Gao Gang (1905-1954)

Originally named as Gao Chongde, courtesy name Shuoqing; he was born in Hengshan County, Shaanxi Province. He entered Yulin Middle School in autumn 1925 and joined the CPC in 1926. Between 1927 to 1931, Gao Gang organized a large number of peasant meetings in Xiangshuibao and other places which led to the establishment of a large number of peasant associations, and he secretly carried out infiltration operations and secret Publicity within the local forces of the KMT in Northwest China and led armed uprisings.

In 1932, the Northwest Anti-Japanese and Anti-imperialist United (Coalition) Army was reorganized as the the Shaanxi-Gansu Guerrilla Force of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, for example 32th Red Army was formed and the Hailong Guerilla brigade formed the Independent First Division of the Northwest People’s Revolutionary Army, In this period Gao Gang was appointed as the Political Commissar of the Second Division. In August 1933, he served as the political Commissar of the Provisional General Headquarters of the Red Army in the Shaanxi-Gansu Border Region. Since November 1933, he served as the Political Commissar of the 42nd Division of the Red 26th Red Army; he was one of the founders of the Shaanxi-Gansu Red Army and the Shaanxi-Gansu revolutionary base area. Since February 1935, Gao Gang served as the Vice-Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Commission and the Director of Political Department of the Chinese Workers'and Peasants' Red Army.

In early October, due to the influence of Wang Ming's “Left” opportunism, in the CPC Leadership, he was detained with Liu Zhidan and other leading cadres. In April 1938, Gao Gang became secretary of the Party Committee of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region of the Communist Party of China. In early 1941, he became secretary of the Central Bureau of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region of the CPC and appointed as the Secretary of the Northwest Bureau of the CPC in April. Since November 1945 he served as the Chief-commander of the North Manchuria Region. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he was ordered to go to the Northeast. In June 1946, he became Deputy Secretary of the Northeast Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Deputy Political Commissar of the Northeast Democratic United (Coalition) Army. At the end of 1947, he was appointed as the First Deputy Commander and Deputy Political Commissar of the Northeast People's Liberation Army.

After 1949, he became the Secretary of the Northeast Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Chairman of the Northeast People's Government, Commander and Political commissar of the Northeast Military Region. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was elected as the Vice-Chairman of the Central People's Government. In November 1952, he was appointed as the chairman of the National Planning Commission of the Central People's Government and chairman of the Northeast Administrative Committee. In 1953, he was transferred to the Central Government work. In February 1954, at the Fourth Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Party, he was exposed and criticized for his conspiracy to usurp the supreme power of the Party and the State. On August 17 of the same year, he committed suicide at the age of 49. In March 1955, the Central Committee of the CPC decided to expel Gao Gang from the Party membership.