Comprehensive Consolidation of the Party

The 12th National Congress of the CPC held in Beijing Between September 1 to 11, 1982, decided to carry out a comprehensive rectification in respect to Party's style of work and organization in the three years starting from the second half of 1983.

Accordingly, the Second Plenary Session of the 12th Central Committee of the CPC, held on October 11 to 12, 1983, adopted the “Decision of the Central Committee of the CPC on Party Consolidation”, and decided to start the Party consolidation movement in an all-round way since after the winter of 1983.

The tasks of the Party consolidation movement were: (1) To unify the Party’s thinking, further achieve a high degree of ideological and political unity within the ranks of the Party, and correct all erroneous tendencies of both “Left” and right which violate the Four Cardinal Principles and the Party's line since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee.

(2) To rectify the Party’s style of work, to carry forward the revolutionary spirit of serving the people wholeheartedly, correct all kinds of acts of utilizing power for personal gain, and oppose bureaucracy that contradicts the Party’s good work style tradition and arbitrary, irresponsible towards the people.

(3) Strengthen discipline, adhere to the organizational principle of democratic centralism, oppose unorganized and undisciplined patriarchal system, paternalism, factionalism, anarchism and liberalism, and change the weak and loose situation of Party organizations.

(4) To purifying organizations shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Party Constitution, clear out and expel those who persist in opposing and endanger its advanced nature. Cleaning up the "three kinds of people" principle was set as the key approach in purifying Party organizations. “Three kinds of people", first kind refers to those who rose to prominence during the “Cultural Revolution”. They were close to the counter revolutionary cliques of Lin Biao and Jiang Qing, and their ilk, formed factions and cliques, seized power in rebellion, rose to high positions and committed evil deeds.

Second type of people were those, who were seriously factionalist in their conducts, during the "Cultural Revolution", they vigorously propagated the reactionary ideology of the counter revolutionary cliques of Lin Biao and Jiang Qing. They ganged up together to commit crimes. After the fall of the “Gang of Four”, they have continued, either openly or covertly, with their factional activities.

Third type of people were those who indulged in beating, smashing and looting, during the Cultural Revolution, they falsely framed and persecuted the cadres and the masses, on false charges, extorted confessions by torture, and victimized everyone. Also included are the chief instigators and the behind-the-scene planners who were guilty of smashing institutions, seizing files by force and damaging both public and private property; this also included those who have planned, organized and directed armed fights. The meeting also established several principles from the following aspects: requirements of conduct for Party members and leading cadres, steps and basic methods for Party consolidation, organizational processing and registration of Party members, the need to prevent excessive acts, leadership in Party consolidation work, consolidation and development of the achievements of Party consolidation campaign, and demanded resolute and creative implementation of the “Decision” by Party organizations at all levels.

This campaign of comprehensive Party consolidation further promoted the Party's ideological line of seeking truth from facts, comprehensively achieved the education on the Party's basic theory, Party's correct line, principles and policies, as well as achieved significant progress in Party's ideological, organizational, work style construction and discipline construction, as well as laid a solid foundation for the new development of Party building under the new historical conditions and the smooth development of the Reform and Opening-up led by the Party.