General Guiding Tactical Principles in the National United Front against Japanese Aggression

In order to uphold, expand and consolidate the anti-Japanese National United Front, the CPC summed up its experience in the struggle against "friction-mongering" acts of die-hard forces and formulated the general policy of "develop progressive forces, win over the middle forces and combat and isolate die-hard forces". Here, progressive forces mainly referred to workers, peasants and the urban petty bourgeoisie. The progressive forces were the foundation of the united front and the main force to rely in the Anti-Japanese War.

Developing the progressive forces meant it was necessary to break through the restrictions and shackles of the KMT while on the other hand building up the forces of the proletariat, the peasantry and the urban petty bourgeoisie, boldly expanding the Eighth Route and New Fourth Armies, and other anti-Japanese armed forces of the people, establishing anti-Japanese democratic base areas on an extensive scale, building up communist organizations throughout the country, developing national anti-Japan mass movements of people across the country.

The middle forces mainly referred to the national (middle) bourgeoisie, enlightened gentry and regional power groups. We needed some conditions to win over the middle forces: Firstly, the CPC should have sufficient strength; secondly, it should establish policies which respect and serve their interests; thirdly, it should fight resolutely with the die-hard forces and proceed to victory inch by inch. At the first stage of the Anti-Japanese War the die-hard forces included the anti-Japanese factions of the big landlord and big bourgeoisie classes, that is, the pro-British and American factions of the KMT represented by Chiang Kai-shek. These die-hard forces adopted a dual policy, advocating both resistance to Japan and on the other hand strive to restrict communists, dissolve communists, oppose the CPC and follow the reactionary policy of destroying the progressive forces.

For this reason, the CPC had to deal with them by applying a dual revolutionary policy, that is, to carry out the policy of unity and struggle, by not ignoring unity while in struggle and not ignoring struggle when in unity, both of these policies should not be neglected but the CPC should give priority to unity. In the struggle against the die-hard forces, the Party should uphold the three principles of waging struggles on just grounds, to our advantage, and with restraint. The principle of fighting on “just grounds” would enable this struggle win the sympathy and the support the people across the whole country, while the policies of “to our advantage”, and “with restraint" aimed to make such struggles against the die-hards effective, proportionate and unrestricted. Mao Zedong, accordingly, said: “We must never attack others without their provocation, but once attacked we must never fail to return the blow. Herein lies the defensive nature of our struggle.”

Only by adhering to these principles could the Party develop the progressive forces, win over the intermediate forces and isolate the die-hard forces thus resolutely carry the Anti-Japanese War to the end. Putting forward and implementing of CPC’s above principles and tactics in the Anti-Japanese United Front was of great significance in promoting the general policy of whole nation's total War of Resistance Against Japan to the end.