THE CONCEPT OF UNITED FRONT IN CHINA

1. Subject: CHINA: POLITICS, ECONOMY, AND
FOREIGN POLICY
CHAPTER REVIEW
Presented by:
Sharafat Ali, MS IR
Semester-II

2. Chapter # 2
IDEOLOGICAL BRICOLAGE
Main Topics:
1. Intellectuals and Ideological Governance of the Chinese Communist
Party (Timothy Cheek )
2. Shades of Red: Changing Understandings of Political Loyalty in the
Chinese Communist Party, 1921–2021 (Jérôme Doyon and Long Yang
)
3. The United Front: The Magic Weapon of the Chinese Communist
Party’s Metamorphoses (Emmanuel Jourda)
4. Knowing and Feeling the ‘China Dream’: Logic and Rhetoric in the
Political Language of Xi’s China (Kerry Brown)

3. About the Author
 Emmanuel Jourda
 The Author is Management Officer at Bpi-france
 Currently working on following Research Topics and
Ongoing Projects
 Politics in Post-Revolutionary China
 History of the United Front
 Political History of Triads
 History of the Taiwan Strait

4. The United Front: The Magic Weapon of the Chinese Communist
Party’s Metamorphoses (Emmanuel Jourda)
1. Introduction
 Idea of United Front is closely associated with Chinese communism.
 Initially, United Front was focused during revolutionary period, but in
the era of Xi-Jinping the interest has been increased.
 The development of the idea of United Front in China from Mao's
time to the present was examined in this chapter.
 The United Front Work Department (UFWD), which directly reports
to the CCP Central Committee, is principally responsible for the
institutionalization of the united front.
 Mao's leadership of the CCP was cemented by his insightful
maneuvering during the Second United Front with the GMD,
especially during the Japanese invasion.
 Mao made the United Front a keystone of CCP doctrine through his
conceptual synthesis and tactical achievements.

5. 2. A Chinese ‘Magic Weapon’
 In a speech to students on April 1, 1938, Mao discussed the
Investiture of the Gods and linked the idea of "magic weapons" to
historical Daoist tales about a conflict with the Shang Dynasty.
 In May, 1939, Mao gave recruits new "magic weapons”, comparing
them to the Party-building, armed struggle, and the unified front.
 Mao considered them indispensable instruments for conquering
obstacles in several directions.
 The uncovering of the roots of magic weapons provides insight into
Mao's integration of Chinese culture into the development of
communism. It supported CCP hegemony while acting as a symbolic
middle ground.
 It made it possible to forge strategic partnerships with different
sociopolitical parties and isolate the revolution's main adversaries
while advancing it.
 Maoist united front strategies included proxies to enforce social
structures in line with CCP objectives.

6. 3. Establishing an Institutional Parenthesis
 The Chinese revolution continued to employ the 'magical' symbolism
even after the People's Republic of China (PRC) was established.
 A 'people's democracy' was established as an institutional parenthesis
through the use of the united front.
 During the Rectification Movement (1942–44), Mao Zedong Thought
was cemented, and the United Front established a national union in
opposition to the Guomingdang (GMD).
 The United Front helped the Party to achieve its goals by changing
from a tactical partnership to a powerful tool for social organizing.
 A coalition administration was established when the GMD's rule was
dissolved by the Political Consultative Conference in January 1946.
 Again in 1946, after the broke up of civil war, pluralism vanished, and
the united front remained important as the CCP consolidated its
power. To manage urban society and maintain political diversity, the
combination of the three 'weapons' remained crucial in Party rhetoric.

7. Continue…
 By the end of the 1950s, the focus was shifted away from the United
Front. Internal struggles and the fight against the "new bourgeoisie”
took priority.
 The united front was no longer a tool in the hegemonic fight and was
instead sidelined inside Maoist doctrine.
 Mao Zedong Thought took the role of united front as the main
intellectual weapon during the Cultural Revolution.

8. 4. Shield against the Maoist Momentum and Lever for Reform
 Following Mao's death, Hua Guofeng made an effort to mend the
divide between Maoist ideas and the rehabilitation of the United
Front's alleged aims.
 Deng Xiaoping restored the political features of New Democracy and
established the unified front as a Maoist-era political principle,
therefore resetting the ideological superstructure.
 Deng contributed to scientific socialism as a wholly Chinese
"independent science" by raising the united front to the status of
"science."
 Despite criticism, Deng continued to use the united front as a tool in
internal Party conflicts.
 In 1987, Deng and Zhao Ziyang initiated a broad reform drive, taking
use of the united front's ability to dilate time and rhetoric to their
benefit.
 The united front served as a historical parenthesis for the Cultural
Revolution.

9. 5. A Tool for the Re-Ideologisation of the Regime
 The Tiananmen crisis in 1989 put a stop to the reform effort and
marked the beginning of a new phase in the united front strategy.
 By reusing the magic weapon in an offensive manner to get over
barriers, the CCP expedited state-building through the use of
revolutionary referential.
 Hu sought middle-of-the-road administration, weakened the idea of
the united front, and concentrated on sustaining the system rather than
pursuing changes.
 Xi Jinping's leadership saw a return to emphasizing CCP ideology and
restructuring the system. The united front was used to promote
'dynamic stability' and 'harmony-cooperation' within society, aligning
with Xi's vision.
 Expanding United Front policies both at home and outside helped the
CCP achieve its goal of peaceful hegemony, particularly in the BRI.

10. Continue…
 The united front's changing tactics, which represent a new discourse
under Xi Jinping, structure and form the Chinese government
according to the CCP's goals.
 In spite of obstacles like the pandemic and economic crisis, the united
front serves as a weapon for re-ideologizing the Chinese government,
which is centered upon the CCP, which is meant to be inclusive,
authoritarian, and ideological.

11. 6. Conclusion
 Over the past century, the united front has been an ongoing concept
that has provided insights into the CCP's evolution and adaptation to
shifting conditions.
 The united front was a calculated tactic used to close the gap between
revolutionary ideas and actual realities in the run-up to the Chinese
Revolution.
 The socialist revolution eventually eclipsed the united front, which
had played a significant role in the PRC's establishment and
consolidation of power under Mao Zedong's direction.
 Deng Xiaoping moved away from Maoism and protected his reform
program by using a united front.
 Jiang Zemin strengthened the united front's institutional importance by
incorporating it into the party-state's organizational framework.
 By highlighting its revolutionary origins and incorporating it into their
own political structures, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping brought the United
Front back to life.

12. Continue…
 despite the limitations imposed by the CCP's advance towards
revolution and dictatorship, the united front functions as a useful tool
for overseeing accommodation, compromise, and ideological
coherence.
 In Sum, the unified front serves as a "theoretical sliding screen,"
enabling language and action to be traditional to the revolutionary
ideas and Communist orientation of the CCP.

13. Analysis…
 The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the united front's
influence on CCP ideology and governance during the past century,
covering a wide range of historical eras and political shifts.
 It offers frameworks for analyzing the development of the united front
concept, including Xi Jinping Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, and
Mao Zedong Thought.
 It provides insight into the ways in which the CCP has utilized the
united front as a political instrument to further its goals and preserve
the stability of the system.
 The united front idea is critically analyzed in the essay, which also
notes its advantages and disadvantages as a political tactic.
 It has been used by several CCP leaders in response to shifting
political conditions.
 It provides a thorough and perceptive examination of the unified front.