Zang Xiuling: Marx and Engels’ Thought on the Party Spirit Cultivation of the Proletarian Party and Its Implications

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee pointed out that "to govern the country, one must first govern the Party; only if the Party flourishes can the country be strong," and that we must "resolutely implement the requirements for the Party's self-revolution to the letter, and promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of the Party's conduct construction." As the distinct hallmark of the Party's continuous advancement of self-revolution and strengthening of conduct construction in the New Era, party-spirit cultivation ^[1] has become the key to maintaining the Party’s advanced nature and purity. In December 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at a democratic life meeting ^[2] of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee that "leading officials must take the tempering of party-spirit and the raising of ideological awareness as a lifelong task." So-called "party-spirit" (党性 dǎngxìng) refers to the inherent, essential attributes of a political party; it is the manifestation of the characteristics of its political activities and propositions, concentrated in the class character the party represents. Party-spirit is the universality built upon the basis of the particularity of party members; it is the essential attribute that distinguishes a party from others. At the level of values, it manifests as class position, guiding ideology, and governing philosophy; at the institutional level, it manifests as operating mechanisms, organizational structures, and internal Party regulations; at the practical level, it manifests as policy propositions, basic programs, and strategic planning. Party-spirit cultivation, then, refers to the process by which party members, through long-term tempering and nurturing, bring their understanding of party-spirit, their awareness, their policy proficiency, and their moral sentiments to a new level. It is the external manifestation of party-spirit and the necessary guarantee for fulfilling the Party's historical tasks; it is a fine tradition of the Communist Party of China as well as an internal requirement of the development of the times. Strengthening party-spirit cultivation refers to the activity in which the broad masses of party members, through the systematic application of a series of basic norms, consciously resist various erroneous values and ideological tendencies and strictly regulate their own words and deeds, thereby continuously transforming their subjective world.

Although Marx and Engels mentioned "party-spirit" only three times in their writings, they covered three different dimensions with a broad vision, referring respectively to the party-spirit of socialist theory (the theoretical level), the party-spirit of Lassalle (the individual spiritual level), and the party-spirit of the Social Democratic Party (the party organizational level). By comparing this with the content of the requirements for party-spirit cultivation for the Communist Party of China in the New Era, one can find that Marx and Engels, in the practice of leading the international communist movement, had already proposed a series of truthful concepts and scientific requirements regarding the party-spirit cultivation of the proletarian party. They emphasized that the whole party must "adopt a certain party-spirit position in politics," must "understand the conditions, progress, and general results of the proletarian movement," must "absolutely observe party discipline," and must always uphold the value ideals of "sacrificing oneself for humanity" and "working for humanity." These requirements inherently contain the sound political, theoretical, disciplinary, and moral cultivation that a proletarian party should possess, constituting the early framework and ideological source of the party-spirit cultivation system. In the view of Marx and Engels, party-spirit exists inherently within the political party, and the party-spirit of the proletarian party is specifically embodied in its theoretical, class, and organizational nature. Therefore, against the backdrop of the whole party carrying out in-depth study and education to implement the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations and the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, revisiting and systematizing the thoughts of Marx and Engels on the party-spirit cultivation of the proletarian party holds significant theoretical and practical importance for further improving the system for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and implementing the Eight-Point Regulations.

I. The Proletarian Party Must "Adopt a Certain Party-Spirit Position in Politics"

Political cultivation is the core and foundation of a party's party-spirit cultivation; it is the fundamental element of a party's survival. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "political cultivation must be placed at the head of party-spirit cultivation." Marx and Engels attached great importance to the position, direction, principle, path, and consciousness of the proletarian party’s "engagement in politics," providing theoretical support for the proletarian party to enhance its political cultivation. The political cultivation of a proletarian party involves cultivating a political position of "seeking interests for the vast majority," a political direction that unifies phased goals with long-term goals, political principles that resolutely uphold the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership, a political path of formulating and following a correct political program, and a political consciousness of achieving "the most radical rupture with traditional property relations" and "the most radical rupture with traditional ideas."

First, regarding its political position, the proletarian party must seek interests for the vast majority. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "In the final analysis, party-spirit is a question of position." As the representative of the broad working class and laboring masses, the proletarian party must "adopt a certain party-spirit position in politics"—that is, it must always strictly abide by its class attributes and political position, taking the maintenance of the fundamental interests of the proletariat as its core political mission. In the view of Marx and Engels, party-spirit cultivation occupies an important position in the process of the proletarian party’s growth and maturation, the core of which is grounded in the position of the broad oppressed classes. The proletarian party should clarify its political position and "become an independent political party" rather than becoming an appendage of bourgeois parties. From the perspective of revolutionary purpose, the proletarian party is the first party in human history to represent and maintain the interests of the exploited classes, having "no interests separate and apart from those of the proletariat as a whole"; it consciously serves the proletariat and the masses of the people, representing the interests of the proletariat at all stages of revolutionary development. The revolutionary movement led by the proletarian party is a revolt against the heavy exploitation and oppression of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie. Its revolutionary goals concern not only the immediate interests of the oppressed classes but, more importantly, the fundamental interests of the broad masses at the grassroots. From the perspective of the revolutionary cause, with the spread and expansion of the capitalist mode of production worldwide, the aggression and bloating of capital valorization evolved into a world-historical existence. "Capitalism inaugurated world history, but the future of world history is not the total victory of capitalism." Therefore, the revolutionary cause of the proletarian party has also transformed from the national liberation of its own people into "pointing out and bringing to the front the common interests of the entire proletariat, independent of all nationality"—that is, the liberation of oppressed nations and oppressed people worldwide.

Second, regarding its political direction, the proletarian party must establish firm political convictions and persist in the unification of phased goals and long-term goals. Political direction is both rooted in reality and leads the way toward the future. As a mission-oriented party, the political direction of the proletarian party embodies its party-spirit characteristics and is of great significance. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "To temper party-spirit, the primary task is to firm up the lofty ideal of Communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics." On the one hand, the immediate goals of the proletarian party profoundly demonstrate the practical character and realistic orientation of its party-spirit cultivation. For Marx and Engels, party-spirit cultivation was not merely an important theoretical proposition but a concrete, realistic revolutionary and practical proposition. In the Manifesto of the Communist Party, Marx and Engels clearly explained the party-spirit that the proletarian party should temper in its immediate goals: namely, the "formation of the proletariat into a class, overthrow of the bourgeois supremacy, conquest of political power by the proletariat." To realize the liberation of the proletariat itself, the whole of society, and indeed all of humanity, and to end the reality of oppression and exploitation, the proletarian party must smash the old state machinery and organize, lead, and launch a revolutionary movement to abolish bourgeois private property. On the other hand, the long-term goals of the proletarian party profoundly demonstrate the grand vision and sublime realm of its party-spirit cultivation. Marx and Engels gained profound insight into the basic laws of social and historical development, revealed the basic contradictions of capitalist society and its periodic characteristics, and recognized its inevitable historical end—the realization that human history will irrepressibly enter Communism, a higher social form and developmental stage, achieving a high-level advancement in the social way of life. Therefore, the realization of Communism is the long-term and ultimate goal that the proletarian party pursues unremittingly. Based on this, from the birth of the Communist League, Marx and Engels established admission standards in the organizational statutes, clearly stipulating that applicants must publicly declare their "recognition of communism." This principle reflects the party-spirit cultivation requirements of the proletarian party regarding its long-term goals. The Manifesto of the Communist Party also depicts the ideal vision of Communism and takes the realization of Communism as the maximum program ^[3] of the proletarian party. Marx emphasized that the organization of the proletariat into a political party is to "ensure the victory of the social revolution and the realization of its ultimate goal—the abolition of classes," and on this basis, to establish a socialist society and finally move toward a communist society.

Third, regarding political principles, the proletarian party must resolutely uphold the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "upholding the authority of the Party Central Committee" is a "matter of direction and principle; it is party-spirit." In the processes of social management and organizational operation, authority is an important basis for the proletarian party to bridge wills and unify actions; "without authority, no consistent action is possible." In response to the erroneous views of Bakuninist anarchists who wished to "abolish the authoritative political state," Engels used the example of "a ship sailing on the high seas" to highlight the important role of authority and clearly pointed out the essence of revolution: "the act whereby one part of the population imposes its will upon the other part by means of [...] very authoritative means." In the view of Marx and Engels, the lack of centralization and authority was the main reason for the ultimate failure of the Paris Commune. Whether it is forming a unified action and will to ensure the political rule of the proletarian party before the victory of the revolution, or the effective operation of the new regime and the suppression of hostile forces—namely the "scattered, sporadic revolts of the slave-owners"—after the victory of the revolution, or the long-term realization of the grand goal of labor liberation to "replace the economic conditions of the enslavement of labor by the conditions of free and associated labor," all require the centralized, unified leadership and strong authority of the proletarian party.

Fourth, regarding its political path, the proletarian party must formulate and follow a correct political program with a clear-cut stand. To a certain extent, the scientific and practical nature of a political program is an important criterion for judging the maturity of a party's development, and a distinct marker of its level of party-spirit cultivation on the political path. Engels pointed out: "A new program is after all a banner planted in public, and the outside world judges the party by it." For the proletarian party, the political program is the scientific guide leading the direction of its revolutionary practice. The Manifesto of the Communist Party published in 1848 and the Inaugural Address of the International Workingmen's Association published in 1864 are two programmatic documents in the history of the international communist movement, both of which clarified the basic direction and principles of the proletarian party’s "conquest of political power" in their political programs. On this basis, the General Rules of the International Workingmen's Association drafted by Marx fully explained the basic principles, policy lines, and operational norms of the First International, clearly putting forward the thesis that "the emancipation of the working classes must be conquered by the working classes themselves." Practice has shown that the proletarian party must formulate and follow a correct political program with a clear-cut stand, consciously implementing its spirit and internalizing it into concrete codes of conduct. However, with the development of the workers' movement, erroneous words and deeds appeared within the party that diluted the importance of the political program. In response, Engels pointed out in 1882 that "if a party is established without a program," it is merely a loose alliance of interests rather than a real political party. This provided the fundamental guiding principle for the proletarian party to enhance its party-spirit cultivation on its political path.

Fifth, regarding class consciousness, the proletarian party must dedicate itself to achieving the "two most radical ruptures." In the spheres of material and spiritual production, Marx and Engels proposed...

The "two most radical ruptures" ^[4] serve to demonstrate the strategy of action, nature, and purpose of the proletarian party. On one hand, the awakening of class consciousness—that is, the realization of the transformation from a "class-in-itself" to a "class-for-itself"—is the key prerequisite for the generation of a proletarian party. Marx and Engels believed that classes are the product of a stage where social productive forces have developed to a certain level but remain "insufficiently developed." Viewed historically, the socialization of production brought about surplus products, and the continuous increase of surplus products led to the continuous expansion of private appropriation, gradually forming private ownership at the institutional level. The groups in control of the means of production and surplus products leveraged this to continuously expand their dominant position; all products, whether tangible or intangible, were monopolized to a certain extent, thereby realizing a transformation from a propertied class in the economic sphere to a ruling class monopolizing state power. Simultaneously, the vast majority of the social population was forced to become subordinates of this group, which is, to a certain extent, a realistic manifestation of the fact that productive forces have not yet fully developed. Therefore, the proletarian party must effect "the most radical rupture with traditional property relations." On the other hand, the class consciousness of the proletariat is essentially a thorough opposition to the bourgeois exploitation of the proletariat. On this basis, the proletariat develops into an independent and genuine revolutionary subject and establishes a proletarian party that represents its own interests and possesses distinct principles of Party spirit and Party cultivation. The purpose of its leadership of the movement for socio-political liberation lies in effecting "the most radical rupture with traditional ideas."

II. The Proletarian Party Must "Understand the Conditions, the Course, and the General Results of the Proletarian Movement"

Attaching high importance to ideological and theoretical armament is a fine tradition and unique advantage of the proletarian party. The strengthening of theoretical cultivation is a prerequisite for the Party spirit cultivation of the proletarian party, and it is also the ideological foundation for ensuring the purity of Party spirit and the advanced nature of the proletarian party. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Political steadfastness and steadfastness in Party spirit are both inseparable from theoretical steadfastness." In the view of Marx and Engels, the proletarian party is an advanced party armed with scientific theory; it understands the conditions, course, and general results of the proletarian movement, and should possess excellent theoretical cultivation within the revolutionary movement of the proletariat.

First, the proletarian party must be guided by a scientific worldview and methodology. Engels pointed out, "The great advantage of our party is that it has a new scientific worldview as its theoretical basis." During the early period of the proletarian party’s founding, Marx and Engels attached great importance to strengthening their own Party spirit cultivation using the proletarian worldview and methodology. Through forms such as assembly speeches, newspapers, and correspondence, they conducted profound theoretical education for the broad masses of the proletariat and the people, including within the proletarian party itself. They advocated educating and arming the whole Party with the proletarian worldview and methodology so that the proletariat could "take up the position of its own independent party as soon as possible," countering and criticizing various non-Marxist schools and non-proletarian thoughts. This prevents the influx of non-proletarian worldviews into the Party and maintains the advanced nature and purity of the proletarian party at all times, rather than "making concessions to these ideas and desires." During the reorganization of the League of the Just ^[5], Marx and Engels put forward basic requirements for members, such as "not believing in any religion" and "understanding the conditions, development paths, and final goals of the proletarian movement." Building on this, they repeatedly emphasized the extreme importance of the proletarian party's scientific worldview and methodology, particularly stating clearly in the Manifesto of the Communist Party that in order for the proletariat to fully utilize the political and social conditions formed by bourgeois rule, Communists must "educate the workers to realize as clearly as possible the hostile antagonism between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat."

Second, the proletarian party must take the scientific theory of Marxism as its guide to action. As a practical guide to action rather than a rigid dogma, the scientific theory of Marxism is an indispensable spiritual force, fundamental compliance, and guide to action for the Party spirit cultivation of the proletarian party. The practice of the proletarian revolutionary movement has proved that the guidance of Marxist scientific theory plays an important role in the growth and maturity of the proletarian party's Party spirit cultivation and in advancing the revolutionary cause. Viewed historically, it was precisely because they were confined by bourgeois and petty-bourgeois thoughts rather than the guidance of scientific theory that the League of the Just in France (founded in 1836), the Society of the Seasons (founded in 1837) ^[6], and the Chartists in Britain (founded in 1838) experienced serious chaos at the levels of ideological construction and organizational operation. In the process of reorganizing and transforming the League of the Just, Marx and Engels profoundly criticized and ultimately defeated non-communist thoughts such as Proudhonism, "True Socialism," and Weitlingism. For example, in Engels's view, if theory lacks Party spirit, it lacks a certain spiritual force; he pointed out that although "True Socialism" prattled about the critique of "human nature," it lost its spiritual force "because its own theory lacked Party spirit." In 1847, Marx and Engels guided the creation of the first proletarian party in history—the Communist League. It explicitly took scientific socialism as its guiding ideology and was supported by the Manifesto of the Communist Party and the Statutes of the Communist League as its principles, policies, and strategies. Among these, Marx and Engels’s exposition of the immediate and final goals of the proletarian party in the Manifesto of the Communist Party constitutes a qualitative definition of the proletarian party's Party spirit cultivation. In the Statutes of the Communist League, the series of specific requirements Marx and Engels placed on members, such as "recognizing communism" and "ensuring that one's lifestyle and activities conform to the purpose of the League," were both internal definitions of the proletarian party’s essential attributes and internal requirements for the Party spirit cultivation of the proletarian party. As the theoretical cornerstones of the proletarian party, these two programmatic documents fully explained the policy positions, basic platform, and strategic planning of the proletarian party, providing scientific methodological guidance for its founding and development.

Third, the proletarian party must carry out sound theoretical education in a timely manner. Marx and Engels believed that organizing the proletarian party into "a conscious class party" through specific theoretical armament and education is the inevitable destination of the party's theoretical cultivation. The core trait that distinguishes the proletarian party from other political parties lies in its possession of "a new scientific worldview as its theoretical basis." This is manifested not only in its clarity regarding its own historical mission but also in its mastery of the correct path to human liberation. For the bourgeoisie, theoretical education is alienated into a means of class rule; through the "production and distribution of ideas," they extensively influence and manipulate the proletariat and the broad masses of working people, thereby "rationally" transforming bourgeois ideology into the "real motive and starting point of the behavior" of the proletariat and the working masses. To escape the spiritual dominance of the bourgeoisie, the proletarian party must make full use of the positive factors of theoretical education to conduct ideological education and theoretical propaganda among the proletariat and the working masses. It must wage an extensive struggle against the bourgeoisie in both political and theoretical spheres, thereby promoting the ideological liberation and the awakening of class consciousness among the proletariat and the working masses. The proletarian party’s resoluteness in revolutionary practice, its people-centered political stance, and its thoroughness in theoretical education determine its consistency with the interests of the proletariat and the working masses. Therefore, carrying out sound theoretical education is by no means a tool for the proletarian party to conduct class oppression or political deception, but rather ideological guidance and theoretical persuasion within its own organization. Only by continuously strengthening theoretical education can the proletarian party maintain its political character ideologically and theoretically, and consciously resist the ideological erosion of various erroneous trends and hostile forces during the revolution.

Fourth, the proletarian party must always uphold the truth. History and practice have fully proven that every departure from the principle of truth leads to the degeneration and disintegration of the proletarian party. Only by discovering truth in the practice of criticizing the old world and defending truth in the struggle to transform the world can the proletarian party truly "think revolutionarily" and lead all of humanity toward liberation. The importance Marx and Engels attached to the proletarian party’s necessity to uphold the truth profoundly reflects their core principles in revolutionary theory and political practice. First, they emphasized the power of truth to liberate the subject. Marx and Engels pointed out that in order to promote the proletarian revolution and the liberation of all humanity, the proletarian party must consciously "take philosophy as its spiritual weapon." In the process of leading the proletarian revolutionary practice, they not only focused on summarizing the experience of struggle to elevate it into theoretical principles but also wrote a series of articles criticizing and countering various erroneous schools of thought. These measures upheld and consolidated the "Party spirit" position of the Marxist scientific system. In the Introduction to A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, Marx pointed out: "Theory also becomes a material force as soon as it has gripped the masses." Only by arming the party with truth can the class consciousness of the proletariat be awakened, enabling it to transform from a "class-in-itself" into a "class-for-itself." Second was their critique of "false ideology." In The German Ideology, Marx and Engels criticized the bourgeoisie for using ideology to obscure social contradictions. If the proletarian party abandons the truth, it will become a subordinate of bourgeois thought. Engels warned the proletarian party: "The more recklessly and disinterestedly science proceeds, the more it finds itself in harmony with the interests and aspirations of the workers." Third, they highlighted the practical nature of truth. Marx pointed out: "The question whether objective truth can be attributed to human thinking is not a question of theory but is a practical question." Truth is not only theoretical cognition but also a weapon of class struggle. Only by upholding the truth can the proletarian party reveal the essential nature of capitalist exploitation and provide a scientific basis for the revolution. Broadly speaking, truth is like an inextinguishable spark; with every peeling away of disguise, it illuminates the path for humanity to break its chains. Only by taking truth as its anchor can the ship of the proletarian party avoid being swept away by the undercurrents of history.

III. The Proletarian Party Must "Absolutely Observe Party Discipline"

As the basic organizational unit of the modern political system, the vitality of a political party depends on strict organizational discipline. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Organizational discipline is an important content of Party spirit cultivation." To a certain extent, without organizational discipline, Party spirit cultivation is out of the question. Marx emphasized that the proletarian party must "absolutely observe Party discipline"; strict organizational discipline is an important guarantee for the internal unity of the proletarian party and its victory in the revolution. Engels also pointed out: "Discipline is the first condition of a productive and strong organization, and it is what the bourgeoisie fears most." Strengthening the disciplinary cultivation of the proletarian party is not only a necessary guarantee for establishing a proletarian party with centralized and unified leadership but also an important guarantee for the proletarian party to achieve one victory after another.

First, the proletarian party must adhere to democratic centralism. Although Marx and Engels did not explicitly put forward the concept of democratic centralism, their original ideas and theoretical core of democratic centralism were already permeated through a series of expositions, especially their interpretation and analysis of the organizational discipline of the proletarian party, which constitute the basic elements of the disciplinary cultivation of the proletarian party. Marx and Engels believed that as a political organization with democratic characteristics, the proletarian party must adhere to thorough democratic principles within its interior to effectively eliminate the sectarian tendencies existing in traditional political groups.

"When the proletarian parties of various nations unite with one another, they have every right to inscribe the word 'democracy' upon their banners." Engels emphasized that the Communist League, as the world's first proletarian political party, was "entirely democratic in its organization." While emphasizing the adherence to intra-Party democracy, Marx and Engels also elaborated deeply on the value of "centralized" leadership for the proletarian party through their critique of Bakunin's anarchism, stressing that the proletarian party "can only exert its full strength under conditions of centralization." In the Rules of the Communist League drafted jointly by Marx and Engels, the conditions for membership were explicitly stipulated. The Rules particularly emphasized that members must "obey all resolutions of the League" and strictly abide by various provisions of the Rules to ensure coordinated action within the proletarian party and maintain internal solidarity and unity. After the founding of the International Workingmen's Association ^[8], Marx and Engels emphasized the need to oppose both a "centralism" that dissolves democracy through despotic dictatorship and an "autonomism" that considers only individual will and erodes organizational discipline. In an 1872 letter to Carlo Terzaghi, Engels reflected on the lessons learned from the failure of the Paris Commune: "The Paris Commune perished because of the lack of centralization and authority." In October of the same year, in On Authority, Engels systematically criticized erroneous statements and propositions propagated by anarchism, such as the "abolition of authority" and "absolute freedom of the individual," noting that authority and obedience "are things which are imposed upon us." Marx and Engels further pointed out that strict discipline is the key cornerstone for maintaining the centralized unity and authority of the proletarian party, and is an important condition for guaranteeing the success of the revolution. For instance, when analyzing the lessons of the Paris Commune’s failure, they sought truth from facts ^[9] by pointing out that while the causes for failure were many, the root cause lay in the lack of necessary centralization and authority, which led to the fragmentation of revolutionary forces within the party, making it difficult to forge a powerful synergy and ultimately causing the revolutionary cause to suffer setbacks.

Second, the proletarian party must conduct earnest intra-Party life through disciplinary norms.

As the vanguard of the working class, the maintenance of the advanced nature of a Marxist party and the tempering of its disciplinary cultivation rely on earnest intra-Party life. In their works, Marx and Engels profoundly expounded on the importance of the proletarian party conducting earnest intra-Party life, which specifically includes: on the one hand, using institutionalized norms to solemnize the Party’s organizational life. Regarding organizational structure, in the Rules of the Communist League, Marx and Engels explicitly defined the organizational bodies into several levels, such as "branches, districts, the central committee, and congresses." Among these, the branch occupies the foundational position in the entire organizational structure; the construction of the branch itself requires both the guarantee of full intra-Party democracy and the tempering of disciplinary cultivation. Regarding programmatic norms, the proletarian party must take the formulation of a "clear and positive program"—that is, scientific and unified disciplinary norms—as its primary task. The Rules of the Communist League clearly stipulated membership conditions such as "not professing any religion" and "strictly keeping secret all league affairs," and required that one "must vow unconditional obedience to the resolutions of the League." Marx and Engels also established the basic entry criterion that the proletarian party must "unconditionally master the proletarian worldview." On the other hand, the solidarity and unity of the Party must be consolidated through principles. To a certain extent, solidarity concerns the survival of the proletarian party and is an important guarantee for its invincibility, manifested specifically in three aspects: ideological, organizational, and operational. Regarding the issue of proletarian party solidarity, Marx noted in the Instructions for the Delegates of the Provisional General Council [on Different Questions] that they should "act as brothers and comrades." In particular, the revolutionary practice of the Paris Commune fully manifested the majestic power of the proletarian party’s solidarity and unity. In his 1872 speech on the Hague Congress, Marx cautioned the proletarian party that "revolution must be solitary [united]." It must be emphasized that the solidarity pursued by the disciplinary cultivation of the proletarian party is by no means a formalistic compromise that abandons principles, but rather collective action based on shared political ideals and missions.

Third, the proletarian party must ensure that intra-Party discipline is executed without compromise.

As early as 1850, Marx and Engels pointed out that "the workers' party must act in as organized, as unanimous, and as independent a fashion as possible" to avoid being exploited and dominated by the bourgeoisie, emphasizing in particular the importance of the proletarian party ensuring that intra-Party discipline is executed without compromise. On August 12, 1893, Engels pointed out that although discussion is permitted within the party, to ensure the proletarian party does not degenerate into a sect, "common principles should be adhered to unswervingly." Ensuring the uncompromising execution of intra-Party discipline is a fundamental principle in proletarian party building that must never be shaken. On the one hand, taking the strengthening of disciplinary supervision as the foundation ensures that discipline is implemented without compromise. Marx and Engels emphasized that being "under the supervision of the Commune" serves as the external guarantee for driving Party members and cadres to consciously implement disciplinary norms. This objectively requires public officials to achieve transparency in government affairs through newspapers, announcements, and bulletins to protect the masses' right to know and right to supervise, while effectively protecting the people's right to vote—that is, "filling all posts through persons elected by universal suffrage." This makes public officials clear that their positions are merely temporary powers delegated by the people, thereby strengthening their awareness of the purpose that power serves the people. On the other hand, taking strict disciplinary execution as the key promotes discipline becoming a rigid constraint for the proletarian party. The execution of discipline focuses on investigating and rectifying problems and forming a deterrent; this and disciplinary supervision, which focuses on discovering problems, complement each other. In the revolutionary practice of the Paris Commune, the most prominent provision for strict discipline was granting the people the right of recall—"electors can replace the elected at any time." This meant that when public officials violated law and discipline or performed their duties poorly, they would not only face strict disciplinary sanctions but could also be directly dismissed. For example, Commune member Pilotell was legally dismissed by the Commune for embezzling the property of prisoners, and military representative Cluseret was dismissed for dereliction of duty during the Battle of Versailles.

IV. The Proletarian Party Must Uphold the Value Ideals of "Sacrificing Oneself for Humanity" and "Working for Humanity"

For the proletarian party to perform correct and efficient leadership duties, it must continuously enhance and temper its own ideological and moral cultivation, striving to improve its ideological consciousness regarding Party spirit cultivation. In the view of Marx and Engels, the proletarian party must uphold the value ideals of "sacrificing oneself for humanity" and "working for humanity," plunging into the proletarian revolution with strong revolutionary will and passion, firmly establishing an identity as "social servants" and "public servants," and maintaining absolute loyalty to the Party's cause and the people's interests.

First, the proletarian party must "possess revolutionary stamina and promotional enthusiasm."

Marx and Engels repeatedly emphasized this in a large number of correspondences and critical works. Particularly in the struggles against the Bakunists, Lassalleans, and Proudhonists, they repeatedly denounced words and deeds that, under the banner of revolution, actually damaged the collective interests of the proletariat, split the organization, or compromised with the bourgeoisie, regarding these as disloyalty and betrayal of the Party. As a representative figure of opportunism, Lassalle’s theoretical constructions were questioned and criticized by Marx and Engels; however, he had once committed himself to the cause of the proletarian democratic revolution and, especially in the face of the grim situation of the reactionary Prussian government, demonstrated sustained organizational resistance and political resilience. To this, Engels fully affirmed Lassalle's "Party spirit and ambition" and his revolutionary spirit of struggle in an 1853 letter to Marx. This requires the proletarian party to "recognize its own class interests," consciously resist, beware of, criticize, and remain vigilant against all erroneous thoughts of non-proletarian ideologies, and always maintain a subjective consciousness of "permanent revolution." In the view of Marx and Engels, members of the proletarian party should possess enduring revolutionary enthusiasm, lofty revolutionary ambitions, and a resilient spirit of struggle. They required that proletarian party members must possess strong revolutionary will and enthusiasm, and temper an indomitable character and tenacious revolutionary will in the practice of plunging into the proletarian revolution and workers' movements, struggling perseveringly for the realization of communism. In the process of guiding the formulation of the Rules of the Communist League, Marx and Engels materialized "possessing revolutionary stamina and striving to carry out promotional work" into a membership entry criterion, profoundly manifesting the Party spirit requirements placed upon the proletarian party at the level of moral cultivation.

Second, the proletarian party must shoulder the role of responsible "social servants" and "public servants."

In the view of Marx and Engels, the leaders of an exploitative society stand in a relationship of opposition to the public, even placing themselves above the public to become "masters lording it over the people," whereas the regime established by the Paris Commune was essentially a true people’s regime. Therefore, proletarian party members should possess good moral cultivation and become "social servants" and "public servants who shoulder responsibility." Marx and Engels perceived that during the Industrial Revolution, the bourgeoisie had completely lost its early progressive nature and evolved into a "social force organized for social enslavement"—that is, a parasitic class cruelly exploiting the proletariat. Therefore, the proletariat and its party must smash the old state machine and smash "the government power that is not a servant to society." During the Paris Commune movement, Marx and Engels prevented the "social servant" role of the proletarian party from degenerating by implementing universal suffrage, eliminating hierarchies, and abolishing high salaries. Specifically, this involved: first, requiring that judicial and administrative posts be produced through universal suffrage, while voters "could replace at any time" the elected representatives; second, requiring that political, administrative, and military posts could all be held by workers, regardless of status or position, clearing the illusion that political and administrative management could only be entrusted to political elites or the "private property of a special class"; third, requiring that public officials "could only receive remuneration equivalent to a worker's wage," meaning public officials could not use their positions for financial gain; fourth, maximum exemption of the "blood tax" ^[10] from the peasantry, providing them with a "cheap government."

Third, the proletarian party must "possess long-tested, sincere loyalty."

Loyalty is an important guarantee for the proletarian party to firm up its ideals and convictions and adhere to its original aspiration and founding mission; it is the moral code and moral force guiding its value orientation. Marx and Engels emphasized that as leaders advancing social revolution and achieving social emancipation, the proletarian party shoulders the historical mission of "overthrowing bourgeois rule." The proletarian party must consciously firm up its Party spirit ideologically and be infinitely loyal to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the people. Such a lofty and arduous mission requires that its members possess political consciousness and moral qualities exceeding those of the general masses. This "long-tested, sincere loyalty" is precisely a firm commitment and unswerving dedication to the proletarian revolutionary cause and shared goals. In 1890, Engels profoundly reflected on the situation where some Party members in the editorial office of the Sächsischer Arbeiter-Zeitung were idle and highly emphasized "their own importance." He believed this reflected, from another angle, that the basic condition for proletarian party members to hold leadership positions is to "possess long-tested, sincere loyalty and strong character" toward the cause of the Party and the people, to "issue fewer aimless empty theories and sing fewer high-sounding tunes," to "pay more attention to specific facts and provide more practical knowledge," and to master the "methods of struggle." Under any conditions, proletarian party members must maintain sincerity and loyalty toward the Party, the people, and the revolutionary cause. Therefore, the proletarian party must always uphold communist ideals, grounding itself in reality to continuously advance social revolution and the practice of struggle, while maintaining scientific foresight regarding the future direction of social development within the current phase of the movement—to "represent the future of the movement within the movement of the present." Only in this way can the proletarian party, with even higher spirits, unreservedly dedicate everything and fearlessly sacrifice the self for the realization of revolutionary ideals.

V. Practical Inspirations of Marx and Engels's Thought on the Party Spirit Cultivation of the Proletarian Party

General Secretary Xi Jinping has clearly pointed out that...

"Marxism is a powerful ideological weapon for us to perceive the world, grasp its laws, seek truth, and transform the world." This necessitates a theoretical study method of "reading the original works, studying the original texts, and comprehending the original principles." Marx and Engels's thought on the tempering of Party spirit ^[11] in proletarian parties constitutes the theoretical meta-proposition for the CPC’s conception of Party spirit. The theoretical core contained therein has demonstrated profound explanatory power and guiding value throughout the process of the CPC leading the people in revolution, construction, and reform. Experience shows that the Party spirit of members in a proletarian party does not spontaneously persist with the passage of time, nor does it naturally strengthen with the elevation of one's position. Under the new situation where contradictions and problems are intertwined and risks and challenges are superimposed, strengthening the tempering of Party spirit has become a compulsory lifelong course for the broad mass of Party members; it is the key point for continuously "strengthening the Party’s political leadership, ideological guidance, mass organization, and social appeal." This requires us to take a refined Party spirit as the foundation of our personal conduct: being loyal in political tempering, systematic in theoretical armament, hands-on in organizational discipline, and continuous in the refinement of moral character. We must consciously integrate the honing of Party spirit into the entire process of performing our duties and fulfilling our responsibilities, always upholding the political character and spiritual coordinates of Communists. Only in this way can we maintain our political essence on the "new journey of rushing to the exams" ^[12] and deliver a historical answer that does justice to the people.

First, great importance must be attached to the honing of the Party spirit of the broad mass of Party members. Whether one can continuously hone their Party spirit is the fundamental yardstick for testing whether a proletarian party is politically qualified. A proletarian party that possesses a strong Party spirit and consistently represents the fundamental interests of the masses is the core force for leading the proletarian revolution and achieving human liberation. Marx and Engels attached great importance to the tempering of Party spirit in proletarian parties to better realize their political ideals and goals. In long-term revolutionary practice and political struggle, proletarian parties strengthen their Party spirit in the process of safeguarding the interests of the masses and advancing the communist movement; they abide by the principles of Party spirit in the process of maintaining their own advanced nature, purity, and people-centered nature; and they enhance their self-awareness of Party spirit in the process of strengthening their combat effectiveness, organizational power, and cohesion. From Marx and Engels’s observation that "Party spirit and the spirit of solidarity still hold a dominant position" to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s emphasis that "Party spirit is the cornerstone of a Party member or official's conduct, career, words, and virtue," the persistence and strengthening of the tempering of Party spirit is a compulsory course for Communists. The strength of Party spirit concerns the cause of the Party and the state. Once Party spirit is weakened or even lost, it leads to the "people’s apples" ^[13] being willfully misappropriated, placing the cause of the Party and the state in jeopardy. On the new journey, the broad mass of Party members must always maintain the unity of Party spirit and people-centered nature in honing their Party spirit, consciously accept education on Party spirit, and continuously carry out self-improvement, self-transformation, and self-tempering. They must firmly establish the behavioral consciousness of honing Party spirit and the ideological consciousness that the tempering of Party spirit is "always on the road."

Second, sharpen the original aspiration and preserve the political essence through the reinforcement of political tempering. Political tempering is the process by which Party members continuously improve their own political-ideological quality and political practice through self-transformation and self-strengthening. It determines the position, direction, and quality of the tempering of Party spirit, and is the fundamental issue regarding the honing of Party spirit. From Marx and Engels's point of view of "engaging in politics" to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s emphasis on "integrating ‘talking politics’ ^[14] into the whole process of Party spirit tempering," Communists must always firm up their political stance, keep a tight grip on their political direction, and continuously improve their political judgment, political understanding, and political execution. Specifically, first, we must firm up our ideals and convictions, using the "Four Whethers" ^[15] as objective standards to test and purify Party spirit, comprehensively implementing the Party's basic line, and coordinating the Party’s minimum and maximum programs. Second, we must firm up the people’s standpoint, nurturing and honing Party spirit while practicing the mass line, profoundly grasping the logical starting point and practical basis of the political tempering of Communists, and actively devoting ourselves to the cause of the Party and the people. Third, we must strengthen political discernment, becoming adept at grasping, analyzing, and gaining insight into the core characteristics and deep-seated roots of various relationships from a political dimension, building a solid ideological foundation for risk prevention, and continuously improving our capacity for dialectical thinking and systematic observation.

Third, forge the soul and consolidate the foundation through the reinforcement of theoretical tempering. Attaching great importance to ideological and theoretical armament is a fine tradition and unique advantage of proletarian parties. The reinforcement of theoretical tempering is the prerequisite for the tempering of Party spirit and the ideological foundation for improving the purity of the Party spirit. Engels pointed out: "A nation that wants to stand at the pinnacle of science cannot for a moment be without theoretical thinking." Marxism is the theoretical weapon and the foundation of ideals and convictions for the CPC. Educating, shaping, and arming the whole Party with Sinicized and modernized Marxist theory constitutes the core essence of the CPC’s reinforcement of theoretical tempering. Therefore, the broad mass of Party members should systematically study classic texts and the Party’s innovative theories, mastering the positions, viewpoints, and methods running through them, promoting the dialectical leap of theoretical literacy and ideological awareness, and "transforming the results of study into spiritual nutrition for improving Party spirit, ideological realm, and moral level." Additionally, Party members must unremittingly use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to forge the soul, further expanding related theoretical study activities, comprehensively grasping the concepts, methods, strategies, worldviews, and methodologies contained therein, and effectively transforming the value-essence of the Party’s innovative theories in the New Era into concrete practices for strengthening theoretical tempering and elevating ideological awareness, thereby effectively increasing the subjective consciousness of Party members in honing their Party spirit.

Fourth, unify the will and action through the reinforcement of disciplinary tempering. Strict organizational discipline is an important prerequisite for maintaining the fundamental attributes of a proletarian party and a powerful pillar for ensuring its unity. From Marx's point of view that "Party discipline must be absolutely observed" to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s emphasis that "organizational discipline is an important part of the tempering of Party spirit," observing discipline and following rules are the basic requirements and important tests of a Communist's Party spirit. Reinforcing disciplinary tempering means transforming the Party’s discipline and rules into internal norms of conduct and external daily habits, making them a "measuring ruler" ^[16] for behavior that is never set aside. Specifically, first, one must follow the rules—that is, uphold and strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, resolutely support the "Two Establishments," and resolutely achieve the "Two Upholds," enhancing the sense of authority and credibility through unified ideological and behavioral consciousness. Additionally, we must adhere to the leadership system and organizational principles of democratic centralism, using the "melting pot" of intra-Party life to promote healthy interaction, ensuring that the broad mass of Party members are always consistent in their appearance and inner thoughts, words and deeds. Second, one must abide by the rules—that is, consciously study and observe the Party Constitution, implement and safeguard it, and use the Party Constitution as the basic standard for resolving differences and mediating struggles, continuously improving the thinking methods, work skills, and behavioral practices for strengthening one's own disciplinary tempering. Third, one must establish rules—that is, establish and improve a comprehensive system of intra-Party disciplinary norms and continuously optimize intra-Party regulations to provide the necessary theoretical basis for the whole Party to unconditionally obey and observe Party discipline.

Fifth, hone character and demonstrate loyalty and responsibility through the reinforcement of moral tempering. The moral tempering of Party members constitutes an important dimension of the tempering of Party spirit, providing a demonstrative orientation for the construction of ethical order at the social level. If a proletarian party is to shoulder the historical task of promoting human liberation and realizing the free and well-rounded development of the individual, it must uphold the value ideal of "working for humanity" and continuously hone its moral tempering and character. For the CPC, the tempering of Party spirit is itself "the greatest virtue." One must achieve a balance of professional competence and moral integrity through internal reflection and self-examination, consciously integrating the reinforcement of moral tempering throughout the entire process of tempering Party spirit to undergo a "smelting" of Party spirit, thereby winning the hearts of the people and promoting the progress of the cause. Specifically, first, clarify "great virtue" (dàdé) and continuously strengthen the awareness of being a public servant. We must cultivate a deep affection for the people and consistently pursue serving the people as the highest value, preserving the people-oriented essence of Communists. On the one hand, importance should be attached to investigation and research ^[17], actively going deep into the grassroots to earnestly pay attention to the voices of the masses, collect their demands, and respond to their concerns. On the other hand, we must strengthen a problem-oriented approach, always exploring pragmatic and effective new measures and ideas centered on the urgent, difficult, and anxious problems of the masses to continuously improve their sense of satisfaction and gain. Second, uphold "public virtue" (gōngdé) and always be loyal to the Party. As the primary political quality of a proletarian party, loyalty to the Party is deeply rooted in its "Red Pedigree" ^[18]. The broad mass of Party members must consciously hone their character, strengthen their sense of mission and responsibility, and follow the Party's will. They should love the Party from the heart, safeguard the Party by considering the overall situation, and unswervingly build the Party, ensuring that the entire Party unifies its will and action, as strong and invincible as steel. Third, strictly regulate "personal virtue" (sīdé) and consistently uphold integrity and self-discipline. The core of strengthening moral tempering for the broad mass of Party members lies in strictly cultivating and disciplining oneself, firmly establishing one's own moral responsibilities and ethical concepts, constantly guarding against the expansion of selfish desires, and always adhering to the basic principles of honesty, public service, and self-discipline, ensuring that the power in one's hands serves the people entirely.