Proletarian Party

Political organization with the task and purpose of fighting for and maintaining the interests of the proletariat, liberating the proletariat and even liberating all mankind.

Proletarian parties have gone through a process of continuous development from their establishment to the growth of their ranks; in June 1847, the League of the Just held its first congress in London, which, on the initiative of Marx and Engels, was transformed into the Communist League, and was therefore also the first congress of the Communist League. The Communist League became the first proletarian party in the world founded on scientific socialism and replaced the League of the Just’s slogan “All men are brothers” with the battle-cry “Proletarians of all countries, unite!”. From November 29 to December 8, 1847, the League held its second congress in London and entrusted Marx and Engels with the drafting of The Communist Manifesto. The Manifesto systematically explained a series of fundamental principles of Marxism, laid down the foundation of the Marxist doctrine of party building, and expounded the nature, characteristics, basic programme and tactical principles of Communist party. After the Paris Commune, under the guidance of the Marxist theory of party building, proletarian parties and organizations have been established in many countries and regions of the world, with names such as the Communist Party, the Labor Party, the Workers’ Party or the Communist League, etc. In 1869, the Social Democratic Workers’ Party of Germany (the Eisenachers), established by the German proletariat, was the first proletarian party to be established within the scope of the nation-state in the history of the international communist movement. In the early 20th century, in leading the revolutionary struggle of the Russian proletariat, Lenin systematically and scientifically elaborated the fundamental principles of proletarian party building in the light of the actual situation in Russia, explained the fundamental aim, basic theory, organizational principle and goal of struggle that must be upheld in building a proletarian party of a new type through the analysis and critique of the erroneous ideas of the Second International and within the Russian Party, and in 1903, the party of the Russian proletariat, the Bolshevik Party, was established. In July 1921, under the influence of the October Revolution in Russia, Li Dazhao, Chen Duxiu and Mao Zedong established the Communist Party of China with the help of the Communist International (Comintern) in accordance with Marx and Lenin’s thoughts of proletarian party. Leaders of the Communist Party of China like Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping answered the question of “what is the party, what kind of party to build and how to build it” in the new period, and continuously strengthened the construction of the advanced nature of the Communist Party of China in terms of thoughts and theories, political consciousness, organizational discipline, style of work, combatting corruption and maintaining a clean government, enhanced the party’s governance capacity and made it become a strong leading core for the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the present times, proletarian parties and organizations have been established in many countries and regions of the world, with a large number of party members and a significant effect; some of these communist parties are ruling parties, leading the socialist construction of their own countries, and some of them hold power in local areas or even participate in politics at the national level, profoundly influencing the course of history in the contemporary world.

The important task of proletarian parties lies in combining the universal truth of Marxism with the concrete practice of the revolution in their own countries, leading the proletariat and the broad masses of the people, waging class struggle, defeating their enemies, achieving victory in the national democratic revolution, socialist revolution and socialist construction, gradually eliminating the three major distinctions, making everyone become workers with a development in all respects and new social men, and ultimately achieving communist society and accomplishing the great historical mission entrusted to the proletariat. In order to play the role of advanced fighters, proletarian parties must be guided by advanced theories, i.e., by the scientific world outlook of dialectical and historical materialism, formulate and implement correct programmes, lines and tactics, maintain closest ties with the masses, resolutely oppose bureaucratism, uphold the principles of proletarian internationalism, and support the struggles of the oppressed nations of all countries for national independence and national liberation. Lenin pointed out that by educating the workers’ party, Marxism educates the vanguard of the proletariat, capable of assuming power and leading the whole people to socialism, of directing and organizing the new system, of being the teacher, the guide, the leader of all the working and exploited people in organizing their social life without the bourgeoisie and against the bourgeoisie. A vanguard performs its task as vanguard only when it is able to avoid being isolated from the mass of the people it leads and is able really to lead the whole mass forward.

The Communist Party is the highest form of proletarian party and the most advanced and resolute section of the workers’ parties of every country, that section which pushes forward all others. The Communists do not form a separate party opposed to the other working-class parties. Marx and Engels pointed out in The Communist Manifesto: “The Communists are distinguished from the other working-class parties by this only: (1) In the national struggles of the proletarians of the different countries, they point out and bring to the front the common interests of the entire proletariat, independently of all nationality. (2) In the various stages of development which the struggle of the working class against the bourgeoisie has to pass through, they always and everywhere represent the interests of the movement as a whole. The Communists, therefore, are on the one hand, practically, the most advanced and resolute section of the working-class parties of every country, that section which pushes forward all others; on the other hand, theoretically, they have over the great mass of the proletariat the advantage of clearly understanding the line of march, the conditions, and the ultimate general results of the proletarian movement.”

Proletarian parties are advanced, conscious and organized forces relying on the support of the proletariat and the working people and armed with Marxist-Leninist revolutionary theories. The nature of a proletarian party is that it is a consistently revolutionary party, the vanguard of the proletariat, concentrating the advanced elements of the proletariat, and the leading core of the cause of socialist revolution and construction, and its aim is to fight for the interests of the proletariat. It has a unified programme, strategy and tactics, a unified organization and discipline; it upholds the guidance of correct lines such as seeking truth from facts and the mass line, follows the strict principles of democratic centralism and collective leadership to ensure the union and unity of the party, and has the weapons of criticism and self-criticism to ensure the strong fighting potential and the purity of its ranks. Only a proletarian party can truly represent the interests and aspirations of the proletariat and the broad masses of the people and shoulder the responsibility of leading the cause of emancipation of all mankind. Just as Engels pointed out: “Experience has shown everywhere that the best way to emancipate the workers from this domination of the old parties is to form in each country a proletarian party with a policy of its own, a policy which is manifestly different from that of the other parties, because it must express the conditions necessary for the emancipation of the working class.”