李霞文 劉海樂譯

1921年7月23日，中國共產(chǎn)黨第一次全國代表大會在上海法租界的一處住宅中舉行，中國共產(chǎn)黨由此正式創(chuàng)建。

距此時77年前的1848年2月，馬克思和恩格斯撰寫的《共產(chǎn)黨宣言》在英國倫敦正式出版。這一份共產(chǎn)黨人向全世界公開說明自己的觀點、目的和意圖的宣言，成為此后共產(chǎn)主義者崇信的經(jīng)典。

19世紀，席卷西方的資本主義浪潮造就了數(shù)量巨大、以勞動力賺取工資度日的現(xiàn)代工人。大機器生產(chǎn)和細致的分工，使得工人變成了機器的附屬物，恰似卓別林的電影《摩登時代》描繪的情景。資本家只需提供維持工人生活和延續(xù)后代所必需之生活資料的費用，就可無限度地榨取他們的剩余勞動價值，工人們因此陷入赤貧狀態(tài)。馬克思在《共產(chǎn)黨宣言》中說“資產(chǎn)階級不僅鍛造了置自身于死地的武器;它還產(chǎn)生了將要運用這種武器的人——現(xiàn)代的工人，即無產(chǎn)者?！惫と藗冞M行著不斷的抗爭。馬克思預(yù)言由資產(chǎn)階級造就出的無產(chǎn)階級將成為資產(chǎn)階級的掘墓人，并擔(dān)負起解放全人類的使命。

19世紀末的歐洲，應(yīng)驗了馬克思和恩格斯的預(yù)言：以工人階級為基礎(chǔ)、信仰社會主義意識形態(tài)的群眾黨派以驚人的速度增長。此時，馬克思主義的學(xué)說得到系統(tǒng)闡釋，成為工人階級政黨信奉的理論。人們相信馬克思的斷言：共產(chǎn)黨組織起來的工人階級將是光榮未來的創(chuàng)造者，歷史和科學(xué)都顯示出共產(chǎn)主義最終的勝利是歷史的必然。1917年的俄國十月革命，令人對共產(chǎn)主義的最后勝利堅信不疑。第一次世界大戰(zhàn)于1918年結(jié)束，戰(zhàn)后的歐洲混亂不堪，由莫斯科而起的革命浪潮遍及全球。

回望19世紀，“由于西方列強的入侵，由于封建統(tǒng)治的腐敗，中國逐漸成為半殖民地半封建社會，山河破碎，生靈涂炭，中華民族遭受了前所未有的苦難?！?919年因抗議巴黎和會強加于中國的不平等條約，五四運動爆發(fā)。這是繼辛亥革命后，中國革命的又一波浪潮。

五四運動后，那些立志推翻帝國主義和封建主義統(tǒng)治，實現(xiàn)國家繁榮的知識分子，面對紛至沓來的國外各路思潮和理論，日漸認識到只有馬克思主義揭示了人類社會的發(fā)展規(guī)律，提供了反對帝國主義和封建主義、建立繁榮富強中國的社會革命理論，提供了組織革命政黨的正確方法。最終，他們選擇了馬克思主義。這為中國共產(chǎn)黨的建立提供了思想和理論武器。

五四運動中，青年學(xué)生、知識分子和城市工人聯(lián)手反帝反封建。

肇始于洋務(wù)運動，發(fā)展于辛亥革命后的中國民族工業(yè)，造就了中國近代的產(chǎn)業(yè)工人。他們成為城市中重要的社會力量。辛亥革命前后興起的新式教育，培育了一代具有新思想、新知識的青年知識分子，他們中的許多優(yōu)秀分子成為后來改變中國命運的領(lǐng)袖人物。先進的知識分子感受到中國工人階級堅定的革命精神和強大力量，他們向工人宣傳馬克思主義，積極投身群眾運動，促進了馬克思主義與中國工人運動的結(jié)合。這為中國共產(chǎn)黨建立做好了隊伍準備。

1920年10月，李大釗等人在北京建立共產(chǎn)黨早期組織，在此前后，在武漢、長沙、濟南、廣州等也分別建立了共產(chǎn)黨組織;旅日、旅法的華人也成立了共產(chǎn)黨早期組織。雨后春筍般出現(xiàn)的共產(chǎn)黨早期組織，為中國共產(chǎn)黨的正式成立做好了組織準備。

1921年7月23日，在共產(chǎn)國際的幫助下，來自各地的13名早期共產(chǎn)黨組織成員，代表著全國50名黨員，在上海召開了中共第一次全國代表大會。大會通過的中國共產(chǎn)黨綱領(lǐng)提出：要把工人、農(nóng)民和士兵組織起來，推翻資本家階級的政權(quán);確定黨的根本政治目的是實行社會革命。這次大會標志著中國出現(xiàn)了以馬克思列寧主義為行動指南，以實現(xiàn)社會主義和共產(chǎn)主義為奮斗目標的統(tǒng)一的無產(chǎn)階級政黨。

中國共產(chǎn)黨誕生于中華民族內(nèi)憂外患、社會危機空前深重的背景下;誕生于馬克思列寧主義同中國工人運動相結(jié)合的進程中。中國共產(chǎn)黨的創(chuàng)建，是近代中國社會演變和國際共產(chǎn)主義運動發(fā)展的必然結(jié)果。

2016年7月1日，在慶祝中國共產(chǎn)黨成立95周年大會上，習(xí)近平總書記闡明了中國共產(chǎn)黨創(chuàng)立的深刻歷史意義?！爸袊a(chǎn)生了共產(chǎn)黨，這是開天辟地的大事變。這一開天辟地的大事變，深刻改變了近代以后中華民族發(fā)展的方向和進程，深刻改變了中國人民和中華民族的前途和命運，深刻改變了世界發(fā)展的趨勢和格局。”

On July 23， 1921， the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China （CPC） convened in a residential building in the French concession area of Shanghai， heralding the birth of the CPC.

More than seven decades earlier in February 1848， The Communist Manifesto， written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels， was published in London. The work announced the aims and tendencies of communists openly for the whole world to understand. The book has become a political standard studied around the globe and cherished by communist parties all over the world.

In the 19th Century， a capitalist tide swept across the West， creating a massive pool of workers subsisting on wages earned by selling their labor. With the extensive usage of machinery and specific division of labor， workers became indistinguishable from machines， as depicted in Charlie Chaplins Modern Times. The bourgeoisie began arbitrarily exploiting the surplus value of laborers at the minimal cost of basic， necessary means of subsistence. Countless workers fell into extreme poverty. As Marx declared in The Communist Manifesto， “not only has the bourgeoisie forged the weapons that bring death to itself; it has also called into existence the men who are to wield those weapons—the modern working class， or the proletarians.” The struggle of the working class against the bourgeoisie emerged and has continued ever since. Marx predicted that the proletarians—created by the bourgeoisie—would bring about the latters own demise while liberating mankind.

That prediction came to fruition in Europe in the late 19th century： Working-class parties embraced socialism and communism at a stunning speed. Marxist theories were systematically interpreted and became the doctrine of working-class parties. Marxs declaration that the working class， organized by communist parties， would create a glorious future and ultimately emerge victorious became widely accepted. Russias October Revolution of 1917 further consolidated public confidence in the victory of communism. After the end of World War I in 1918， Europe was left in shambles. The revolutionary tide that started in Moscow swept across the world.

In the 19th century， “following relentless aggression by Western powers and chronic spread of corruption among the countrys feudal rulers， China was gradually reduced to a semi-colonial， semi-feudal society. The land of China was laid to waste， the people descended into misery， and the Chinese nation experienced suffering of unprecedented scale.” In 1919， to protest against the exploitative treaty imposed on China at the Paris Peace Conference， the May Fourth Movement broke out， stirring up another revolutionary tide in China soon after the 1911 Revolution.

After the May Fourth Movement， with myriad ideas and theories swarming into China from abroad， Chinese intellectuals determined to overthrow imperialist and feudal rule and achieve prosperity gradually began realizing that Marxism most accurately identified development of human society and provided theories for social revolution that would oppose imperialism and feudalism in favor of building a prosperous， strong China. Eventually， they embraced Marxism as the ideological and theoretical weapon which would serve as the foundation for the CPC.

During the May Fourth Movement， students， intellectuals and urban workers joined hands against imperialism and feudalism.

Chinese society started a long journey towards modernization with the Westernization Movement during the late Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）. Chinas modern industry sprouted during the movement and completed a giant stride forward after the 1911 Revolution， creating the countrys first generation of modern industrial workers who became a major collective force in cities. Thanks to the development of modern education around the 1911 Revolution， a group of young intellectuals with new ideas and philosophies emerged， some of whom became leaders who changed the fate of China. Sensing the revolutionary spirit and powerful strength of the Chinese working class， those intellectuals began to disseminate Marxism amongst Chinese workers and play an active role in social movements. Their endeavors facilitated the integration of Marxism and workers movements in China， laying groundwork for the eventual founding of the CPC.

In October 1920， Li Dazhao （1889-1927）， a central founding member of the CPC， established an early communist organization in Beijing. Soon， communist organizations mushroomed in cities including Wuhan， Changsha， Jinan and Guangzhou， as well as amongst overseas Chinese people living in Japan and France， creating strong organizational foundation for the Party.

On July 23， 1921， with the help of the Communist International， 13 delegates representing communist groups across China gathered in Shanghai to convene the First National Congress of the CPC. The meeting advanced the revolutionary program to “unite workers， peasants and soldiers to overthrow the political power of the capitalist class” and confirmed the fundamental political goal of the Party was to “carry out social revolution.” The congress marked the birth of a united proletarian party guided by Marxism-Leninism and focusing on the realization of socialism and communism in China.

At a time of unprecedented social crisis with the Chinese people smothered by domestic turmoil and foreign aggression， the CPC was born of an integration of Marxism-Leninism and the Chinese workers movement. Its founding was the inevitable result of the evolution of Chinese society and the development of international communist movement.

On July 1， 2016， in a speech at a ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the CPC， Chinese President Xi Jinping， also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee， commented， “The emergence of a communist party in our country was an epoch-making event， which profoundly changed the course of Chinese history in modern times， the fate and future of the Chinese people and nation， and the direction and pattern of world development.”