The Path Choice of Establishing a Correct View of Party History in the July 1st Forum

　　Authors: Associate Dean and Professor, School of Marxism, China Renmin University. Song Xueqin

　　Over the past century, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has led the people of China to win the revolution, construction and reform again and again, realizing the dream of Chinese people with lofty ideals to stand in the world again in modern times, and opening up a new road for the development of human civilization. In his important speech celebrating the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: "We should use history to reflect reality and look far into the future, see clearly why we succeeded in the past and how we can continue to succeed in the future from the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s century-long struggle, so as to remember our initial mission more firmly and consciously and create a better future." At the important moment of celebrating the centenary birthday of our party, it is timely to carry out the study and education of party history. The view of party history is a collection of a series of ideas about party history and party history, which includes what party history is and what party history is in the ontological sense. The answers to these questions determine the significance of learning party history. In the sense of methodology, it includes how to study and study the history of the party, which reflects and affects the understanding of the ontology of the history of the party. To give full play to the positive significance of the study and education of party history, we must establish a correct view of party history.

　　The study of party history needs to adhere to two dimensions: ontology and methodology.

　　The history of communist party, China is a collection of the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) from the revolutionary period to the present, which consists of a series of objective facts. However, the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s historical position and practical significance in the period of revolution, construction and reform doomed its history to be different from a general history. After decades of development, the academic circles of party history and national history have reached a consensus on the nature of party history, that is, the history of the Communist Party of China is a historical discipline with political characteristics. Party historiography requires learners to accurately grasp the main theme and mainstream essence of party history, pay attention to major issues, and "root out the source, consolidate the foundation and cultivate the yuan" in order to establish a correct understanding of China’s reality and future. The ontological view of the history of the Communist Party of China should include the confirmation of the objectivity of the history of the Communist Party of China and the political and scientific nature of the history of the Communist Party of China. Under this premise, it is easy to understand the necessity and significance of studying and educating the history of the Party: we are not studying for the sake of satisfying curiosity, nor for the sake of learning, but for drawing strength from Party building, ideals and beliefs, so as to better move towards the future. To achieve this goal, we need to have a comprehensive understanding of the research and study of party history in the sense of methodology. Since Party historiography is political and scientific, how to deal with the relationship between them becomes the key to establish a correct view of Party history.

　　To establish a correct view of party history, we must take a clear-cut stand and stress politics

　　Historically, the Party’s historiography shows a distinct political nature. Comrade Cai Hesen noticed the necessity of systematically summarizing and studying the history of communist party in China earlier. He pointed out that a good party member needs "a cordial and profound knowledge of the Party’s history" to understand his own responsibilities. To understand the stage and degree of the Party’s development and the future development path, he needs to study it "by historical methods". This means that the history of the Party is not a study in the study room, but a study with strong political and realistic significance concerning the cultivation of qualified party member and the choice of the Party’s orientation. It can be seen that the early the Communist Party of China (CPC) people have recognized and expounded its political attributes and functions at the beginning of the study of the history of the Communist Party of China.

　　During the Yan ‘an period, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out that "it is necessary to understand the historical development of the Party’s line and policy, to study today’s line and policy, to strengthen inner-party education and to promote all aspects of work". After the rectification movement and the study of Party history, the Communist Party of China (CPC) achieved an unprecedented high degree of unity in ideology, politics, organization and military affairs, which laid a solid foundation for the Party to win one victory after another in the new-democratic revolution and socialist revolution and construction. The discussion, drafting and revision of the Resolution on Some Historical Issues of the Party since the Founding of the People’s Republic of China have played an important role in unifying the understanding of the whole party and persisting in taking economic construction as the center, and made ideological preparations for reform and opening up. In the new period of reform and opening-up, the study and study of Party history has played an important role in upholding and strengthening the Party’s leadership and promoting Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s modernization. Comrade Jiang Zemin attaches great importance to the study of party history, and has repeatedly pointed out that the study of party history is of great significance for strengthening ideals and beliefs, implementing the basic line and carrying forward the fine traditions of the Party. Comrade Hu Jintao demanded that more attention be paid to educating the whole party and people with the history of China, especially the revolutionary history of China, and that the study of revolutionary history should be combined with the education of ideals and beliefs and the construction of advanced nature. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and the Supreme Leader’s General Secretary regards the study of Party history and the history of New China as "a compulsory course to uphold and develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics and push forward all the undertakings of the party and the country", and asks for "three whys".Carry out extensive publicity and education.

　　From a realistic point of view, the internal and external environment facing China’s current development requires us to attach importance to the political nature of Party history. The closer we get to the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the more complicated the risk test will be. The accelerated and profound evolution of the world’s unprecedented changes in a hundred years has added to the complexity of the situation at home and abroad. The Communist Party of China (CPC) is the most essential feature of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. To attack and deny the history of the Party is to deny the cause of Socialism with Chinese characteristics and the glorious prospect of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Only by clearly recognizing the political nature of the Party’s historiography can we clearly fight against historical nihilism and safeguard and consolidate ideological security. Marxists are good at drawing lessons from history. This fine tradition of summing up and learning is the embodiment of the Communist Party of China (CPC) people’s scientific world outlook and methodology, and also the embodiment of the Party’s advanced nature. In a word, the history of the Party has a distinct political nature since its birth, which makes the study of the history of the Party occupy an important position in the cause of the Party. The reality of today’s China also requires us to attach importance to and carry forward the political nature of the Party’s history. Defining this attribute will be the first step to correctly study the Party’s history.

　　To establish a correct view of party history, we should grasp the dialectical relationship between political and scientific nature of party history.

　　By establishing a correct view of party history, politics and science will complement each other. The key to grasp the political and scientific nature of the party’s historiography in practice lies in focusing on the main line with a grand historical view and attaching importance to the mainstream and essence.

　　First of all, we must grasp the history of the party in the course of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Since modern times, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has been the unremitting pursuit of people with lofty ideals throughout the ages. Whether upholding education, saving the country through science and technology, or advocating constitutionalism or revolution, advanced Chinese is committed to saving the nation and making self-reliant China stand in the east of the world again. It is under the guidance of the common ideal that the advanced Chinese people with different origins and different ideological understandings gradually moved towards Marxism in their exploration, forming the trend of hundreds of rivers entering the sea, which led to the establishment of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The Communist Party of China (CPC) combined the basic principles of Marxism with China’s concrete reality, embarked on a practical road of saving the country, always struggled in the front line of the national and ethnic undertakings, and finally led the people of China to win the new-democratic revolution in arduous struggle. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the dream of strengthening the country with industrialization as the core is the key to understand various institutional arrangements during the socialist revolution and construction period. Only with a certain industrial base, China will be able to ensure national security and seek national development in the wave of modernization. Since the reform and opening-up, China has made great progress in politics, economy, culture, society and ecology, which is attributed to the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s leadership and the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s adherence to his original intention and mission. Thus, a history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is a history of seeking happiness for the people of China and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. Without this, learning the history of the party will get twice the result with half the effort.

　　Secondly, we must grasp the history of the party in the tortuous course of human civilization. Understanding the history of Marxist political parties is inseparable from the 500-year history of socialist development. From Thomas Moore to Marx, socialism bears people’s yearning and pursuit for a better life. The cause of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is the cause of China, and it is also the cause of human civilization. Today, China has provided a modernization road different from the western model for developing countries with its own experience. At the same time, China, which is becoming increasingly prosperous, is also actively shouldering international responsibilities, promoting global environmental governance and implementing emission reduction commitments; Advocating the construction of a community of human destiny; Committed to creating a fair and reasonable new international political and economic order.

　　Thirdly, we should explore the rich connotation of party history with a great historical view. For a long time, political history has been the main and even the only concern of the Party’s historiography. Today, the history of the Party can be divided into the history of unremitting struggle, the history of theoretical exploration and the history of self-construction, and can also be divided into political history, economic history, cultural history, social history and ecological history according to the "five in one". These different classification methods enlighten us that we can’t simplify the rich treasure house of party history into a "meeting history" or a "main character activity history". There should be vivid scenes in the history of the Party, that is, "We should not only write about great people, but also write about little people" and "not only educate people with correct principles, but also cultivate them with noble sentiments". Otherwise, it not only limits the improvement of the research level of party history, but also limits the practical value of party history. Regardless of the size of the research field, the study of party history should have great concern and clear problem consciousness. The study of social history focusing on marginal groups seems small, but it can carry the pursuit of helping social construction and exploring the road of modernization.

　　Finally, we should deal with all kinds of questions from home and abroad with a great historical view. The Communist Party of China (CPC)’s ruling position is the choice of history and people, which is an objective fact with profound historical roots and realistic foundation. In the face of attacks, accusations, smears and confusions on the history of the Party at home and abroad, it is necessary to "clean up the roots" with scientific methods and rich research results. This requires us to establish a grand historical view, and to understand and explain the universality and particularity of China’s road with a grand vision covering the "four histories".

　　Grasping the relationship between politics and science of party history and establishing a correct view of party history are prerequisites for in-depth study of party history. The broad masses of cadres should combine their own work with the study and education of Party history, deeply understand the initial intention and mission of the Party, practice the ideals and beliefs of communist party people, be active summoners in the study and education of Party history, and tell the story of reform and development in combination with their own reality. Party member can’t be satisfied with being a passive receiver. They should actively study the history of the Party in their work and life, know the laws of the history of the Party, solve their doubts with scientific methods while strengthening their faith, and criticize the wrong views about the history of the Party with in-depth thinking and scientific understanding. The masses should realize the particularity and importance of the history of the Party, the profound reasons why China overcame hardships and won historic victories again and again in modern times, and the particularity and importance of sticking to the China road and telling the story of China well, so as to deeply understand the past, present and future of Socialism with Chinese characteristics.