On the Cultivation of Communist Party Members

Liu Shaoqi's work on the exercise and cultivation of Party spirit of Communist Party members.

The speech delivered on July 8, 1939 at the institute of Marxism-Leninism was serialized in Issue 81-84 of Liberation Weekly from August 20 to September 20, on November 7 of the same year, Xinhua Bookstore in Yan'an published a single edition, and was compiled into Rectification Literature published by Liberation Society in 1943. It was reprinted by the People’s Press in 1962 after revision by the author. It was included in the Selected Works of Liu Shaoqi (Part I) published by People’s Press in 1981. Various foreign language translations are available.

The article mainly focuses on the Party's ideological construction from the height of Party spirit, and the ideological construction of the Party should start from strengthening the ideological consciousness cultivation of Communist Party members.

It also discusses the necessity for communists to cultivate their ideology and consciousness. It puts forward the criteria for the cultivation of Communist Party members. It outlines the contents of the cultivation of Communist Party members. It clarifies the fundamental purpose of communists' cultivation and proposes methods and approaches for communists' cultivation. The article focuses on the importance of inner-Party unity and how to consolidate the issue of inner-Party unity and solidarity, how to implement the principles of democratic centralism in the Party, and how the leading organs of the Party at all levels and their heads implement the principles of democratic centralism.

The article points out that communists are the most advanced revolutionaries in modern history, modern bearers and promoters of the transformation of society and the world. Communists are in a constant struggle to transform society and the world, as well as themselves. The exercise and cultivation of revolutionary practice, the exercise and cultivation of proletarian consciousness, is important for every Party member. Our Communist Party did not fall from the sky. Rather, it emerged from Chinese society. Every Party member came from Chinese society and still lives in it today, and is in constant contact with all the bad things in this society. It is not surprising that members of the Party, whether proletarian or non-proletarian, old or new, will carry more or less the ideology and habits of the old society. In order to maintain the purity of our vanguard fighters of the proletariat and to improve our revolutionary quality and working ability, every Party member must strengthen his or her training and cultivation in all aspects.

The article discusses the relationship between the ideological cultivation of communists and the revolutionary practice of the masses, theoretical study and ideological cultivation, as well as the transformation of the subjective world and the transformation of the objective world and puts forward the specific criteria for being a qualified communist.

The article points out that every member of the Communist Party should not just be a minimum adequate member of the Party, but should strive for progress in accordance with the provisions of the Party's constitution, constantly raise our level of consciousness, and strive to study Marxism-Leninism and all the excellent heritage of our history. We should actively participate in the practice of the labor revolution and strengthen self-cultivation and study in practice.

The article emphasizes that the purpose of the ideological cultivation of Communists is to train themselves to be a loyal and pure progressive model Party member and cadre.

The article is a good teaching material for Party members to exercise and cultivate their Party spirit. It plays an important role in strengthening the Party's ideological and theoretical construction. It has a long-term guiding significance for strengthening the Party's construction, rectifying the Party's style of work, and maintaining the Party's advanced and purity.

After the article was publicly published, it had a great impact in the Party and quickly received high praise and full recognition from comrades throughout the Party. Mao Zedong thought the article was well written, "advocating righteousness and opposing evil spirit". Deng Xiaoping said that Liu Shaoqi's "On the Cultivation of Communist Party Members" and other writings on Party building had educated the majority of Party members throughout the Party and were a valuable asset to our Party.