Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.3, 2013

 

Disseminate Communism, Absorb New Comrades: an Interpretation of the Family Letters of Wu Zhaohao, a member of German Branch of the Communist Party of China      

(Abstract)

 

Guo Shuanglin

 

From the beginning, the European branches of the Communist Party of China (CPC) had formulated an action goal of "Disseminate communism, absorb new comrades." But with the passage of time and the loss of sources, the true implications of these words are hard to understand today. The unexpected discovery of Wu Zhaohao's family letters provides us with a rare example of what this involved. The content of the letters shows that Wu Zhaohao, as a member of the German branch of the CPC, faithfully implemented this policy. Whether studying in Germany or working in the Comintern, he tirelessly spread revolutionary theory through affectionate letters to his younger brother Wu Zhaofa, a student in the University of Wisconsin, and his Chinese schoolmates. Although he failed to persuade his brother to transfer to Europe, he was successfully in changing his brother’s thinking, from being a pacifist with certain prejudices against the Chinese revolution and the international Communist movement to eventually embarking on the road of revolution. This provides good evidence that the policy of "disseminating communism, absorbing new comrades" achieved real results.