Where does the name Communist Party of China come from?

2. Shanghai communist group changed its name from the "Socialist Party" to the "Communist Party" very soon.

Zhang Shenfu said, while recalling the situation in the beginning of the party's founding, that Chen Duxiu wrote to him on deciding the name for the party. He discussed later with Li Dazhao and decided to use the name "Communist Party". At that time, some western social democratic parties had degenerated into opportunistic parties. For example, the American Socialist Party had split into three factions in 1919 - the Socialist Party, Communist Party and Communist Labor Party; the British Socialist Party had also split into the Communist Party and the Labor Party in 1919. These communist parties had joined the Communist International. Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao eventually called their group the Communist Party, which was in line with the trend of the times.

The materials above note from a side that it is normal for the name change in the historical development of a group. That the name "Social Communist Party" appeared in Yu Xiusong's diary indicates the undecided state of members of the party organization on the name "Socialist Party" and "Communist Party".

At that time, some other communists were calling for a communist party to be organized. On August 13, 1920, Cai Hesen, who was studying in Europe, wrote to Mao Zedong and called on China to learn from the transition of socialist parties to communist parties in Western counties.

On November 7, 1920, Grigori Voitinsky issued "Chinese Laborers and Labor and Farmer Parliament Russia" and pointed out: American laborers have organized the largest Communist Party as a support to the new Russia.

The Shanghai communist group established the monthly magazine "Communist" in November, 1920, dubbed the clear name of "Communist". The first issue clarified the claim the founding of communism in China. In November, 1920 the cover of the monthly magazine "Communist" has the Chinese character equivalent of "The Communist" in large writing, which was similar with the cover of the British Communist's party journal. This indicated that the Shanghai communist group had explored the communist movement and pattern by learning from the communist parties in foreign countries.

In the same month, the Shanghai communist group created the "Communist Party of China Declaration" in which they clearly proposed to found the Communist Party of China, relying on the masses of workers and famers to make proletarian revolution and establish the proletariat dictatorship for the realization of the lofty communist ideal.

With the help and support of the Shanghai organization, early Communist organizations in other places were also named "Communist Party". In October, 1920, a Beijing-based early party organization with the name "Communist Party Group" was set up in Li Dazhao's office in the library at Peking University. Later on, it was decided to establish a "Communist Party Beijing Branch".

In July 1921, the name "Communist Party of China" was made clear in the program of the Communist Party of China at the First National Congress of the Party. A brand-new unified proletariat party with the action guidance of Marxism-Leninism and the goal to realize socialism and communism began to appear in China, with which Chinese revolution had a strong leadership from then on.

Edited by Zhang Ruoqiong