People’s Democratic United Front

The CPC united all forces that could be united and smashed Chiang Kai-shek regime relying itself on the basic policy of attacking and overthrowing the reactionary rule of the KMT. On July 20, 1946, the CPC Central Committee put forward in “Smashing Chiang Kai-shek’s Offensive by a War of Self-Defense”: "We must cooperate closely with the masses of the people and win over all who can be won over.” “In the rural areas, on the one hand, we should resolutely solve the land problem, rely firmly on the farm labourers and poor peasants and unite with the middle peasants; on the other hand, when solving the land problem, we should distinguish the ordinary rich peasants and middle and small landlords from the traitors, bad gentry and local tyrants. We should be more strict in our treatment of the traitors, bad gentry and local tyrants, and more lenient in our treatment of the rich peasants and middle and small landlords. In places where the land problem has already been solved, we should change to a moderate attitude towards the landlord class as a whole, with the exception of a few reactionaries. In order to reduce the number of hostile elements and to consolidate the Liberated Areas, we should help all those landlords who have difficulty in making a living and induce runaway landlords to return and give them an opportunity to earn a living.”

"In the cities, besides uniting with the working class, the petty bourgeoisie and all progressives, we should take care to unite with all the middle elements and isolate the reactionaries.” “Among the KMT troops, we should win over all the possible opponents of civil war and isolate the bellicose elements.” Under the leadership of the Party, we must mobilize the masses, unite all forces that can be united, and establish the broadest people's democratic united front. The foundation and main pillar of the people's democratic united front should be the alliance of workers and peasants.

In May 1946, the CPC Central Committee issued the “Instructions on Liquidation, Rent Reduction and Land Issues”, which marked the change of the Party's land policy from the implementation of rent reduction and interest reduction to the realization of land policy which handed the land to the tiller. In 1947, the Working Committee of the CPC Central Committee formulated the “Outline of Land Law of China”, which openly raised the revolutionary banner of abolishing landlords’ land ownership.

The reform of the land system was an earth-shaking change in China unprecedent within the period of thousands of years, which liberated the vast number of peasants economically and politically, provided inexhaustible human, material and financial resources to support the War of Liberation. With the People's Liberation Army turning into a strategic offensive, the rule of the KMT authorities was also on the verge of collapse.

The KMT government forcibly levied manpower, material and financial resources to support the civil war and made the people live on the edge of starvation. By enforcing reactionary laws and persecuting progressive students and Democrats, the KMT ruled areas were shrouded in white terror. The KMT ruling clique was also full of contradictions and splits.

The economy of KMT ruled areas collapsed in 1948. Against this background, the people placed their hopes on the victory of the People's Liberation War. Democratic parties and non-Party democratic figures began to increasingly support the People's Revolutionary War.

In January 1948, National Democratic League leaders Shen Junru and others held the Third Plenary Session of the First Central Committee of the National Democratic League in Hong Kong, declaring that they would not accept any decision to dissolve the League and restored its headquarters, and clearly expressed their intention to "work in cooperation" with the CPC. This marked the shift of the National Democratic League to the New-Democratic Revolution.

From November 12, 1947 to January 1, 1948, the Three Principles of the People Federation, the China Association for Promoting Democracy, the Democratic Revolutionary League and other KMT Democrats held a meeting of representatives of the KMT Democratic Party in Hong Kong.

On January 1, 1948, the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese KMT (hereinafter referred to as "the Democratic Revolution") held its founding meeting and elected Soong Ching ling as honorary chairwoman and Li Jishen as chairman. The meeting declared that "the current revolutionary task is to overthrow Chiang Kai-shek's traitorous dictatorship and realize China's independence, democracy and peace." After that, the Association of Democratic Revolution publicly acknowledged the leadership of CPC.

China's Democratic Founding Congress, the China Association for Promoting Democracy, Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party, Jiu San Society, China Zhi Gong Party and Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League also expressed their support for the New-Democratic Revolution. On April 30, 1948, the CPC Central Committee issued the slogan of May Day, calling for the convening of a new political consultative conference without reactionaries to prepare for the establishment of a democratic coalition government. This call was echoed by democratic parties and non-Party democrats.

After August of that year, under the leadership of the CPC, democratic personages participated in the preparations for the New Political Consultative Conference and the establishment of a new China. On this basis, a system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC gradually formed.