WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Evening Star, Issue 21499, 25 August 1933, Page 5

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

CHINESE COMMUNISM COVERS FOUR PROVINCES - The question of the extent and precise nature of the Chinese Communist movement is not to be dismissed as if that movement was the mere, product of highly-coloured political panic on the one hand or optimistic propaganda on the other,, says the Melbourne ‘ Age.’ It is a movement of considerable substance with a variegated history, and by now extensive and concrete content. One authority estimates .that there are 90,000,000 Chinese subject ,to Soviet control, occupying one-sixth of the total area of China proper. A more conservative estimate has placed the figure at not less , than event the phenomenon is not to ; be disregarded. Moreover, the future involves consideration not merely of the extent of this movement, but the precise quality of the Communism involved, since international collaboration with other Communist forces will depend in part upon the aims and political tone of .the Chinese Communist leaders. And the internal history of China itself will be conditioned to no small extent by these same factors. _ Much misconception exists owing to the rapid historical evolution of Chinese Communism. The status of thej movement has altered to such a marked, extent that explanation and criticism-, have no sooner reached the outer world' in reference to the situation existing; before the eyes of the critic than the; coarse of events has'completely altered, and rendered criticism and comment irrelevant. ' There have been four clearly marked stages in the Communist movement m ; China. The , first stage occupies the, period from the date of the Russian; revolution up to the year 1924. During ( this time activities were earned or by: the normal underground propagandist methods, and .the total number of resulting Communists was not consider-, able. The second phase occupies the three years following the year 1924.; During that period there was an open, alliance between the Chinese Communist parties and the Kuomintang. Communism and Nationalism flowed in one; common stream. At the end, of this period a purging of the Nationalist movement was undertaken, and vigorous, not to say barbaric, punishments were visited upon actual or suspected Communists. Since , that time Com-, munism has been an independent move-, ment hostile to the Nationalist Government, providing it constantly with embarrassing. hostility, and now seriously, threatening its effective control in. a wide area of China. , DIVIDED PERIOD. ■ The period from 1927 up till the present time may be divided into. two phases. During the earlier phase, terminating in the middle of 1931, the \ Communist leaders were accumulating forces* and laying tbe basis of political authority in their own particular territorial fastnesses. Towards the end of that period they marched out of their mountain lairs and , met Nationalist armies of very considerable numbers. The upshot of these contests was certainly not defeat for the Communist forces, though in some directions their activities, were limited. , The second period of this latter phase discloses the Communist authorities confining their activities within limited areas, consolidating political control and successfully defying pressure from the nominal political capital of China, itself. We can best visualise the area ,ot Chinese Communism by , concentrating attention upon the portion of the republic which lies between Canton ana Hankow on the Yangtze.. A line drawn between these two cities moves, from the southern Canton across the province of Kwangtung, and then follows the border between the provinces of Hunan on the west and Kiangsi on the east. Leaving this common border, it then cuts across about half of the pro-

vinces of Hupeh before reaching Hankow. Communism is on the whole: limited to these four provinces. The centre of the Communist area lies in the l south-eastern corner of Kiangsi, somewhat-to the east :of a line; we have traced and slightly south of‘its centre point.- . A traveller along the'route described, however," going from south to north would find himself as'he passed out. of the province of Kwangtung with| Communist country on his right hand almost into Hankow itself. As he left: Kiangsi he might discern far; away’on ; his left front on the distant borders of Hunan a , further mildly Communist area, and again as he approached the gates of Hankow he might discern, still on his left front beyond the Yangtze, more Communist territory itself ’ in, the distant portions of Hupeh,- and even on .his-right hand, stretching out towards Nanking. HIS HANDS'FULL. It was , in; the year 1930 that' the National Government first turned its attention seriously to meeting the Communist ■ offensive. Various Communist leaders had marched out of the central Communist ■ 'area- in South-eastern Kiangsi towards the great river, and had succeeded, in overcoming local generals.' Chiang Kai-shek had had his hands full, however, with meeting other opponents. Indeed, the advance of the Communists proved so - successful that the cooperation of American, British, Japanese, and Italian gunboats was necessary as late as July of 1930 td check their advance down the valley of, the river. .There was at this stage talk of intervention 'by foreign Powers as the one means of saying China. ’ ‘ At, the end of that year, however, the Nationalist forces were moved against them, ahd''large-scale' operations ■ began.--; During, the first , half of 1931 military, failures‘marked the path of the Nationalist generals, and it. was not until June that Chiang; Kai-shek threw himself actively, into the campaign with a force of 300,000 troops. - This activity, however; did: not. prove ; permanently successful. During, the following, year serious efforts were made, with the aid of all the latest/ devicjes of military science, to clean out the trouble, but again no permanent success appears to have been achieved. American news reports "as ’late - as April * of- this year contain accounts of sweeping Communist successes in the area .which' has' been described in. an earlier part of this article. On • the whole their military success’ may- be attributed both-to the careful elaboration' of appropriate tactical methods during the years of quiet Communist development and to the undoubted ; sympathy of the local peasantry with much of the Communist movement. Indeed, it would appear to be entirely' erroneous to dismiss, this Communist activity as mere banditry. WHAT REMAINS? What probabilities, then, remain for the future development of this area? Already a substantial and relatively permanent administrative system has been built up, chiefly in South-eastern Kiangsi and in the province adjoining it on the east—namely, Fukien. There is a Central Soviet Government in Kiangsi at Tungku, and a Fukien Central: Soviet at Lungyen, but, Soviet authority is not. limited to these two areas. The system of government is modelled upon ‘ that of the Russian Soviet Union. There are village, town, and district congresses chosen by peasants, soldiers, and workers, and sending representatives to a central congress.,, . At' this centre there are Government commissariats, ’ which are the real' ’working centres of party policy. AIT bourgeoisie are excluded from political functions. With the armies there are - also - political agents centred in a political bureau.. , , , Despite the exclusion of the bourgeoisie, this’ Chinese Communist movement has - not as yet displayed extreme proletariat tendencies. It has exhibited largely the. character of an agrarian revolution. A subdivision of estates, , even those, riot considered" large by normal standards," has been the chief objective. Alongside of this has been a. policy of avoiding loan obligations and rent ; burdens, which press - with excessive. weight upon -the Chinese peasantry. There has been. a throwing open of public lands arid the estates of temples arid monasteries. So far, however, there’haS ; been no attempt, to substitute social for individual control, though tentative : efforts,, towards establishing collective farms have been reported. The area possesses newly-es-tablished central banks, issuing their own paper money suitably inscribed with the portraits of Lenin and Marx. Wages are reported to: have risen, and the Soviet authorities; are busily eradicating poppy .culture. . UNCERTAIN FUTURE.

The' future remains for the moment indeterminate. Trotsky has recently been warning •’ Western Communists not to expect too much from this Eastern movement. He sees its essentially individualist nature, and urges a vigorous attempt to give it a really Socialist inclination. Such a’ tendency, if successful, might prove of vital significance in the development of the whole of the Southern Chinese Eepublic. The Third International places greater reliance on the revolutionary potentialities of the Chinese Communist movement, and 'looks 'to an extension of peasant revolution from this centre throughout the whole of China. On the other hand, the successful stabilisation of the Nationalist Government at Nanking may tend to develop the vigorous individualism of the peasants, and gradually to modify the revolutionary aspect of this Communist area. The present period is, therefore, one of vital importance. Looked at upon the map, the shaded area which indicates the sphere of Communist control is indeed like a cloud no bigger than a man’s hand, 'but, after all; history is the story of the gradual expansion of such metaphorical' clouds. It would certainly be a mistake to dismiss this one as a mere puff of political smoke.