Chinese Peasants' Association

The Chinese National Peasants' Association (), otherwise known as the Chinese Peasants' Association (), was a peasant organization created in 1927 with the specific aim of transforming the peasantry via socialism. It was led by the Chinese Communist Party until its dissolution in 1964. Its successor was the Chinese National Poor and Lower-Middle Peasants' Association (), created in 1964 and dissolved de facto in 1986.

History

It is believed that Peng Pai () organized the first peasants' association in 1921 and then the first general association in 1923, within the short-lived Hailufeng Soviet. He designed the seal and flag of organization. The plough—a traditional symbol of the peasantry—appeared in both the flag and member cards made by the local peasant associations.

Before the Shanghai massacre of 1927, the Chinese peasant movement was at its peak. In Guangxi, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei and a few other provinces, many peasant associations organized by the Chinese Communist Party and left-wing Kuomintang under the direction of the KrestinternQuoted in Carr, Socialism in One Country, vol. 3, pt. 2, pp. 784-785. and Comintern.

In April 1927 the 1st Provisional Executive Committee of the Chinese National Federation of Peasants' Associations was formed in order to prevent the Chinese peasant movement from failure.http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64184/64186/66630/4489428.html The members tried to organize the first National Peasants' Congress and help local associations from being dissolved by the armed forces of "local tyrants & evil gentry" and right-wing warlords.http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64184/64186/66630/4489427.html However, due to the inapposite direction from the CCP central committeehttp://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64184/64186/66630/4489485.html and Comintern,http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64184/64186/66630/4489425.html they failed and the provisional committee itself was no longer existing de facto after 1927.

Mao Zedong may be the most famous leader of the peasant movement. He organized the association of Hunan in 1926, which nearly half the peasants in the province (roughly 10 million) joined.Mao selected works marxists.org After he investigated the associations again in 1927, he wrote Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan to prove that his way of organizing peasants was right and to provide a rebuttal to Chen Duxiu's ideas of peasant organizationhttp://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64184/64186/66630/4489488.html and about giving up mass work. The phrase, "Down with the local tyrants and evil gentry! All power to the peasants' association!" () was representative of Mao's way of peasant organizing.

During the first stage of the Chinese Civil War (1927–1937), Mao Zedong made use of the associations in Hunan to further the communist cause, and lead the peasants into battle in the Autumn Harvest Uprising of September 1927. The Secretary-General of the peasants' association of Jiangxi province, Shu Guofan, successor to Fang Zhimin, was involved in the Nanchang Uprising around the same time. In the Chinese Soviet Republic,http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64184/64186/66637/4489707.html the association helped organize the peasants in the agrarian revolution.http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64184/64186/66631/4489551.htmlhttp://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64184/64186/66637/4489740.html

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the peasants' association and then the Poor and Lower-Middle Peasants' Associations served mainly to aid the new communist government with the land reform,http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64184/64186/66655/4492633.html and then the introduction of People's communeshttp://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64184/64186/66666/4493348.html as a provisional organ of power.http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64184/64186/66655/4492601.html

On 24 July 1986, the last provincial-level Peasants' Association in Hubei was dissolved.

Organization

In all villages branch and local committee were organized. And from counties to provinces there're the general association() .

The supreme leading bodies were the National Peasants' Congress and the Committee of the All-China Federation of Peasants' Associations, elected by the congress. The committee elected the standing committee consisting of a chairman, vice chairmen and committee members, in charge of daily functions.

The leading bodies of different levels were local peasants' congresses and their committees of association elected by the congresses. Committees of county level or above elected their standing committees consisting of chairmen, vice chairmen and committee members. Committees of county level or above nominated working committees as their representative organ in township levels.

The primary organization is the primary peasants' congress and the committee of association, or simply a group. The congress elected a chairman, 1–2 vice chairmen and several members for a committee, or a leader and 1–2 deputy leaders for a group.

However, after 1964 the formal central organ may no longer be built.

Leaders

1st Provisional Executive Committee of All—China Federation of Peasants' Associations Formed in Wuhan, 9 April 1927, it was also called "Provisional AFPA"() or "Provisional Executive Committee"() in short.

Members of standing committee: Tan Yankai () Tan Pingshan () Deng Yanda () Mao Zedong () Lu Chen () Secretary-general: Peng Pai () Minister of Organization: Deng Yanda () Minister of Propaganda: Mao Zedong () Members: Peng Pai () Yi Lirong () Fang Zhimin () Lu Chen () Xiao Yin'gu () Mao Zedong () Sun Ke () Xu Qian () Deng Yanda () Tan Yankai () Tang Shengzhi () Zhang Fakui () Tan Pingshan ()

Chinese Peasants' Association

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