Mass Party Membership

Membership of the CPC stood at 4,448,000 in October 1949. By December 1950 this had increased to 5,829,604. In a country of about 500 million people, therefore, Party membership was very much the preserve of a small minority. Following the Leninist concept of an elite vanguard party, membership of the CPC restricted to those who could demonstrate their commitment and ideological correctness. Within the larger membership there was even more select group of Party cadres.

Party cadres permeated all levels of government and administration, the legal system, schools and colleges and the PLA. Through them the CPC was able to ensure that both the governmental system and the armed forces were operating strictly in accordance with the political direction of the State. The CPC established branches in all aspects of national life such as factories, shops, schools, offices, neighbourhoods and PLA units. CPC members also took leading roles in various mass organisations including trade unions, the All-China Federation of Democratic Youth and the All-China…