Chapter 10 Reasons for publishing "Politics Weekly" [1]

(December 5, 1925) Why publish "Politics Weekly"? For the revolution.Why is there a revolution? To liberate the Chinese nation, to realize the rule of the people, and to enable the people to obtain economic happiness. For the sake of the revolution, we have offended all enemies—imperialists all over the world, warlords big and small across the country, comprador classes, local tyrants and evil gentry, the Anfu faction[2], the research department[3], the coalition faction[4], and the nationalist faction[5] ] and other reactionary parties.These enemies, following the development of our revolutionary forces, intensified their oppression against us and mobilized all their forces in an attempt to destroy us.They have foreign and domestic navies, armies, and police forces, international propaganda agencies (Reuters, etc.), and national newspapers and schools.Although they clashed at the same time due to different interests, when it came to us, none of them had good intentions.

Our work in Guangdong has ushered in a new era after we wiped out Yang and Liu[6] and eliminated Zheng and Mo[7].The city of Guangzhou has achieved a peace unprecedented in fourteen years; the people have indeed obtained the freedom of assembly, association, speech, and strike; Part of the exorbitant taxation of the people has been abolished, and the rest of the departments have also set the steps to abolish it; the civil affairs, judicial, education, and transportation agencies have all established reform policies; , to support the patriotic labor movement.We do not hide our shortcomings. We are not saying that Guangdong has already been reformed—the reform of Guangdong is indeed just beginning. There are still many bandits who disturb the law and order, and there are many local tyrants, evil gentry, and corrupt officials who exploit the people. There are still many insider problems in the judiciary, education, and transportation that have not been completely eliminated. We are not saying that all these defects have disappeared.We mean that we have a revolutionary power, an opportunity to eliminate bandits, and a force to fight against local tyrants, evil gentry, and corrupt officials, and we can start civil affairs, finance, justice, education, and transportation. Refresh works.All in all, we have the basis of a revolution.Everything that is done, the revolutionary strategy of Mr. Sun Yat-sen is clearly visible to the eyes and ears, but the British imperialists in Hong Kong, Chen Jiongming[8], Deng Benyin[9] and other counter-revolutionary remnants, countless local tyrants, evil gentry, corrupt officials, will inevitably come to us together. trembling.In addition to resentment and resentment, those who cursed, slandered and slandered us did everything they could.The counter-revolutionary propaganda organs in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Han are panicking and using their vicious tongues, and those who curse, slander and slander us will do everything they can.People all over the country, especially people from all walks of life in the north and the Yangtze River, are deluded by it, and they are completely isolated from the truth about Guangdong.Even among comrades, doubts inevitably arise.Even the skeptics have no reason to make a valid justification based on the facts. Terms such as "internal strife" and "communism" are spread everywhere, as if Guangdong has really become a hell.

We can no longer let this go.We're going to start fighting back against them. "Propagate the counter-offensive to the counter-revolutionaries so as to break the propaganda of the counter-revolutionaries" is the responsibility of the Political Weekly. Our method of counterattacking the enemy is not to use much debate, but to faithfully report the facts of our revolutionary work.The enemy said: "Communist Guangdong".We said: "See the facts".The enemy said: "Guangdong internal strife".We said: "See the facts".The enemy said: "The Guangzhou government colluded with Russia to lose power and humiliate the country."We said: "See the facts".The enemy said: "The Guangzhou government is in dire straits and the people are living in dire straits."We said: "See the facts".

Nine-tenths of the genre of the "Politics Weekly" is the narrative of actual facts, and only one-tenth is a debate on counter-revolutionary propaganda. Receive our faithful report on revolutionary work, revolutionary people throughout the country! It is published according to "Selected Works of Mao Zedong's Journalism Work" published by Xinhua Publishing House in 1983. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] This is Mao Zedong's opening speech for the inaugural issue of "Politics Weekly". "Politics Weekly" is a publication sponsored by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Kuomintang during the first period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. It was founded in Guangzhou on December 5, 1925.Mao Zedong was then the acting head of the Central Propaganda Department of the Kuomintang and the editor-in-chief of the journal.

[2] The Anfu faction is a politician group controlled by the Anhui faction of the Beiyang warlords.After Yuan Shikai's death in 1916, Duan Qirui, the leader of the warlords of the Anhui faction, became the prime minister and took control of the Beiyang government.In 1918, Anhui politicians Xu Shuzheng and Wang Yitang established a club in Beijing's Anfu Hutong to carry out political activities and control the Congress, known as the "Anfu Clan".In 1926, Duan Qirui collapsed and the Anfu Department collapsed. [3] Department of Research, see note [3] on page 13 of this volume.

[4] The Union Governance Faction, that is, the "Federal-Provincial Self-Government Faction".During the rule of the Beiyang warlords, some warlords and politicians put forward the reactionary proposition of inter-provincial self-government in order to maintain local separatism and oppose the democratic revolution. [5] Nationalist faction refers to some reactionary politicians of the China Youth Party (the public name at that time was "Chinese Nationalist Youth League").They defected to imperialism and the reactionaries in power, opposed the Chinese Communist Party, and opposed the Soviet Union.

[6] Yang and Liu refer to Yang Ximin and Liu Zhenhuan.See note [3] on page 17 of this volume. [7] Zheng and Mo, referring to Zheng Runqi and Mo Xiong, were small warlords in Guangdong.In 1925, their unit was wiped out by the Guangdong Revolutionary Army. [8] Chen Jiongming, see note [2] on page 17 of this volume. [9] Deng Benyin, see note [4] on page 17 of this volume.