A Paragraph Added to "On the Political Work in the Army"[1]

(April 11, 1944)

Ever since the Communist Party of China participated in and led the Chinese national democratic revolution, and ever since it participated in and led the revolutionary army fighting for this national democratic revolution, it has created and developed revolutionary political work in the army. The basic principle of this political work is to educate the masses with the program of the national democratic revolution, to educate the army with the spirit of the people's revolution, to achieve internal unity within the revolutionary army, to achieve unity between the revolutionary army and the revolutionary people and the revolutionary government, to make the revolutionary army fully submit to the political leadership of the revolutionary party, to enhance the army's combat effectiveness, and to carry out the work of disintegrating the enemy forces and coordinating with friendly forces, thereby attaining the goals of uniting ourselves, defeating the enemy, liberating the nation, and liberating the people. This is the principled distinction between our army and other armies. When we say that the revolutionary political work led by the Communist Party is the lifeline of the revolutionary army, this is precisely what we mean. If our army lacked the leadership of the Communist Party, and if it lacked the revolutionary military work and revolutionary political work led by the Communist Party, it would be inconceivable. Without the leadership of the Communist Party, there could be no military work and political work that thoroughly upholds the interests of the people, and an army without such military work and political work could not possibly be an army that thoroughly upholds the interests of the people. The fundamental reason why the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army have been able, in the War of Resistance Against Japan, to persist so heroically, struggle arduously, make sustained and redoubled efforts, and remain indomitable through all setbacks, lies precisely here.