Chen Duxiu And Sinicization Of Marxism

The 1920s and 1930s are of the most importance in the beginning of sinicization of Marxism. Represented by Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, the leaders of the CCP had made great exploratory contribution to the sinicization of Marxism, which had gradually got the academic circles’ attention and admiration. Chen, as the key leader in the early period of the party, was one of the most controversial leaders in the history of Communist Party of China. In his life which devoted himself to the revolution, he had once led the trend of the times and also made some mistakes due to his divorce from the realities in China and out of the times. Thus, the study based on his own experiences, about the origin of sinicization of Marxism and its tough experiences is of typical significance. According to the latest research data, especially the disclosed documents after the former Soviet Union disintegrated; This article is going to illustrate the tentative contributions and some lessons about combining Marxism with the realities in China by examining Chen’s accepting, propagating and practicing Marxism. All of these are done to estimate the depth and the breadth of the influence he made in the process of sinicization of Marxism so as to provide some supportive arguments in favor of the laws of sinicization of Marxism.Based on the main clue of Chen’s all-life devotion to China for its survival and his political activities and theoretical achievement got from his early practice of combining the basic principles of Marxism and the realities in China, this article unifies history and logic, uses both overall analysis and microscopic evidence to integrate the research of the laws of sinicization of Marxism into the study so as to go deep into the historical condition at the time and thought left by Chen.Meanwhile, this article compares the contribution of Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, Li Hanjun, Li Da, Qu Qiubai and so on in this respect by using comparison research in carding Marxism theoretical research and the process of spreading. For the basic problem of the exploration in the Chinese revolution, We make contrast with Chen Duxiu’s views in different historical periods, and also with Mao Zedong’s understanding of the basic problem. Thus we can see more clearly Chen Duxiu’s success and failures in exploration of Marxist sinicization. With scientific pursuit-of-truth spirit and broad historic perspective, we should dig Chen Duxiu’s early contribution and achievements in exploring sinicization of Marxism, refer and alert his early exploring in experiences and lessons.In this paper, we will use six chapters to show a more comprehensive historical background of Chen Duxiu’s way to Marxism, and obtains the theoretical results in order to clarify and recover Chen Duxiu’s original face in history for political and route struggle obscured by clouds so as to provide enlightenment for promoting the process of sinicization of Marxism todayThe first chapter combs the formation and evolution of Chen Duxiu’s Marxist ideology from diachronically dimensions, which mainly describes the history process of Chen Duxiu’s quick transformation from a Feudal scholar to a Marxist at the background of Chinese ethnic peoples’ survival and salvation in the early 20th century, dating back to his main activities in the Great Revolution and the touching story from the failure of Great Revolution to his old age. It presents his attitude to Marxism from admirable belief to mechanical application and doubtful denial, demonstrating the complicated relationship among the infancy Communist, the Communist International, Bolshevik and Kuomintang, which reflects Chen’s unique role in history as the executor of the Communist International decision-making, the Kuomintang’s partner and the leader of CCP.Chapter two is to comb Chen Duxiu’s great contribution and limitation in the process of Sinicization of Marxism-Leninism. As the flag-bearer of New Culture Movement and May 4th Movement of "Commander in Chief”, Chen Duxiu got a high reputation in the intellectual, educational and cultural circle at that time. He resolutely accepted and vigorously spread Marxism, playing a leading role in guiding the time. In the debate of various non-Marxist thought, he had a clear-cut advocacy of Marxism, which influenced a whole generation of young devoted to communist movement and was recognized as the most influential communicators of Marxist at that time. However, due to the influence of national crisis and the restriction of personal knowledge structure, Chen’s study of Marxism is not so deep and it has the feature of selectivity, lack of dogma and simplification in the communication process.Chapter three is to comb the exploratory contributions that Chen had made and historical limitations in the aspect of Marxism-Leninism foundation thought sinicization. Chen Duxiu, with the guidance of the Communist International and Communist Party (Bolshevik), created CCP in accordance with Lenin’s thought. As the main founder of the Party, he launched the historical beginning of the Chinese Communist, which provided a strong organizational foundation and a core of leadership. Due to the special nature of Chinese society and lack of solid theoretical, Chen despised theory, ignored inner-party democracy and made some other mistakes in the practice of Party building.The Party’s historic limitation---the naive in the self-construction and over-reliance on Communist International profoundly influenced the process of sinicization of Marxism.Chapter four ananlyzes the achivements and lessons Chen made in the basic issues in China’s rovolution by exploring its nature, task, subject,motivation and future path. Its Specific performance are as following:the Communist International, Communist Party (Bolshevik) under the direct leadership, Chen proposed a theory of national revolution, the first KMT-CPC cooperation to promote the realization of the end of the underground Communist Party of the state; the rise and develpoment of worker-peasant movement promote the appearance of first wave of the Chinese revolution, which gave a a powerful blow to the imperialist and feudal force. However, because of inadequate understanding of China’s national conditions, the characteristics of the Chinese revolution and the understanding of the law is unclear as well as influence by the communist International and the original ideology of bourgeois democracy, Chen made serious mistakes in basic issues in exploring the Chinese revolution and put forward some errous thoughts such as "Theory of Second Revolution" and "Urban-centered Revolution", which brought lots of trouble to the Chinese revolution. After the failure of Grand Revolution, Chen joined and led the Chinese Trotskyist organization, making a wrong chioce to the path of the Chinese revolution. In addition, due to imperfect inner-party democracy and personal dictatorship, he split the party and dispersed of the revolutionary forces, objectively impeding the development of the revolution.Chapter five studies Chen’s understanding and historical bias of the socialism. Combined with changes in specific historical conditions, the changes clarify Chen’s socialist ideology. Chen’s socialist construction, based on reflections on the faults made by the Soviet Union to explore, put forward the view that socialism and democracy cannot be separated from each other, criticising the Stalinist bureaucratic authoritarianism system. the which was the first time in the history of the development of Marxism in China and maintaining that socialist democracy and capitalism should be inherited by the capitalist production system and the openness of view. However, the political struggle within the party due to unhealthy Soviet influence and the CPC and the deepening of Stalin’s political grudges, because of the dogmatic Marxist-Leninist understanding of the Chinese revolution to take shape his understanding of the path of socialism has gone wrong, and therefore armed separatist opposition in the countryside to explore with Chinese characteristics, encircling the cities from rural roads; he exaggerated the universality of capitalist democracy, socialist model of the criticism of Stalin, with one-sided error emotional, or even a suspect, denying Leninist’s big mistake.The sixth chapter evaluates Chen Duxiu’s status in the twists and turns of sinicizatione of Marxism in history. From the perspective of Marxism phylogeny, it confirms his harsh search for his determination to principals of sinicization of Marxism and places him to the initiator of Chinese communist movement; the pioneer of the sinicization of Marxism. All he has done provides theoretical basis for the new democracy theory of Mao Zedong. Based on the scientific attitude of summarizing history and guiding future, Chen Duxiu’s achievements and failures must be regarded as the resources to push the process of Marxism sinicization forward. It inspires that we must uphold the principle of independence, at a new historical starting point, combining the Marxism with Chinese practical closely. With a strongly holding to the productivity standard and democratic socialist construction goal, we can promote the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, make greater achievements in the twenty-first century, realizing the history as representative of the early Chen Marxist’s dream of modernization in China and the great vision for national rejuvenation.