Research On Peng Pai’s Thought Of Peasant Movement

Since ancient times,the livelihood of farmers,the central issue for the ancient dynasties,has been placed in a critical position.For example,in the ancient feudal autocratic society,farmers were ranked second among social classes,including the"scholar,farmer,artisan and merchant." Moreover,physiocrats have become the mainstream orientation of government policies.Before the New Democratic revolution,the peasant issue was regarded as a top priority when the ancient governments formulated policies in modern times.They regarded the farmers as essential support for the country,like the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors in ancient China and Sun Yat-sen,who established the Republic of China.However,these governments were less concerned about the farmers’fundamental rights and interests.On the contrary,in the traditional feudal society,the resistance of landless farmers often became a vital force for the feudal society to change the dynasty.Though the government tended to ease the peasants’ burden after the establishment of the new feudal dynasty,oppression of peasants would keep increasing until a new resistance movement emerged after the deepening of the feudal governance.Under a chaotic controlled cycle,the productivity level of ancient China moved forward slowly,then the mode of production and status of farmers remained the same.From a general historical perspective,since modern times,the aggression of the Western imperialism powers and the oppression of feudal landlords have deteriorated the living conditions of peasants.Therefore,the peasants’ resistance has become more and more intense.In the Revolution of 1911,Sun Yat-sen raised a claim to change the previous mode of production.However,it did not mobilize the peasants as the main body of the society.Furthermore,the work shifted to the development of the bourgeoisie after the establishment of the Republic of China.As a result,people realized that only the peasant movement led by the proletariat could genuinely shake the foundation of feudal production,leading the peasants to liberation.Then,the famous Guangdong Peasant Movement led by Peng Pai was raised.As a critical organic part of the Chinese revolution,it established a basic form of worker-peasant alliance,leading the peasant masses to liberate themselves and fight for their rights and interests.Therefore,it is a vital driving force and the main form for the Communist Party of China to lead the people of the whole country against imperialism,feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism,promoting social revolution and founding of the People’s Republic of China.It also brought far-reaching influence,enriched and developed the theory of the Chinese peasant movement,and innovated the combination of Marxist theory and Chinese reality in practice.The peasant movement led by Peng Pai took place during the first Kumingtang-Communist Party Cooperation.The peasant movements in the Hailufeng area stimulated the development of the whole peasant movements in Guangdong,then promoted the establishment of the Soviet Hailufeng Government.To some extent,a relatively integrated peasant movement system has been constructed,and a relatively systematic peasant movement theory came into being.Within the Communist Party of China,Peng Pai also realized much earlier that the peasant,one of the most reliable comrades of the proletariat,was a vital force in the Chinese revolution.Not only did he learn about the importance of the peasant movement,but he also brought realistic possibilities in peasants’ participation in the revolution and self-liberation through practice.In the long-term practices of peasant movements,Peng Pai combined Marxism with the real needs of rural areas and peasants in China and formed a peasant movement theory with a prominent subject,rich content and distinct levels of Chinese characteristics.Taking the Hailufeng peasant movement led by Peng Pai as the research object,this paper analyzes its formation,main content,and essential characteristics,making a new interpretation of its great historical and practical significance.The first part discusses the factors in the formation of the peasant movement led by Peng Pai from three aspects:theoretical origin,historical background and material basis.The second part elaborates on the main content of Peng Pai’s theory of peasant movement,including peasant education,peasant association construction,peasant self-defence army construction,peasant class and worker-peasant alliance.This paper tries to conclude the fundamental law of the peasant movement from facts to experience and then move to the theoretical aspect.The third part summarizes the three characteristics of Peng Pai’s thought on the peasant movement:subjectivity,struggle and revolution,and highlights that Peng Pai’s thought on the peasant movement is close to reality,life,and farmers themselves and has a strong sense of science and regularity.The fourth part discusses the historical status of Peng Pai’s thoughts on the peasant movement based on the analysis of the influence of the peasant movement.