Chen Duxiu

(1879-1942)
Chen Duxiu (real name: Chen Tsyanshen) was born on October 8, 1879 in the city Huaynin (now Anqing), Anhui Province, to a wealthy family. In addition to the traditional Chinese education, he graduated from schools in China and Japan. Starting from 1903, Chen Duxiu participated in the activities of revolutionary organizations in Shanghai and Anhui Province. After the Xinhai Revolution 1911-1912 he worked in the government. In 1915 he began publishing a monthly magazine in Shanghai 'Tsinnyan' ( 'Youth'), later renamed the 'Xin tsinnyan' ( 'The new youth'),.

In 1917, Chen Duxiu was appointed dean of the Faculty of Philology at Peking University. Beijing stood at the origins of the movement '4 May '- the mass political organization of anti-imperialist orientation. In 1919 he was arrested and on 83 days imprisoned, after his release he moved from Beijing to Shanghai.

The Bolshevik revolution in Russia and the accession of Chinese workers to the movement of '4 May 'made a deep impression on Chen Duxiu, he soon rose to the position of Marxism, but summer of 1920, founded the first Marxist organization in China. The following summer, representatives of various Marxist organizations in China gathered in Shanghai, where they took the decision to establish the Communist Party. Chen Duxiu was elected its leader. Later in this capacity, he participated in an alliance of the KMT and the CCP. Stalin demanded that the alliance with the Kuomintang, the Chinese Communists recognized the supremacy of the last. When in 1927 the Kuomintang massacred over the Communists, Stalin said that this guilty Chen Duxiu. In July 1927, Chen, who asked not to play the role of scapegoat, refused the post of General Secretary of the Communist Party. However, the leadership of the Comintern and the new leadership of the CPC launched a broad campaign against critics. Chen and his supporters formed the autumn of 1929 the party faction and said that the CPC should not be subordinated to the Soviet Union, and demanded to stop persecution of Chen Duxiu. In late 1929, after several warnings, Chen and members of his faction were expelled from the CCP.

Meanwhile, Chen met with the position of Trotsky on the Chinese revolution. In a sharp controversy with Stalin, Trotsky advocated full political independence of the CPC. In December 1929, Chen Duxiu sent an open letter to the Chinese Communists, which pointed to the fundamental mistakes made by the Comintern regarding China, and in early 1930, organized an opposition group 'Left Communists'. In May 1931 the various Trotskyist groups in China had a unifying conference at which Chen Duxiu was elected leader of a united party, numbering 483 members. This is a small association of the Chinese Trotskyists lasted a very short. By the end of 1932 all of its organizers and leaders were arrested. Spring 1933, Chen Duxiu was tried and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

In August 1937, with the beginning of the war against Japan, Chen was released. Leaving a small town Chianchin in Sichuan province, he studied philosophy and ancient Chinese philology. Died Chen Duxiu in Chianchine May 27, 1942.