Open changes in military party affairs

Zhang Xidong

【Abstract】The openness of military party affairs is an important part of the openness of party affairs, and it is of great significance for strengthening the self-construction of the party's organizational system within the military and enhancing the ability to command the troops. The openness of military party affairs has undergone changes in two stages before and after the founding of the country, condensing valuable experience and theories of openness, with continuous deepening in the aspects of legalization, institutionalization, and regularization.

【Keywords】Military | Disclosure of Party Affairs | Party Organizations

Military Party affairs openness is not only an important part of Party affairs openness but also a significant part of military openness, influenced by both the Party and military openness environments. Specifically, based on the significant changes in the openness environment, it can be divided into two stages: before and after the founding of the nation.

I. Exploration of Party Affairs Disclosure in the Military Before the Founding of New China

Before the founding of New China, the Party had not yet achieved nationwide governance, and hostile spies and saboteurs were rampant. This determined that the Party had to operate in a relatively secretive manner, making it difficult to achieve direct and widespread public disclosure of Party affairs. The secretive nature of military operations further determined the need for military confidentiality, limiting the scope and status of public disclosure of Party affairs within the military. Even in such a complex and harsh environment, public disclosure of Party affairs within the military held an irreplaceable position.

The idea of open party affairs in the military had its embryonic form even before the founding of the Communist Party of China. Open party affairs, as a means of party propaganda, was highly valued from the very beginning of its establishment. In the year, the Shanghai Communist Group pointed out in the "Communist Manifesto of China" that the purpose of communists must be successfully propagated among soldiers. Taking propaganda purpose as a necessary condition for success is inseparable from the general trend of China. Practice has shown that the May Fourth Movement dealt a heavy blow to the warlord rule, and the Chinese proletariat, as an independent political force, stepped onto the historical stage. Therefore, this statement pays tribute to the past May Fourth Movement and expresses expectations for the future development of the party, realizing the source of the party's future strength and how to win over this strength through openness. "Soldiers," as oppressed elements within the warlord regime under the semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, lacked class consciousness. The then Communist Party realized that its strength and political influence were weak, unable to directly confront reactionary forces with military force, and urgently needed to openly propagate the party's propositions to change the passive public opinion environment and mass base. The purpose of openly declaring the party's objectives was to raise a banner, expand political influence, and lead the oppressed, including soldiers, to unite, win their sympathy and support, and strengthen their own forces.

Party affairs openness, as an important means of information communication, is prominently reflected in the party's meeting system. Under the reactionary rule, the Communist Party's affairs information, being revolutionary in nature, was a crucial leverage for the reactionary authorities to persecute the party, necessitating extremely secretive measures to prevent such persecution. At that time, lacking information technology support, offline meetings were an indispensable part of maintaining internal party communication. To this end, the Communist Party's first party constitution specifically stipulated the meeting system, indirectly opening an important window for the openness of internal party affairs, including regular meeting systems, ad hoc meeting systems, central special envoy meeting systems, and the chairman's discretionary meeting systems. During this period, the characteristics of these meetings were to find blind spots controlled by the reactionary authorities, adopting small-scale, frequent, and flexible offline meetings. These meetings bore the responsibility of informing important party affairs information and situations, directly achieving internal party affairs openness. The party constitution passed at the Fourth National Congress of the Party continued to retain the meeting system and further clarified that branches should hold a meeting once a week, convened by the branch secretary. The party constitution passed at the Fifth National Congress of the Party explicitly stated that one of the tasks of the party branch was to implement the party's slogans among the masses, indicating that the party's correct propositions should be actively disclosed to the people. This clarification indirectly achieved the connection between internal and external party affairs openness, extending the party's influence to society. In summary, party affairs openness is an indispensable part of information communication, and the meeting system provides a reliable platform for party affairs openness.

During the Agrarian Revolutionary War period, the content and forms of party affairs in the military became more diverse. The Central Political Correspondence (..) pointed out that when discussing all party policies, party members could express their opinions, and some could be announced to other masses. The party constitution adopted at the Sixth National Congress of the Party stipulated that the party branches assign the work of party members, such as propaganda and distribution of printed materials, among which propaganda and printed materials are important forms of publicly advocating the party's stance. It also made clear the public nature of party dues affairs, stating that those who do not pay party dues are considered to have voluntarily withdrawn from the party and will be announced at a party members' meeting. The "Letter to All Comrades" was adopted at the Sixth National Congress of the Party, proposing to seek every public opportunity to propagate the party's slogans. In month year, the "Resolution of the Sixth Party Congress of the Fourth Army of the Red Army" stipulated that the company party committee is the core of the party's work in the Red Army, responsible for planning and supervising the public tasks of political work. In month year, the Gutian Conference explicitly pointed out the importance of democratic life and guaranteed the democratic rights of party members.

During the Anti-Japanese War, active efforts were made to promote the openness of military party affairs amidst the harsh struggle for secrecy. In the year, the General Political Department issued the "Directive on the Education of New Recruits," in the year, the headquarters of the Eighteenth Group Army issued the "Directive on Strengthening Current Affairs Education," and in the year, the Political Department of the Eighteenth Group Army issued the "Directive on Propaganda and Education," emphasizing the need to strengthen current affairs education within the military, establish a newspaper reading system, and organize discussions on editorials and special commentaries of party newspapers, in order to deeply understand the content of policies and guidelines in party affairs. In the year, based on summarizing work experience, Liu Shaoqi wrote the article "On Open and Secret Work," pointing out that our party "clarifies all truths" to raise the consciousness of the masses, and the party should be as open as possible. In the month, the Central Military Commission issued the "Regulations on the Military Political Committee," which stipulated the establishment of open military political committees in the Eighth Route Army's main corps and above, and local military districts and above, to collectively discuss major military and political issues. In the month, Deng Xiaoping published "The Party and the Anti-Japanese Democratic Regime" in the 35th issue of the "Party Life" published by the Northern Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, stating that secret branch organizations in the work of the anti-Japanese war in the rear should continue to conduct open work, and generally open communists could act in the capacity of party members. In the month, Deng Xiaoping pointed out in "Organizational Work and Policy Application in Enemy-Occupied Areas" that propaganda and mobilization must be elevated to the organizational stage.

II. The Development of Military Party Affairs Transparency after the Founding of New China

At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the slogan "Open Party Building" was proposed, marking the transition from a revolutionary party to a ruling party. The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Establishment of the Central and Local Party Discipline Inspection Committees" (..) stated that the Party had become a ruling party nationwide. The "Instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Development and Consolidation of Party Organizations" (..) indicated that propaganda and education on the Party's program and constitution should be conducted openly among the working people. The instructions concluded that one of the purposes of open party building was to place the Party under the practical supervision of the masses. The Party Constitution of the Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China was the first Party Constitution after the Party became the ruling party, stipulating that the general tasks of grassroots Party organizations included conducting propaganda work among the masses, organizing Party members to study the Party's experiences and policies. This was essentially promoting open party building on a nationwide scale.

The spring of legalization arrived for the openness of Party affairs after the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party. The communique of this plenary session (..) stated that all levels of people's communes should have their accounts made public. The Party Constitution adopted at the 12th National Congress of the Party reintroduced the right of Party members to be informed, listed as the first fundamental right, providing a basic legal safeguard for the implementation of the openness of Party affairs. In the report (..) at the third plenary session of the 13th Central Committee of the Party, emphasis was placed on the orientation of open work, "publicizing the systems and results of work as much as possible, and establishing various reporting centers." The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Party on Strengthening the Connection between the Party and the Masses" (..) stated that "in the next two years," significant results must be achieved in "promoting the publicization of work charters and results." The 14th National Congress of the Party (year) for the first time included the right of participation of Party members in the Party Constitution, further strengthening the feedback mechanism for the openness of Party affairs.

In the month of the year, the concept of "Party affairs openness" was first proposed in the form of a central document. The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Strengthening the Party's Governance Capacity Building" stated that "gradually promote the openness of Party affairs." The communique of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixteenth Central Committee of the Party (..) pointed out that to expand intra-Party democracy and promote the openness of Party affairs. The report of the Seventeenth National Congress of the Party stated that "respect the principal status of Party members, safeguard the democratic rights of Party members, and promote the openness of Party affairs." For the first time, the Seventeenth National Congress incorporated the concept and requirements of "Party affairs openness" into the Party Constitution, stating that "Party organizations at all levels should implement the openness of Party affairs in accordance with regulations." Since then, the openness of Party affairs has had a legal guarantee at the whole-Party level. Entering a new era, the openness of Party affairs remains an important aspect of the Party's work. The report of the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party explicitly stated that "improve the systems of openness in Party affairs, government affairs, judicial affairs, and public services in various fields." The report of the Nineteenth National Congress of the Party further pointed out that it is necessary to expand intra-Party democracy at the grassroots level and promote the openness of Party affairs.

The concept of Party affairs openness has been gradually incorporated into military regulations and ordinances. In the month of the year, the "Political Work Regulations" were published, proposing to "promote intra-Party democracy and implement Party affairs openness," especially strengthening the inspection and supervision of leaders' performance of duties, exercise of power, and integrity, effectively promoting and driving the Party's construction within the military. That same year, the "Opinion on Implementing Party Affairs Openness in the Party's Grassroots Organizations within the Military" came into effect, marking the first time that military Party affairs openness was systematically regulated in a normative document. The opinion clearly defined the preliminary concept of Party affairs openness as "the content, procedures, and results of intra-Party affairs are disclosed within a certain scope," and the basic positioning of Party affairs openness as "intra-Party democracy is the life of the Party, and Party affairs openness is an important aspect of intra-Party democracy." It also detailed the principles, guarantee systems, organizational leadership, and procedures of Party affairs openness, playing an important role in promoting the standardization and institutionalization of Party affairs openness work.

The first systematic regulation of Party affairs openness was established in the form of intra-Party regulations. In [year], the "Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Party Affairs Openness (Trial)" came into effect, marking the first intra-Party regulation to systematically regulate Party affairs openness. The regulations deepened the concept of Party affairs openness and distinguished three types of public subjects, divided into two major content sections, and clearly defined the content, scope, procedures, and methods of openness. In [month], the "Regulations on Party Affairs Openness in the Military (Trial)" was enacted, the first intra-Party regulation to standardize military Party affairs openness, signifying that military Party affairs openness work has fully embarked on the path of institutionalization, standardization, and scientificization.

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Editor of this issue: Chen Luyang

This issue reviewed by: Lin Yingxi

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Article Source: "China Military-to-Civilian Magazine"

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