The Sixth Session of the "21st Century Marxism Grand Lecture" Held
Report from China Social Science Net (CSSN): Recently, the sixth lecture of the "Marxism in the 21st Century Forum" was held in Beijing. The event was hosted by the Academic Division of Marxist Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and organized by the Institute of Marxism Studies. Chen Li, former Director of the Academic and Editorial Committee of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, was invited to deliver a specialized report titled "The Historical Inevitability of the 'Two Establishments'." Gong Yun, Vice President of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, presided over the event.
Chen Li, former Director of the Academic and Editorial Committee of the CPC Central Committee Institute of Party History and Literature, delivered the specialized report. (Photo provided by Wang Yi)
Chen Li stated that the Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party’s Centennial Endeavor [1] explicitly points out that the Party's establishment of Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and its establishment of the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, reflects the common will of the whole Party, the entire military, and Chinese people of all ethnic groups. It is of decisive significance for the development of the Party and state cause in the New Era and for the historical process of advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This major political judgment was made on the basis of a comprehensive summary of the major achievements and historical experiences of the Party's century of struggle, particularly a focused summary of the historical achievements, historical transformations, and fresh experiences accumulated in the cause of the Party and the state since the 18th CPC National Congress [2].
Chen Li elaborated on the historical inevitability of the "Two Establishments" from three aspects.
First, the historical inevitability of the "Two Establishments" should be understood through the deep theoretical origins of Marxism and the practice of the international communist movement. Chen Li argued that basic Marxist theory, especially the Marxist theory of Party building, contains important ideological content regarding the maintenance of the Party Central Committee's authority and centralized, unified leadership. From the classic works of Marxism, we can also understand that maintaining the authority of the Central Committee and centralized, unified leadership is not limited to the field of Party building. Marx and Engels, combining their investigation into the large-scale production methods of modern industry, also made significant developments in this regard. For example, in Capital, Marx used modern production as an example to emphasize centralization and unity; in On Authority, Engels also emphasized the necessity of organization. Regarding the practice of the international communist movement, Marx and Engels further deepened their understanding of centralized authority and the establishment of a core of Party leadership through their great practice of leading the movement and carrying out the proletarian struggle. By summarizing the experiences and lessons of the international communist movement—especially the failure of the Paris Commune—our understanding of maintaining the Party's centralized, unified leadership has been further deepened. From the perspective of Lenin’s development of Marxism, Lenin integrated the Marxist theory of Party building with the reality of the Russian Revolution, profoundly analyzing and discussing the relationship between leaders, the political party, classes, and the masses. In terms of organizational construction, he clearly proposed the important idea of building a new type of proletarian party, which greatly enriched and developed the Marxist theory of Party building.
Second, the historical inevitability of the "Two Establishments" should be profoundly understood through the Party’s magnificent hundred-year course of struggle. Chen Li proposed that the "Two Establishments" can be described as an inevitable conclusion drawn from our Party’s century-long struggle. Strengthening the Party's centralized leadership, maintaining the Party's leadership core, and ensuring the whole Party's ideological unity, political solidarity, and consistency of action have been major political principles and distinct advantages consistently upheld by our Party for over a century.
Chen Li elaborated on this via four "key points" in the Party's centennial journey.
The first key point is the founding of the Party. From its inception, our Party very clearly established the major political principle of maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee and centralized, unified leadership. This was reflected in the Party programs and Party constitutions formulated at the First [3] and Second National Congresses of the CPC. The second key point is the Zunyi Conference [4], which summarized our Party's experiences and lessons, focused on solving the military and organizational problems that were of decisive significance at that time, established the Party's correct leadership, solved the problem of the Party's leadership core, and achieved a great historical turning point. The third key point is the Seventh National Congress of the CPC [5], which formally established Comrade Mao Zedong’s leadership position in the Party Central Committee. The fourth key point occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s; in the face of profound and complex changes in the domestic and international situation at that time, our Party further deepened its understanding of maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee, centralized leadership, and the establishment of a leadership core.
Finally, the historical inevitability of the "Two Establishments" should be profoundly understood through the great practice of historical achievements and transformations in the cause of the Party and the state since the 18th CPC National Congress. Chen Li stated that the great practice of the decade of transformation in the New Era fully demonstrates the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments" for the development of the Party and state cause and for promoting the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This should be grasped from five aspects: first, profoundly understanding the new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core since the 18th CPC National Congress regarding the maintenance of Central Committee authority and centralized, unified leadership; second, profoundly understanding that the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core is the fundamental guarantee for the historical achievements and transformations achieved in the New Era; third, profoundly understanding the major role of Comrade Xi Jinping, as the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the whole Party, in "steering and navigating" [6] the historical achievements and transformations of the New Era; fourth, profoundly understanding the scientific guidance provided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, as contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism, for these historical achievements and transformations; and fifth, profoundly understanding that the "Two Establishments" are a historical inevitability and the choice of both history and the people.
In his concluding speech, Gong Yun stated that this report addressed the historical inevitability of the "Two Establishments" from multiple dimensions—including theoretical logic and practical reality—by focusing on Marxist theory and international communist practice, the Party's magnificent century of struggle, and the historical transformations of the New Era. The report is rich in historical material and possesses deep theoretical foundation; it possesses both historical transparency and an interaction between theory and practice. The report provides profound inspiration for scholars of the Institute of Marxism Studies to further research and interpret Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
(Authors: Zhang Yaning, Long Mengyao) Source: China Social Science Net