On Party Member’s Self-Cultivation with Regard to Organization and Discipline

Liu Shaoqi's speech at the Party School of the Central Bureau of the CPC Central Committee from November 4 to 6, 1941. It was included in Liu Shaoqi on Party Building published by the Central Party Literature Press in 1991.

From the perspective of the Party's organizational structure, the article expounds the necessity of Party members' accomplishment in organization and discipline. It is pointed out that the structure of our Party is not a mixture, not a simple summation of hundreds of thousands of members, not without a certain structure, but hundreds of thousands of members combined according to a certain form of organization and certain rules; a contradictory combination of rank and file, Party leaders and Party members, organizations superior and subordinate to the Party.

This organizational structure of the Party gives the Party a strong combat effectiveness. The Party is a collective whole composed of different Party members and different organizational departments. The concrete combination form of the Party is democratic centralism.

The article outlines the essence and connotation of Party members' accomplishment with regard to organization. It is pointed out that the organizational accomplishment of Party members reflects the relationship between individual Party members and the Party as well as the relationship between individual Party members and other Party members.

What standpoints, ways and attitudes should Party members adopt to treat the Party and other Party members so as to achieve unity within the Party, strengthen the Party's combat effectiveness and promote the Party's progress? This is the Party member's accomplishment with regard to organization.

The article discusses the content, essence and concrete form of the Party's unity. It is pointed out that the content and essence of the solidarity of the Party is the ideological consistency caused by Marxism. Such a consistency in ideology is the most fundamental. Because of the Party members’ consistency in ideology, a consistency with regard to organization, action and discipline has been formed. This is the concrete form of the Party's solidarity. If there is no consistency in organization, discipline and action, consistency in ideology will not be embodied and there will be no way to sustain and consolidate it. The solidarity of the Communist Party is the result of such consistency in ideology, as well as consistency in organization, discipline and action.

The article discusses the relationship between the Party members and the Party. It is pointed out that the relationship between the Party members and the Party is the relationship among the Party members, the relationship between the Party members and the rank and file, that is, the relationship with the subordinates, with the central government, with the branch secretary, and with the group leader.

Every Party member should establish correct relations with other Party members, with the Party's leading organs and with the leaders in accordance with his concrete position within the Party. This relationship is based on the principle of democratic centralism.

The article expounds the basic principles of the Party's democratic centralism and its importance. It is pointed out that the Party is a collective whole composed of different Party members and different organizational departments. The concrete combination form of the Party is democratic centralism. The democratic centralism of the Party reflects how the Party combines the broad masses of Party members with the leaders of the Party, how it combines all departments of the Party with the Central Committee of the Party, and how it combines the higher-level organizations with the lower-level organizations of the Party. The basic principles of democratic centralism are: the minority is subordinate to the majority, the subordinate is subordinate to the superior, the individual is subordinate to the organization, and the whole Party is subordinate to the central committee.

The article emphasizes that the principle of democratic centralism should be thoroughly implemented. Because the mode of organization is a major issue of principle. In order to ensure and consolidate the unity and solidarity of the Party, we must first stabilize this principle of organization.

The article also discusses the dialectical relations between democracy and centralism, freedom and discipline, collective leadership and individual responsibility, and the Party's cadre policy.

At the end of the article, it is pointed out that in the Party, any honest person who is sincere and frank must not fail in the end. Communists should bear hardships first and enjoy happiness later. This is also the spirit of "worry before the world does, happy after the world is". Every Party member should cultivate himself in accordance with the correct relations within the Party, be a decent person and play an active role in the Party. In this way, the Party will unite, and a good Party will be build to guarantee the victory of the revolution.

The article has played a positive role in educating Party members to strengthen organizational discipline and implement the principle of democratic centralism of the Party.