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(9) Reorganization of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Party</strong><br />
Although he referred to <strong>the</strong> <strong>Party</strong>’s reorganization, Yong did not touch on <strong>the</strong><br />
punishment meted out to some of its top leaders. In reality, <strong>the</strong> reorganization went<br />
toge<strong>the</strong>r with <strong>the</strong> stern punishment, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g expulsion, of many of <strong>the</strong> highest<br />
rank<strong>in</strong>g leaders. Besides, <strong>the</strong> NPC’s report of 15 March suggested that <strong>the</strong> <strong>Party</strong> had<br />
different oppos<strong>in</strong>g factions <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Chen Du Xiu School.<br />
9. Tentative Conclusion<br />
F<strong>in</strong>ally, b<strong>as</strong>ed on an exam<strong>in</strong>ation of <strong>the</strong> various resolutions and <strong>in</strong>structions of <strong>the</strong> Com<strong>in</strong>tern, one<br />
can also conjecture that:<br />
(1) In May 1927, Chen Du Xiu’s stance of “surrenderism” w<strong>as</strong> criticized. Yet, <strong>in</strong><br />
February 1928, its opposite stance, “riotism”, w<strong>as</strong> denounced. Quite possibly, when<br />
<strong>the</strong> NPC decided to organize an upris<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> early 1928, it w<strong>as</strong> unaware that <strong>the</strong>re had<br />
been a change of strategy. If so, <strong>the</strong> NPC adopted a radical, violent approach after its<br />
<strong>in</strong>auguration, know<strong>in</strong>g only that <strong>the</strong> Com<strong>in</strong>tern had criticized surrenderism but not<br />
know<strong>in</strong>g that a reverse decision had been made <strong>in</strong> February 1928 (see 6 above).<br />
(2) One could speculate that <strong>the</strong> Com<strong>in</strong>tern’s crucial changes of strategy <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> space of<br />
only a few years perplexed <strong>the</strong> NPC. To that extent, it would not have been<br />
unnatural for Chen Du Xiu to have had his sympathizers, such <strong>as</strong> Fu Zai Long, <strong>in</strong><br />
Malaya.<br />
(3) Who took <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>itiative to organize <strong>the</strong> profound reshuffle? <strong>The</strong> Guangdong<br />
Regional Committee did not have a representative at <strong>the</strong> Plenum of 2 July 1928 (1.-<br />
(6)). <strong>The</strong> CCP’s <strong>in</strong>structions of January and October 1929 ma<strong>in</strong>ly reflected <strong>the</strong><br />
decisions of <strong>the</strong> Com<strong>in</strong>tern’s 9th Enlarged Plenum of 1928. At that po<strong>in</strong>t, <strong>the</strong> NPC<br />
did not have an undisputed leader, and <strong>the</strong> NPC members admitted that <strong>the</strong>y abided<br />
by <strong>in</strong>structions sent from <strong>the</strong> Com<strong>in</strong>tern. Com<strong>in</strong>tern’s review written <strong>in</strong> 1931 clearly<br />
criticized <strong>the</strong> radical strategy executed <strong>in</strong> Malaya <strong>in</strong> early 1928. Would it not seem,<br />
<strong>the</strong>n, that <strong>the</strong> Com<strong>in</strong>tern had played a decisive, if covert, role here? Yong held that<br />
<strong>the</strong>re w<strong>as</strong> no trace of any <strong>as</strong>sociation between <strong>the</strong> five envoys (and <strong>the</strong> NPC) and <strong>the</strong><br />
Com<strong>in</strong>tern. <strong>The</strong> detailed reports <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Com<strong>in</strong>tern <strong>Files</strong>, however, po<strong>in</strong>ted to <strong>the</strong><br />
existence of an important relationship between <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
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