Anti-Bolshevik League incident
Encyclopedia
The Anti-Bolshevik League incident, or AB League Incident (AB tuan shijian, AB 团事件), was a period of political purge in the territory of a Chinese Communist
revolutionary bases in Jiangxi
province. Mao Zedong
accused his political rivals of belonging to the Kuomintang
intelligence agency "Anti-Bolshevik League". Mao's political purge resulted in killings at Futian
and elsewhere, and the trial and execution of large numbers of Red Army officers and soldiers.
in Jiangxi
created a counter-intelligence organization, known as Anti-Bolshevik League, to deal with the Communist Party of China
and emergent state of civil war
. And that the league consisted of handful of people and was dissolved following the April Second Uprising of 1927 in Nanchang
.
A very different account is given in China's Red Army Marches
, a strongly pro-Communist account by US author and journalist Agnes Smedley
. The issue remains controversial.
" tendencies. In response, 120 members of the JAC were arrested, and 17 executed.
In response to the purge, a local Red Army faction in Futian rebelled against Mao, claiming that Mao was attempting to arrest Zhu De
and Peng Dehuai
, and surrender to the KMT army. The rebel communists were destroyed by Mao's army in response. The rebellion was known as the Futian incident
, highlighting the friction that existed between factions of the Red Army during the early days of the Communist revolution. The incident also vindicated Mao's position as leader of the Red Army, with generals Zhu De and Peng Dehuai giving their unequivocal support, despite their political differences.
Following the Futian incident, the purges against suspected AB League members intensified in other regions, with an estimated 70,000 suspects to have been executed as a result.
According to Agnes Smedley's 1934 account in China's Red Army Marches
, another body called the 'Social Democrats' was also involved, allied to but separate from the alleged Anti-Bolshevik League. It was in favour of moderate land reform, reducing rents but not abolishing landlords.
commissioned an investigation into the Futian incident, which recommended the rehabilitation of the victims, but it was never followed up due to the Tiananmen Square protests
.
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
revolutionary bases in Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
province. Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
accused his political rivals of belonging to the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
intelligence agency "Anti-Bolshevik League". Mao's political purge resulted in killings at Futian
Futian incident
The Futian incident is the common title for the December 1930 purge of a battalion of the Jiangxi-Fujian Soviet's "Red Army" at Futian...
and elsewhere, and the trial and execution of large numbers of Red Army officers and soldiers.
Origins
One account says that in December 1926, the KuomintangKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
in Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
created a counter-intelligence organization, known as Anti-Bolshevik League, to deal with the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
and emergent state of civil war
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
. And that the league consisted of handful of people and was dissolved following the April Second Uprising of 1927 in Nanchang
Nanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...
.
A very different account is given in China's Red Army Marches
China's Red Army Marches
China's Red Army Marches , by Agnes Smedley. Also published in the USSR as Red Flood Over China.This book gives a detailed account of the Chinese Soviet Republic in Jiangxi from 1928 to 1931, ending with the proclamation of the Soviet Republic of China in 1931...
, a strongly pro-Communist account by US author and journalist Agnes Smedley
Agnes Smedley
Agnes Smedley was an American journalist and writer best known for her semi-autobiographical novelDaughter of Earth. She was also known for her sympathetic chronicling of the Chinese revolution...
. The issue remains controversial.
Background
The purged occurred as a result of tensions between Mao's Red Army and other local communist forces. Under the Jiangxi Soviet government, Mao started a political purge against the Jiangxi Action Committee, accusing its members of belonging to the Anti-Bolshevik League and having "liquidationistLiquidationism
Liquidationism is a term in Marxist theory which refers to the ideological liquidation of the revolutionary party program by party members. According to the Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, liquidationism "consists ideologically in negation of the revolutionary class struggle of the socialist...
" tendencies. In response, 120 members of the JAC were arrested, and 17 executed.
In response to the purge, a local Red Army faction in Futian rebelled against Mao, claiming that Mao was attempting to arrest Zhu De
Zhu De
Zhu De was a Chinese militarist, politician, revolutionary, and one of the pioneers of the Chinese Communist Party. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1955 Zhu became one of the Ten Marshals of the People's Liberation Army, of which he is regarded as the founder.-Early...
and Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai was a prominent military leader of the Communist Party of China, and China's Defence Minister from 1954 to 1959. Peng was an important commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese civil war and was also the commander-in-chief of People's Volunteer Army in the Korean War...
, and surrender to the KMT army. The rebel communists were destroyed by Mao's army in response. The rebellion was known as the Futian incident
Futian incident
The Futian incident is the common title for the December 1930 purge of a battalion of the Jiangxi-Fujian Soviet's "Red Army" at Futian...
, highlighting the friction that existed between factions of the Red Army during the early days of the Communist revolution. The incident also vindicated Mao's position as leader of the Red Army, with generals Zhu De and Peng Dehuai giving their unequivocal support, despite their political differences.
Following the Futian incident, the purges against suspected AB League members intensified in other regions, with an estimated 70,000 suspects to have been executed as a result.
According to Agnes Smedley's 1934 account in China's Red Army Marches
China's Red Army Marches
China's Red Army Marches , by Agnes Smedley. Also published in the USSR as Red Flood Over China.This book gives a detailed account of the Chinese Soviet Republic in Jiangxi from 1928 to 1931, ending with the proclamation of the Soviet Republic of China in 1931...
, another body called the 'Social Democrats' was also involved, allied to but separate from the alleged Anti-Bolshevik League. It was in favour of moderate land reform, reducing rents but not abolishing landlords.
Further developments
In September 1956, Mao admitted that the purges, in particular the Futian incident, were a mistake, in which the wrong people were killed. In 1988, President Yang ShangkunYang Shangkun
Yang Shangkun was President of the People's Republic of China from 1988 to 1993, and was permanent Vice-chair of the Central Military Commission...
commissioned an investigation into the Futian incident, which recommended the rehabilitation of the victims, but it was never followed up due to the Tiananmen Square protests
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
.