Bolshevik Party guided by Lenin and Stalin, old Russia transformed into the socialist Soviet Union. The emergence of this socialist territory exerted a profound influence on the entire world, ultimately enabling the Soviet Union to assume its leading role in the global anti-fascist campaign.

As for the international communist movement, following the victorious October Revolution of 1917, the Communist International was founded in 1919. Subsequently, in the East, the Communist Party of China was established in 1921, the Japanese Communist Party in 1922, and the Indonesian Communist Party in 1933. Our own Party held its First National Congress twenty-two years ago, attended by only twelve delegates; today, it has grown into a massive political organization.

Over its twenty-two-year history, the Communist Party of China has carried out three major revolutionary campaigns. Now, it works in concert with the people of the whole country to forge a united front and concentrate our strength against the Japanese invaders. We are by no means a party acting in isolation; rather, the people of the entire nation—and indeed, people around the globe—are standing with us in opposition to Japanese fascism. The forty-five million people of China, the forty million in India, the ten million in Southeast Asia, and the ten million in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan—all are, in essence, resisting Japanese fascism. Comrade Mao warmly welcomed Mr. Okano Susumu, leader of the Japanese Northern Party and representative of the Japanese people, saying, “We have long been secluded in the mountains. We greatly appreciate Mr. Okano’s visit and guidance. This meeting is necessary for uniting to overthrow Japanese fascism, and in the future, it will be essential for building a new China alongside Japan.”

Comrade Mao then turned to a comparison between present-day China and China during the First World War. He explained that back then, China had no Communist Party, and the people were not sufficiently enlightened to distinguish between foreign powers as either good or bad, nor did they yet recognize the need to differentiate between imperialists and benevolent workers and peasants. By that time, Marx had been dead for seventy years, yet we were still unfamiliar with his ideas. Even teachers of philosophy, economics, and sociology in our schools did not know his name. China already possessed a culture rooted in old-style democracy, but a culture of new democracy—with new democratic literature and art—had yet to emerge. Indeed, vernacular Chinese had not even been officially acknowledged. During the First World War, China was one of the belligerent nations, but it served only the imperialists, thereby failing to alter its semi-colonial status and instead deepening it.

In contrast, present-day China is a nation engaged in the War of Resistance. Its people have awakened to the necessity of joining the international anti-fascist front to fight against fascism. With the advent of the Communist Party and cultural progress, we have made significant strides. Often, we take the many changes unfolding before our eyes for granted, yet each of these developments represents a momentous shift heralding a new era.

It is thus evident that not only has the War of Resistance itself undergone a fundamental transformation over the past six years, but also that the worlds and societies of thirty years ago and today stand in stark contrast—a sweeping, earth-shattering advance. This progress has been forged by human hands. The current anti-fascist war must surely give rise to a more progressive world and a more advanced China. Allowing fascism to drag the world backward is unacceptable. Moving forward is our overarching direction.

“Having a direction requires corresponding policies,” Comrade Mao declared. He then shifted his focus to policy matters, noting that policies can be divided into two categories: those applicable nationwide and those specific to the border regions and enemy-occupied base areas behind enemy lines. Regarding national-level policies for the War of Resistance, the Central Committee’s declaration marking the sixth anniversary of the war put forth four recommendations to the government: “Intensify combat operations,” “Strengthen unity,” “Improve governance,” and “Boost production.” As for what should follow the eventual victory in the war, our Party had already made this clear in last year’s July 7th Declaration: we intend to continue cooperating with all political factions to jointly build the nation.

Comrade Mao next addressed the Party’s policies in the border regions and behind enemy lines. He explained that our resistance involves two fronts—the front lines and the rear areas—and that the struggle in the latter is particularly fierce. There, the Party has been actively working, and over the years we have developed numerous innovative measures, such as counter-“sweeps,” countering “encroachment,” streamlining the military and government apparatus, fostering close ties between the Party and the people, supporting the army, launching mass production campaigns, and rectifying the Three Improper Trends, among others. Comrade Mao emphasized that while we might merely offer suggestions regarding shortcomings observed elsewhere, in the border regions and behind enemy lines we can take direct action ourselves; therefore, we must strive to do our work even better.

Comrade Mao divided the Party’s policies in the rear areas and border regions over the six years of the War of Resistance into two distinct periods. The first spanned four and a half years from the outset of the war (until the end of 1941), while the second comprised the most recent year and a half.

During the first period, the Party concentrated its efforts on the following issues: how to form the Anti-Japanese National United Front, how to mobilize the masses, how to coordinate with friendly forces to resist the Japanese army’s strategic offensives, how to establish base areas behind enemy lines, and how to formulate various policies—such as land policy, labor policy, and the Three-Thirds System policy—none of which could be postponed. Moreover, in the final year and a half of this initial phase, we were forced to contend with two major clashes involving anti-communist elements.

In the second period, namely the most recent year and a half, in addition to continuing the aforementioned tasks, we undertook further initiatives, including the Rectification Campaign to address the Three Improper Trends, the streamlining of the military and government apparatus, and movements to strengthen ties between the Party and the people and support the army. Comrade Mao spoke at length about the Rectification Campaign, stressing that it ensured ideological and political unity within the Party as well as the purity of its organizational composition. He underscored that these efforts must be pursued relentlessly to secure victory in the War of Resistance—to overcome the enemy, surmount present difficulties, and usher in a brighter future.

(July 3, 1943, Liberation Daily)