The First KMT-CPC Cooperation

At its Third National Congress held in June 1923, the CPC adopted the policy of cooperation with the Kuomintang (KMT or the Nationalist Party), whereby CPC members could join the KMT in their individual capacity. This decision was in line with Marxist-Leninist principles and Comintern instructions, and was based on an analysis of China's conditions and nature of its revolution. It settled disputes inside the Party in its early days on how to work with the KMT, and enabled the CPC to unite all available forces to fulfill the tasks of the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal democratic revolution.

From January 20 to 30, 1924, the KMT held its First National Congress in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, with CPC support. The congress was presided over by Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925). Of the 165 participants, more than 20 were CPC members. These included: Li Dazhao, Tan Pingshan (1886-1956), Lin Boqu (1886-1960), Zhang Guotao, Qu Qiubai (1899-1935), Mao Zedong and Li Lisan (1899-1967).

The congress reviewed and passed a manifesto that restated Sun's "Three People's Principles" – nationalism, democracy and the people's livelihood, and introduced three major policies, known as the "New Three People's Principles," – alliance with Russia, cooperation with the Communist Party of China, and assistance to the peasants and workers. This was compatible with the political program of the CPC at this stage, and it became the political foundation for the first period of KMT-CPC cooperation.

The congress also decided to allow the members of the Communist Party and the Socialist Youth League to join the KMT in their capacity as individuals.

The First KMT National Congress marked the beginning of the first period of cooperation between the KMT and the CPC.

This was a victory for the young CPC in implementing its democratic revolutionary program and democratic united front policy, and a major historic achievement of Sun Yat-sen in his later years in promoting the Chinese revolution. Both parties needed to pool their efforts to fight imperialism and feudal warlords and boost their own development.

Following the establishment of KMT-CPC cooperation, the first wave of revolutionary sentiment swept China. This promoted the movements of the workers and peasants, and began a new stage of the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal revolution. The Northern Expedition by the revolutionary army from late 1926 to early 1927 swept across a large area of the country and stirred nationwide anti-imperialist passion and patriotism. The three armed uprisings of the workers in Shanghai against local warlords and the peasants' movement advanced the cause of the national revolution.

Along with the revolutionary upsurge, the struggle for leadership within the united front intensified. After Sun Yat-sen passed away in March 1925, KMT right-wingers attempted to seize power through a series of violent incidents. The new right-wingers and new warlords represented by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) accelerated their anti-revolutionary expansion.

In 1927, with the counter-revolutionary coup d'état of April 12 in Shanghai, Chiang carried out a KMT purge of Communists. On July 15, the Wang Jingwei (1883-1944) group began to arrest and slaughter large numbers of CPC members and revolutionary supporters in Wuhan. These activities eventually caused the failure of the Great Revolution and the complete collapse of the first KMT-CPC cooperation.

第一次國共合作

1923年6月召開的中共三大，根據馬克思列寧主義的策略原則和共產國際的指示，結合中國革命的具體情況，充分發揚民主，在分析中國社會矛盾和明確中國革命性質的基礎上，正確解決了建黨初期，黨內在國共合作問題上存在的重大分歧，統一了全黨的認識，正式確定了共產黨員以個人身份加入國民黨，與國民黨進行黨內合作的策略方針，使黨能夠團結一切可能聯合的力量，共同完成反帝反封建的民主革命任務。

1924年1月20日至30日，在中國共產黨的推動下，中國國民黨第一次全國代表大會在廣州舉行，孫中山主持大會。出席大會的代表165人，其中共產黨員20多人，包括李大釗、譚平山、林伯渠、張國燾、瞿秋白、毛澤東、李立三等。大會審議通過了《中國國民黨第一次全國代表大會宣言》，對“三民主義”作出新的解釋，提出了以“聯俄、聯共、扶助農工”三大革命政策為主要內容的“新三民主義”。“新三民主義”的綱領同中國共產黨在民主革命階段的綱領基本一致，因而成為第一次國共合作的政治基礎。大會還從組織路線上處理國民黨同共產黨的關系，即接納共產黨員、社會主義青年團員以個人身份加入國民黨。

國民黨一大的召開，標志著第一次國共合作的正式形成。這是年輕的中國共產黨開始實踐民主革命綱領和民主聯合戰線政策的重大勝利，也是孫中山晚年推進中國革命的一大歷史功績。實行國共合作既是國共兩黨反對帝國主義和封建軍閥的共同需要，也是兩黨各自發展的需要。

第一次國共合作建立后，在中國共產黨的努力和推動下，中國革命掀起了第一次高潮，促進了工農運動的恢復和發展，開創了反帝反封建的革命新局面。1926年年底到1927年年初，北伐軍勝利進軍，席卷了大半個中國，全國反帝愛國情緒不斷高漲。上海工人三次武裝起義和農民運動的發展，進一步把國民革命推向高潮。但隨著革命高潮的到來，統一戰線內部爭奪領導權的斗爭日益加劇。1925年3月孫中山逝世后，國民黨右派篡奪領導權的活動日益猖獗。以蔣介石為代表的新右派和新軍閥勢力，加緊反革命擴張。1927年4月，蔣介石在上海進行了以四一二反革命政變為代表的“清黨運動”。7月15日，汪精衛集團在武漢對共產黨員和革命群眾實行大逮捕、大屠殺。至此，由國共兩黨合作發動的大革命宣告失敗，歷時3年半的第一次國共合作破裂。