Chapter 85 Anti-Japanese Democracy and Northern Youth[1]

(May 15, 1937) Wells: How about the recent peace talks between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party? Mao Zedong replied: Negotiations are still going on.The most important thing is the common political platform of the two parties, which is the basis for the cooperation between the two parties. If there is no political platform to be followed, they cannot cooperate well.The principles of the outline are to realize the revolutionary tasks of the nation, democracy and people's livelihood.Concrete work concerning the reorganization of the army and the transformation of the soviet will be carried out soon.So far, the Kuomintang has not expressed enough. For example, the prosecution of the leader of the Shanghai National Salvation[2], the treatment of the Shanghai cotton mill workers and the various restrictions on the National Assembly regulations are all disappointing.

QUESTION: Has the danger of civil war been completely eliminated? Answer: The crisis of the civil war is over on the surface, but it still exists inside, but it is not important anymore.If we now say that peace has been completely successful, the masses will become lax about the "peace consolidation" movement.At present, the cessation of the civil war on a national scale has not yet been achieved.The Communist Party has ordered the red troops scattered throughout the country to stop fighting, but the Kuomintang troops are still "advancing and suppressing", such as in the border areas of Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi, the border areas of Hubei, Henan and Anhui, the border areas of Hunan and Jiangxi, and the border areas of Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi, and so on. , we are now asking the Kuomintang to stop the offensive in these places.As for the antagonism between Nanjing and the localities, there still exists. Only by implementing thorough democracy can this antagonism and the crisis of civil war be completely eliminated.

Question: What is the Communist Party's view on the various factions in Nanjing? Answer: We are willing to unite with all Kuomintang elements who sympathize with the national democratic revolution, and explain the work to those who do not sympathize, so that they will understand and not hinder the national democratic revolution.The movement of the left wing of the Kuomintang in favor of peace, democracy, and war of resistance is developing. They want to unite the whole country, restore the Three People's Principles of Sun Yat-sen's revolution, transform the Kuomintang, and restore its revolutionary spirit.The other group of people is not determined enough, they do not fully accept the tasks of the national democratic revolution, and they doubt the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.Another group of people, the so-called pro-Japanese faction, also exists in the Kuomintang. They are dissatisfied with the whole country, and the majority of the Kuomintang is also dissatisfied with them. If these people do not change their attitude, they will cut themselves off from the people and from the Kuomintang.

Question: How has the United Front developed since the Xi'an Incident? Answer: After the Xi'an Incident, the united front has developed. The closeness between the KMT and the Communist Party is the most important thing. The rest of those who doubt the policies of the Communist Party have also changed their attitudes. They do not oppose the cooperation between the KMT and the Communist Party. Opinions for a peaceful settlement have also been relatively reduced.However, distrust of the Nanjing government from the cultural circles, student circles, and public opinion circles still exists, because Nanjing has not concretely expressed its complete and resolute transformation, and many wrong policies still remain, causing national distrust.We say "everyone should work", the complete transformation of Nanjing needs the people of the whole country to continue to work, don't wait for it to change automatically.The future of the united front is promising. It is very obvious that the country must be united in order to achieve the goal of resisting Japan.

Q: How have domestic parties reacted to the United Front? Answer: Except for the traitors, all other parties are sympathetic to national unity.Many bourgeois figures welcomed and agreed with the peaceful policy adopted by the Communist Party in the Xi'an Incident, but another group of diehards opposed it. If these elements did not change their attitudes, no matter what their subjective views were, they would actually be It was helping Japanese imperialism.As far as we know, the most violent opponents of domestic unity are the traitors who are directly under the command of Japan, such as the Trotskyites[3] and others are obvious examples.The activities of these elements are undoubtedly the actions of traitors. For these people, our method is to expose their plots as much as possible, so that they cannot play a deceptive role among the people, so that the entire Chinese people know that they are the public enemies of the entire nation, so that they can be massacred. And attack it.

Question: How to solve the problem of confrontation between the local power faction and Nanjing? Answer: The existence of confrontation between the local power faction and Nanjing is not conducive to foreign affairs. Our policy is to reduce this kind of confrontation as much as possible to achieve the goal of uniting foreign affairs.In order to achieve this goal, Nanjing and the other provinces should take one step closer, mainly to make progress on the issue of democracy, so that in the future, confrontation can be eliminated and the road of united resistance against Japan can be achieved.

Question: How can the problem of class struggle be properly resolved in the united front policy? Answer: Class contradictions cannot be eliminated until the class system is abolished.But in the face of the Anti-Japanese War, we should have a proper solution to this problem. Therefore, in the United Front Program, we proposed to give the people political democratic rights and improve their lives economically.It is inevitable for workers and peasants to rise up against political and economic oppression. Only by granting democratic rights and improving their lives can their contradictions be reduced.In the common political program that we are currently negotiating with the Kuomintang, we must propose that workers and peasants be given freedom of assembly, association, and speech, and universal suffrage, that workers must be treated better, that labor conditions be improved, and that farmers should reduce rents and taxes. Land issues should be resolved through legislation and other appropriate means.

Q: Why did you emphasize the issue of democracy? Answer: Regarding the relationship between democracy and the Anti-Japanese War, I have already said a lot in other occasions.The war of resistance seeks domestic peace and unity. Without democracy, peace and true unity cannot be consolidated. The anti-Japanese war requires the participation of the whole people. Without democracy, the common people cannot participate. Without peace and unity, without the participation of the people, the war of resistance becomes impossible, and even war cannot guarantee victory.Therefore, the democratic system is a necessary condition for the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, and it is absolutely necessary.The reason why we emphasize the issue of democracy is to defeat Japanese imperialism.

Question: How to promote the realization of democratic politics? Answer: The realization of democratic politics depends on the democratic movement. Without the demands of the broad masses of the people and the promotion of the democratic movement, democratic politics will not be realized.All parties and parties from all walks of life in the country should unite and fight for democratic rights, and the soldiers of the whole country should support the democratic movement, because to save China, defeat Japan, and avoid the danger of becoming a colony, only by implementing democratic politics and giving the people the freedom to participate in politics can this be achieved. .In the specific implementation of the democratic movement, we should pay attention to the election, convening and meeting of the National Assembly, and we should pay attention to the complete freedom of speech, assembly, association, publishing and patriotism and national salvation.This is a basic democratic right.A united democratic republic is achievable if the whole country moves in this direction.

Question: What is the Communist Party's attitude towards this National Assembly? Answer: Today's National Assembly is for national defense, and it is also a bridge from dictatorship to democracy. Therefore, the whole country should participate in the National Assembly, and the Communist Party is ready to participate.Nanjing's regulations on the election, convening and tasks of the National Assembly are undemocratic. If they are not revised, the role of the National Assembly will be extremely limited. Therefore, the whole country should jointly ask Nanjing to amend its improper regulations.The election of the National Assembly should be attended by the people, and its convening and meetings should be given full freedom. Its tasks should not be limited to discussing the constitution, but should be extended to thoroughly and concretely discuss the policy of resisting Japan and saving the nation.The Communist Party's opinion on the National Assembly has been made known to the whole country, and it has been proposed to the Kuomintang that negotiations are still continuing with the aim of enabling the National Assembly to fulfill its task of democratically resisting Japan.

Question: What is the Communist Party's opinion on the release of political prisoners? Answer: The Communist Party has long raised the demand for the release of political prisoners across the country, and now it continues to demand it as part of its negotiations with the Kuomintang.If Nanjing wants to express a complete change in its policy, there is no reason not to release political prisoners; but at present the Kuomintang has no concrete performance on this issue. committed incident.The trial of the leaders of the National Salvation in Suzhou was very disappointing, and many people in Nanjing were also dissatisfied. Nanjing should sincerely express its determination to reform with the people, and should immediately release the seven leaders of the National Salvation and acquit them. Question: What is your opinion on the issue of preparing for the War of Resistance? Answer: No matter which day the Japanese imperialists attack us, we must resist immediately. We are always ready to deal with the incident, no matter when and where the war breaks out.But if Japan does not launch a large-scale armed attack on China for the time being, and adopts a more moderate policy during the preparation for aggression, we should use this opportunity to actively prepare for the War of Resistance.The content of our "preparation" is different from that of the Kuomintang in the past.In the past, the Kuomintang’s preparation theory was to first settle down at home and then fight against the outside world. It was an endless civil war and consumed the anti-Japanese forces; but today’s preparations are to stop the civil war, consolidate domestic peace, realize democratic politics, open up all freedoms for the people to save the country, and organize the people. , train and arm the people, and at the same time speed up preparations for resisting the enemy in military, political, financial, economic, cultural, and educational aspects.China's war of resistance demands final victory, and the scope of this victory is not limited to Shanhaiguan or the Northeast, but also includes the liberation of Taiwan.This is our opinion on preparations for a war of resistance. Question: How do you estimate the outcome of the Sino-Japanese War? Answer: There are two possible prospects for the outcome of the war: One is that China will completely defeat Japanese imperialism and the Chinese nation will be free and liberated.The success of the domestic united front, the close unity of the people and the government, the victory of the international peace front, and the assistance of the peace forces in Japan are the conditions for striving for such a future.But the unity of the Chinese people themselves and a resolute war of resistance are the most important and decisive conditions for such a future; without these conditions, the war of resistance will have no future.Secondly, even if Japanese imperialism achieves its goal of turning China into its exclusive colony, the danger still exists.However, this kind of danger will only happen because the Chinese people are scattered, do not unite, do not fight a war or do not fight resolutely and thoroughly, and do not unite with friends in the world who help it. If the Chinese people continue to sleep, their houses will be destroyed by the enemy. snatch away.The Communist Party struggles for the first future.The proposal of the national united front is to strive for the first future.We call on all parties and classes to resolutely oppose China's colonization and demand China's freedom and liberation. In order to achieve the victory of this freedom and liberation, we must fight the enemy to the end. Q: What do you think of the recent approach between Britain and Japan? Answer: The Japanese rulers and the British Conservative Party government are trying to ease their conflicts and are conducting compromise negotiations to achieve their goal of sacrificing China.The Chinese people cannot let others be slaughtered. The Chinese people should pay close attention to this matter. If Nanjing shows wavering and passiveness in the work of defending the interests of the nation, neither the people nor the patriotic elements in the Kuomintang will forgive it.At the same time, we must know that there is no good foundation for the compromise between Britain and Japan on the issue of China.Yes, a compromise between Britain and Japan is always possible and possible, but there are limits to when and where.The UK wants to maintain the status quo, but the content of the status quo is prone to change all the time, which can be seen from the step-by-step retreat of the UK after September 18th.Basically, Japan's monopoly policy toward China is opposed to the open-door policy held by the British and other imperialists, but a temporary and partial compromise is possible, because the British could have sold out China's interests at any time to achieve for its beneficial purpose.Regardless of the degree of compromise between Britain and Japan, the Chinese people should not ignore the issue of the survival of the Chinese nation for a moment.In the anti-Japanese movement, Britain cannot be trusted too much.If we have to recognize the essence of Britain, we will not be fooled by it.China cannot be completely isolated. Sun Yat-sen's policy of alliance with Russia has practical political significance today. The relationship between China and the Soviet Union should be closer and improved.The interests of the United States in the Far East are also incompatible with Japan's mainland policy, so the United States should not watch the China issue from the other side.We should distinguish between the British Conservative Party and the British people at large.The Conservative Party’s Western European policy has been hovering between the Peace Front and the Fascist Front, which has aroused great dissatisfaction among the domestic people; if it colludes with the Japanese aggressors and seeks a compromise on the issue of China, it will not only cause opposition from the Chinese people, The British people do not necessarily show sympathy for them.The organization of the World Peace Front is expanding, and preparations are being made to punish all fascism.China's liberation movement is closely linked with the world's liberation movement, and our future is absolutely bright. Q: What hope do you have for the youth in the North? Answer: The youth in the north are the vanguards of the struggle for national liberation. Most of them should unite and fight to the end for the national democratic revolution.Many of them are bored with the current situation, and this should be resolved in a collective movement, which is a struggle for democracy and the realization of the resistance to Japan.Young people in the North should be more interested in fighting for democracy and freedom. Fighting for patriotic democracy and freedom is the central part of today's political life; of.The reformism of the bourgeoisie is exerting influence on the youth in the north, trying to pull them from the front to the rear, from rising to being ordinary and quiet, from leading to tailism, and extinguishing the leading role of the northern youth in the national democratic revolution.The youth in the North should fight against such reformists, and their tendencies and influences should be strictly checked and completely overcome. According to the publication of "Salvation Times" on August 20, 1937. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] This is a conversation between Mao Zedong and American progressive journalist Nim Wells. [2] On November 23, 1936, Shen Junru, Zhang Naiqi, Zou Taofen, Li Gongpu, Wang Zaoshi, Sha Qianli, and Shi Liang, leaders of the All-China National Salvation Federation, were arrested by the Kuomintang government in Shanghai and called the Seven Gentlemen. event.In December of the same year, Shen Junru and others were taken to Suzhou and imprisoned in the Jiangsu High Court Detention Center.In April 1937, the Jiangsu High Court prosecuted Shen Junru and others for the so-called crime of "endangering the Republic of China", and the trial was held in June.Due to the solidarity of the people across the country and the persistent struggle of the Seven Gentlemen, Shen Junru and others were released after the July 7th Incident. [3] During the Anti-Japanese War, the Chinese Trotskyites also advocated anti-Japanese propaganda, but attacked the anti-Japanese national united front policy of the Communist Party of China.The comparison between the Chinese Trotskyites and the traitors was caused by the erroneous assertion that the Trotskyists were related to the spy organizations of the imperialist countries, and the Chinese Trotskyists were related to the Japanese imperialist spy organizations.