Chapter 38 The Emergency Meeting of August 7th, Mao returned to Hunan 1927

Journalist: “What was the significance of the August 7th Conference of the Party?”

Mao: “On August 7, 1927, the Central Committee held the emergency August 7th Conference in Wuhan, which took place at the residence of the Soviet advisors. The conference was convened by the Provisional Central Committee formed by the instructions of the Communist International (Zhang Guotao, Zhou Enlai, Li Weihan, Li Lisan, Zhang Tailei, Qu Qiubai), and Chen Duxiu was not invited. The theme of the conference was to rectify Chen Duxiu’s mistakes, and he became the scapegoat. The conference lasted for a day. There were 8 Central Committee members, 3 alternate members, and other representatives, totaling 21 people in attendance. Representatives from the Communist International, such as Lozovsky, Newman, and Lu Shumova, also participated. Zhou Enlai was absent as he was planning an uprising in Nanchang. The conference was presided over by Comintern representative Lozovsky, and it established the future overall policy of the Communist Party, which was land revolution and armed resistance against the Kuomintang. It was during this conference that I put forward the famous slogan, ‘Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.’ This conference marked a turning point for the Communist Party. Afterwards, the armed struggle for seizure of power began.”

Journalist: “Chen Duxiu was finished. You cleverly proposed the idea that political power comes from the barrel of a gun.”

Mao: “Yes. The conference elected a new ‘Provisional Central Political Bureau.’ The ranking was determined by the number of votes received: Su Zhaozheng, Xiang Zhongfa, Qu Qiubai, Luo Yinong, Gu Shunzhang, Wang Hebo, Li Weihan, Peng Pai, Ren Bishi. These 9 people were elected as full members. Deng Zhongxia, Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong, Peng Gongda, Li Lisan, Zhang Tailei, Zhang Guotao, these 7 people were elected as alternate members.

On August 9, during the first meeting of the Provisional Central Political Bureau, Qu Qiubai, Li Weihan, and Su Zhaozheng were chosen as standing committee members. Zhou Enlai was put in charge of the Military Department.

On September 23, the standing committee of the Provisional Central Political Bureau decided that Luo Yinong would serve as the Minister of the Organization Department of the CCP Central Committee. From late September to October 10, the leadership organs of the CCP Central Committee gradually relocated to Shanghai.”

Journalist: “After the August 7th Conference, Qu Qiubai became the General Secretary, but it was still the Russian advisors who were behind the scenes, directing everything.”

Mao: “That’s correct. From November 9 to 10, under the leadership of Qu Qiubai, the Provisional Central Political Bureau held an enlarged meeting in Shanghai. Representatives from the Communist International, including Lozovsky and Newman, attended. The conference implemented a policy of punishment and expelled me, Peng Gongda, and Zhang Guotao from the standing committee of the Provisional Central Political Bureau. Zhou Enlai and Luo Yinong were elected as standing committee members in our place.

After the August 7th Conference, I and other leaders were preparing to leave Wuhan. I was given the choice to go to Sichuan or Hunan. Some comrades thought it would be safer for me to go to Sichuan, but I decided to return to Hunan because I had a base there and felt more familiar with the region. I then initiated armed struggle among the peasants. I felt that a chaotic era had arrived, and it was the perfect opportunity to strive for power.”

Journalist: “So, you returned to Hunan and rallied your forces?”

Mao: “That’s correct. Hunan was still my stronghold.”

Mao: “Yes, that’s right. Hunan remained my base.”

Journalist: “The Kuomintang formed alliances with the Soviet Union and the Communist Party during the Northern Expedition. What did the Communist Party achieve during this time?”

Mao: “The greatest achievement of the Communist Party was its growth from a small party of less than a hundred people to tens of thousands through the Northern Expedition. Although we failed in the power struggle with the Kuomintang, we left behind tens of thousands of seeds and continued our struggle in places like the Jinggang Mountains and the Jiangxi Soviet Zone.”