The 6th National Congress

Date: June 18-July 11, 1928

Place: Moscow

Number of delegates: 84 (plus 34 alternate delegates)

Party membership: More than 40,000

Major contents: The major tasks of the congress were to sum up the experiences learnt after the failure of the First Great Revolution (June 1923-July 1927), analyze the nature of the revolution and the political situation, work out the lines, guiding principles and policies of the Party during a new period, to unite the whole Party in thought and develop revolutionary forces. The congress affirmed that Chinese society remained in nature a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, and that the "Chinese revolution at the present stage is by nature a bourgeois democratic revolution". It formulated 10 programs of the democratic revolution. It pointed out that the political situation in China at that time was one between two revolutionary high tides, and that the general task of the Party was, therefore, not to attack and organize uprisings but to win over the masses and prepare for insurrections. The congress criticized both "Right" and "Left" opportunism, especially putschist mistakes.

The congress elected the Sixth Central Committee composed of 23 members and 13 alternate members, which elected Xiang Zhongfa, Zhou Enlai, Su Zhaozheng, Xiang Ying, Qu Qiubai, Zhang Guotao and Cai Hesen into its Political Bureau, with Xiang Zhongfa serving as the general secretary.

The 5th National Congress

Date: April 27-May 9, 1927

Place: Wuhan

Number of delegates: 80

Party membership: 57,967

Major contents: The congress was held at the critical moment of the Chinese revolution after Chiang Kai-shek staged a counter-revolutionary coup in Shanghai on April 12 of the same year, disarming the workers and having them and Communists rounded up and murdered. It accepted the resolution on the Chinese revolution adopted at the Seventh Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the Communist International Executive Committee. In accordance with the spirit of this resolution, the congress criticized Chen Duxiu for his Right deviationist mistakes as manifested in his neglect in the struggle with the bourgeoisie for leadership over the revolution. But it did not put forward any practical measures for correcting the mistakes so that Chen continued his Right deviationist mistakes after the meeting. The congress set the major tasks for the time being as to launch agrarian revolution and establish the rural revolutionary democratic power, but failed to put forward specific programs to meet the peasants' demand for land. As a result, the congress actually did not finish the task of rescuing the revolution at the crucial moment. It elected the Central Committee composed of 29 members and 10 alternate members.

The Central Committee elected Chen Duxiu, Zhang Guotao, Li Weihan, Cai Hesen, Li Lisan, Qu Qiubai and Tan Pingshan to form the Political Bureau. Chen Duxiu was elected general secretary.

The 4th National Congress

Date: January 11-22, 1925

Place: Shanghai

Number of delegates: 20

Party membership: 994

Major contents: The congress analyzed the role of different classes in Chinese society in the national revolutionary movement. It drew attention to the importance of leadership by the proletariat and of alliance between workers and peasants, pointing out that the China's national revolutionary movement could only be victorious with the powerful participation and leadership of the proletariat and that the Chinese revolution needed the wide participation of workers, peasants and urban middle and petty bourgeoisie, of which peasants were "an important part" and the "natural allies of the working class". The congress summed up the experiences and lessons in the cooperation with KMT since the previous year and worked out plans for unfolding the workers' movement, peasants' movement, youth's movement and women's movement. It decided to set up and strengthen Party organizations throughout the country to meet the needs of great development in the revolution. The congress also elected the new Central Executive Committee (CEC).

The Central Executive Committee elected Chen Duxiu, Zhang Guotao, Peng Shuzhi, Cai Hesen and Qu Qiubai as members of the Central Bureau, with Chen Duxiu as general secretary of the CEC.

The 3rd National Congress

Date: June 12-20, 1923

Place: Guangzhou

Number of delegates: over 30

Party membership: 432

Major contents: The congress was mainly to discuss the establishment of the united revolutionary front based on the Kuomintang-Communist cooperation. It accepted the Resolution on the Relationship Between the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang adopted by the Communist International on January 12 of that year and decided that all the CPC members would join the KMT in the capacity of individuals for the benefit of establishing the united front of various democratic classes. The Central Executive Committee elected Chen Duxiu, Mao Zedong, Luo Zhanglong, Cai Hesen and Tan Pingshan to form the Central Bureau. Chen Duxiu was elected chairman of the Central Executive Committee.

The 2nd National Congress

Date: July 16-23, 1922

Place: Shanghai

Delegates: 12

Party membership: 195

Major contents: The congress adopted and issued a declaration. Based on Lenin's theories on national and colonial questions and the examinations of the basic questions of the Chinese revolution made since the founding of the CPC, the declaration analyzed the world situation and the semi-colonial and semi-feudal nature of the Chinese society, expounded the character, motive force and targets of the Chinese revolution and formulated the minimum and maximum programs of the Party. It pointed out that the Chinese revolution was a democratic revolution against imperialism and feudalism, and the motive powers of the revolution were proletariat, peasants and other petty bourgeoisie. The objectives of the minimum program included eliminating internal disorder and overthrowing the warlords to achieve peace in the country; overthrowing oppression by the world's imperialists to gain complete independence for the Chinese nation. The objectives set by the maximum program were: to organize the proletariat to establish the dictatorship by workers and peasants by means of class struggles, eliminate the system of private ownership and gradually move into the communist society. For the first time in modern China, the congress set forth a program of democratic revolution, opposing imperialism and feudalism, and thus it unequivocally stated the tasks and orientation of the Chinese revolution. It also adopted the Constitution of the CPC.

The Central Executive Committee of the Party composed of Chen Duxiu, Zhang Guotao, Cai Hesen, Gao Junyu and Deng Zhongxia were elected, with Chen Duxiu serving as the chairman of the committee.

The 1st National Congress

Date: July 23-31, 1921

Place: first in Shanghai and later moved on board a boat on Lake Nanhu in Jiaxing County, Zhejiang Province

Number of delegates: 12

Party membership: over 50

Major contents: The central task of the congress was to discuss the question of officially establishing the Chinese Communist Party. The congress adopted the first Party program and decided on the name of the Party as the Communist Party of China. It decided on the objectives of the Party as follows: to overthrow the bourgeoisie by means of the revolutionary army of the proletariat, to rebuild the country by the laboring classes and to work for the ultimate elimination of class distinction; to establish the dictatorship of the proletariat in order to attain the objective of class struggle, that is, the elimination of classes; and to abolish ownership by capitalists and establish ownership by the entire society through confiscating all the means of production. The congress also adopted the Resolution on the Present Tasks, according to which the central task of the Party after its founding was to get the working class organized and to provide guidance to the workers' movement.

The congress elected Chen Duxiu, Zhang Guotao and Li Da to form the Central Bureau with Chen serving as its secretary.