Naturally we cannot expect every section of the broad national
united front against Japan to be as firm as the Communist Party and the Red
Army. In the course of their activities some bad elements may withdraw from the
united front under the influence of the enemy. However, we need not fear the
loss of such people. While bad elements may drop out under the enemy's
influence, good people will come in under ours. The national united front will
live and grow as long as the Communist Party and the Red Army live and grow.
Such is the leading role of the Communist Party and the Red Army in the
national united front. The Communists are no longer political infants and are
able to take care of themselves and to handle relations with their allies. If
the Japanese imperialists and Chiang Kai-shek can manoeuvre in relation to the
revolutionary forces, the Communist Party can do the same in relation to the
counter-revolutionary forces. If they can draw bad elements in our ranks over
to their side, we can equally well draw their "bad elements" (good
ones from our point of view) over to our side. If we can draw a larger number
over to our side, this will deplete the enemy's ranks and strengthen ours. In
short, two basic forces are now locked in struggle, and in the nature of things
all the forces in between will have to line up on one side or the other. The
Japanese imperialists' policy of subjugating China and Chiang Kai-shek's policy
of betraying China will inevitably drive many people over to our side--either
directly into joining the ranks of the Communist Party and the Red Army or into
forming a united front with us. This will come about unless we pursue closed
door tactics.
Why change the "workers' and peasants' republic" into a
"people's republic"?
Our government represents not only the workers and peasants but the
whole nation. This has been implicit in our slogan of a workers' and peasants'
democratic republic, because the workers and peasants; constitute 80 to go per
cent of the population. The Ten-Point Programme [30] adopted by the Sixth National Congress of our Party embodies the
interests of the whole nation and not of the workers and peasants alone. But
the present situation requires us to change our slogan, to change it into one
of a people's republic. The reason is that Japanese invasion has altered class
relations in China, and it is now possible not only for the petty bourgeoisie
but even for the national bourgeoisie to join the anti-Japanese struggle.
