Chairman of the Communist Party of China
Encyclopedia
The Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was the head of the Communist Party of China
(CPC). In 1982, it was succeeded by the General Secretary of the Central Committee
.
(still Party Secretary) served as Chairman of the Central Executive Committee
, but the name was changed in General Secretary of the Central Executive Committee in 1925. The post was first introduced in March 1943, when the Politburo
decided to discharge Zhang Wentian
as General Secretary
and named Mao Zedong
as Chairman of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee . The seventh CPC National Congress
introduced the post of Chairman of the Central Committee into the party constitution, and in 1956 the General Secretary was given the day-to-day management of the Party Secretariat. The chairman was elected by the Central Committee in plenary session and had full powers over the CC, the Politburo and its Standing Committee
.
The 1956 Party Constitution
introduced the multiple Vice-Chairman
post; since 1945, actual vice-chairmanship had been exercised by the Secretariat members. Liu Shaoqi
was the highest-ranking vice-chairman from 1956 to 1966.
The 1969 Party Constitution (adopted by the 9th Congress) introduced the post of a single vice-chairman, in order to give more authority to Lin Biao
as Mao's successor. The 1973 Constitution (adopted by the 10th Congress) re-introduced the collective vice-chairmanship. In 1976, Hua Guofeng
was named First Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee, a post previously held unofficially by Liu Shaoqi from 1956-1966; Zhou Enlai
from 1973-1975; and Deng Xiaoping
in 1975 in the capacity of "Vice-Chairman in charge of the day-to-day work of the Central Committee".
The 1975 Chinese Constitution
reinforced the influence of the party on the state. The Central Committee
(and, by extension, its chairman) was placed before the National People's Congress
. Article 15 said that "the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China leads all the armed forces of the country".
Although Hua Guofeng
succeeded Mao at the party chairmanship, he was unable to enforce his authority when, in 1978, then Vice-Chairman Deng Xiaoping
became the de facto leader of China
.
The post of Chairman was abolished in 1982 and the General Secretary
was re-introduced.
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...
(CPC). In 1982, it was succeeded by the General Secretary of the Central Committee
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China , officially General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is the highest ranking official within the Communist Party of China, a standing member of the Politburo and head of the Secretariat...
.
History and functions
Between 1922 and 1925, Chen DuxiuChen Duxiu
Chen Duxiu played many different roles in Chinese history. He was a leading figure in the anti-imperial Xinhai Revolution and the May Fourth Movement for Science and Democracy. Along with Li Dazhao, Chen was a co-founder of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. He was its first General Secretary....
(still Party Secretary) served as Chairman of the Central Executive Committee
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is the highest authority within the Communist Party of China. Its approximately 350 members and alternates are selected once every five years by the National Party Congress....
, but the name was changed in General Secretary of the Central Executive Committee in 1925. The post was first introduced in March 1943, when the Politburo
Politburo of the Communist Party of China
The Central Politburo of the Communist Party of China or Political bureau of the CPC Central Committee , formerly as Central Bureau before 1927, is a group of 24 people who oversee the Communist Party of China...
decided to discharge Zhang Wentian
Zhang Wentian
Zhang Wentian . He is also known as Luo Fu . His names in Wade-Giles are Chang Wen-t'ien and Lo Fu.Born in Jiangsu, he attended engineering school in Nanjing and also spent a year at the University of California. He later joined the Communist Party and was sent to study at Sun Yat-sen University...
as General Secretary
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China , officially General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is the highest ranking official within the Communist Party of China, a standing member of the Politburo and head of the Secretariat...
and named 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...
as Chairman of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee . The seventh CPC National Congress
National Congress of the Communist Party of China
The National Congress of the Communist Party of China is a party congress that is held about once every five years. The National Congress is theoretically the highest body within the Communist Party of China, but in practice important decisions are made before the meeting. Since 1987 the National...
introduced the post of Chairman of the Central Committee into the party constitution, and in 1956 the General Secretary was given the day-to-day management of the Party Secretariat. The chairman was elected by the Central Committee in plenary session and had full powers over the CC, the Politburo and its Standing Committee
Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Communist Party of China, whose membership varies between 5 and 9 people. The inner workings of the PSC are not well known, although it is believed that decisions of the PSC are...
.
The 1956 Party Constitution
Constitution of the Communist Party of China
The Constitution of the Communist Party of China has 53 Articles and includes contents of General Program, Membership, Organization System, Central Organizations, Local Organizations, Primary Organizations, Party Cadres, Party Discipline, Party Organs for Discipline Inspection, Leading Party...
introduced the multiple Vice-Chairman
Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China
The Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was the highest rank under the Party Chairman within the Communist Party of China from 1956 to 1982.All the vice-chairmen were members of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee....
post; since 1945, actual vice-chairmanship had been exercised by the Secretariat members. Liu Shaoqi
Liu Shaoqi
Liu Shaoqi was a Chinese revolutionary, statesman, and theorist. He was Chairman of the People's Republic of China, China's head of state, from 27 April 1959 to 31 October 1968, during which he implemented policies of economic reconstruction in China...
was the highest-ranking vice-chairman from 1956 to 1966.
The 1969 Party Constitution (adopted by the 9th Congress) introduced the post of a single vice-chairman, in order to give more authority to Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
as Mao's successor. The 1973 Constitution (adopted by the 10th Congress) re-introduced the collective vice-chairmanship. In 1976, Hua Guofeng
Hua Guofeng
Su Zhu, better known by the nom de guerre Hua Guofeng , was Mao Zedong's designated successor as the Paramount Leader of the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China. Upon Zhou Enlai's death in 1976, he succeeded Zhou as the second Premier of the People's Republic of China...
was named First Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee, a post previously held unofficially by Liu Shaoqi from 1956-1966; Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
from 1973-1975; and Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
in 1975 in the capacity of "Vice-Chairman in charge of the day-to-day work of the Central Committee".
The 1975 Chinese Constitution
1975 Constitution of the People's Republic of China
The 1975 Constitution of the People's Republic of China was promulgated in the midst of the unrest of the Cultural Revolution by the 4th National People's Congress....
reinforced the influence of the party on the state. The Central Committee
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is the highest authority within the Communist Party of China. Its approximately 350 members and alternates are selected once every five years by the National Party Congress....
(and, by extension, its chairman) was placed before the National People's Congress
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress , abbreviated NPC , is the highest state body and the only legislative house in the People's Republic of China. The National People's Congress is held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China; with 2,987 members, it is the...
. Article 15 said that "the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China leads all the armed forces of the country".
Although Hua Guofeng
Hua Guofeng
Su Zhu, better known by the nom de guerre Hua Guofeng , was Mao Zedong's designated successor as the Paramount Leader of the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China. Upon Zhou Enlai's death in 1976, he succeeded Zhou as the second Premier of the People's Republic of China...
succeeded Mao at the party chairmanship, he was unable to enforce his authority when, in 1978, then Vice-Chairman Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
became the de facto leader of China
Paramount leader
Paramount leader literally "the highest leader of the party and the state ", in modern Chinese political science, unofficially refers to the political leader of the People's Republic of China....
.
The post of Chairman was abolished in 1982 and the General Secretary
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China , officially General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is the highest ranking official within the Communist Party of China, a standing member of the Politburo and head of the Secretariat...
was re-introduced.
List of the CPC Chairmen
| Order | Image | Chairmen | Term Start | Term End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Chairman of the Central Executive Committee (1922-1925) |
||||
| 1 |  |
Chen Duxiu Chen Duxiu Chen Duxiu played many different roles in Chinese history. He was a leading figure in the anti-imperial Xinhai Revolution and the May Fourth Movement for Science and Democracy. Along with Li Dazhao, Chen was a co-founder of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. He was its first General Secretary.... (陈独秀 / 陳獨秀) 9 October 1879 - |
July 1922 | Junuary 1925 |
Chairman of the Central Politburo (1943-1956) |
||||
| 1 |  |
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... (毛泽东 / 毛澤東) 26 December 1893 - |
20 March 1943 | 28 September 1956 |
Chairman of the Central Committee (1945-1976) |
||||
| 1 | |
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... (毛泽东 / 毛澤東) |
19 June 1945 | 9 September 1976 |
| 2 | Hua Guofeng Hua Guofeng Su Zhu, better known by the nom de guerre Hua Guofeng , was Mao Zedong's designated successor as the Paramount Leader of the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China. Upon Zhou Enlai's death in 1976, he succeeded Zhou as the second Premier of the People's Republic of China... (华国锋 / 華國鋒) 16 February 1921 - |
7 October 1976 | 28 June 1981 | |
| 3 | Hu Yaobang Hu Yaobang Hu Yaobang was a leader of the People's Republic of China who served as both Chairman and Party General Secretary. Hu joined the Chinese Communist Party in the 1930s, and rose to prominence as a comrade of Deng Xiaoping... (胡耀邦) 20 November 1915 - |
29 June 1981 | 11 September 1982 | |
List of the Vice-chairmen
- 8th Central Committee8th Central Committee of the Communist Party of ChinaThe 8th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was in session from 1956 to 1969. It held 12 plenary sessions in this period.It elected the 8th Politburo of the Communist Party of China in 1956.-Chronology:#1st Plenary Session...
(1956–1969)- Zhou EnlaiZhou EnlaiZhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
, Chen YunChen YunChen Yun was one of the most influential leaders of the People's Republic of China during the 1980s and 90s, and one of the top leaders of the Communist Party of China for almost its entire history. He was also known as Liao Chengyun ; it's unclear whether this was his original name or a pseudonym...
, Liu ShaoqiLiu ShaoqiLiu Shaoqi was a Chinese revolutionary, statesman, and theorist. He was Chairman of the People's Republic of China, China's head of state, from 27 April 1959 to 31 October 1968, during which he implemented policies of economic reconstruction in China...
(expelled in 1968), Zhu DeZhu DeZhu 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...
, Lin BiaoLin BiaoLin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
(from 1959).
- Zhou Enlai
- 9th Central Committee9th Central Committee of the Communist Party of ChinaThe 9th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was in session from 1969 to 1973. It held two plenary sessions in the 4-year period.It elected the 9th Politburo of the Communist Party of China in 1969....
(1969–1973)- Lin BiaoLin BiaoLin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
(died in 1971).
- Lin Biao
- 10th Central Committee10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of ChinaThe 10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was in session from 1973 to 1977. It held three plenary sessions in the 4-year period.It elected the 10th Politburo of the Communist Party of China in 1973.*Chairman: Mao Zedong...
(1973–1977)- Hua GuofengHua GuofengSu Zhu, better known by the nom de guerre Hua Guofeng , was Mao Zedong's designated successor as the Paramount Leader of the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China. Upon Zhou Enlai's death in 1976, he succeeded Zhou as the second Premier of the People's Republic of China...
(First Vice-Chairman from 6 April 1976, Chairman from 9 September), Zhou EnlaiZhou EnlaiZhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
(died in 1976), Kang ShengKang ShengKang Sheng , Communist Party of China official, oversaw the work of the People's Republic of China's security and intelligence apparatus at the height of the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s. He was a close associate of Mao Zedong and remained at or near the pinnacle of power for decades...
(died in 1975), Li DeshengLi DeshengLi Desheng was a general in the Chinese People's Liberation Army. He was born in Xin County, Henan, China, an area now known as the "Cradle of Generals" for its surprising number of senior military officers born in the region...
, Wang HongwenWang HongwenWang Hongwen was the youngest member of the Gang of Four. At the pinnacle of his power he ranked third in the Communist Party's hierarchy. He was charged with counterrevolutionary activity in October 1976, and sent to prison.-Biography:Wang was born in a village outside of Changchun...
(arrested in 1976), Ye JianyingYe JianyingYe Jianying was a Chinese communist general and the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 1978 to 1983.-Biography:...
, Deng XiaopingDeng XiaopingDeng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
(from 1975 to 1976, and from 1977).
- Hua Guofeng
- 11th Central Committee11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of ChinaThe 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was in session from 1977 to 1982. It held seven plenary sessions in the 5-year period.It elected the 11th Politburo of the Communist Party of China in 1977.-Members:*Hua Guofeng...
(1977–1982)- Li XiannianLi XianniànLi Xiannian was President of the People's Republic of China between 1983 and 1988 and then chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference until his death. He was an influential political figure throughout the PRC, having been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of...
, Wang DongxingWang DongxingWang Dongxing was Mao Zedong's principal bodyguard during the Cultural Revolution....
, Ye JianyingYe JianyingYe Jianying was a Chinese communist general and the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 1978 to 1983.-Biography:...
, Deng XiaopingDeng XiaopingDeng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
, Chen YunChen YunChen Yun was one of the most influential leaders of the People's Republic of China during the 1980s and 90s, and one of the top leaders of the Communist Party of China for almost its entire history. He was also known as Liao Chengyun ; it's unclear whether this was his original name or a pseudonym...
, Hua GuofengHua GuofengSu Zhu, better known by the nom de guerre Hua Guofeng , was Mao Zedong's designated successor as the Paramount Leader of the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China. Upon Zhou Enlai's death in 1976, he succeeded Zhou as the second Premier of the People's Republic of China...
(from 1981), Zhao ZiyangZhao ZiyangZhao Ziyang was a high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China . He was the third Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1980 to 1987, and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1987 to 1989....
(from 1981).
- Li Xiannian