The Provisional Municipal Government of the Special City of Shanghai (
Chinese: 上海特别市临时市政府;
pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...
: S''hànghǎi Tèbiéshì Línshí Shìzhèngfǔ''), also known as the Shanghai Civil Government (Chinese: 上海市民政府; pinyin: S''hànghǎishì Mínlínshí'') or Shanghai Commune, was a
provisional administration
{{Polish Underground State sidebar
Provisional Administration (Polish language, Polish ''Administracja Zastępcza'') was one of the branches of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Government Delegate’s Office at Home in Poland during Worl ...
that briefly governed the city of
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
during the
Northern Expedition
The Northern Expedition was a military campaign launched by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Kuomintang (KMT) against the Beiyang government and other regional warlords in 1926. The purpose of the campaign was to reunify China prop ...
. Established by people's committees with the assistance of
Chen Duxiu
Chen Duxiu ( zh, t=陳獨秀, p=Chén Dúxiù, w=Ch'en Tu-hsiu; 9 October 1879 – 27 May 1942) was a Chinese revolutionary, writer, educator, and political philosopher who co-founded the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1921, serving as its fi ...
,
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai ( zh, s=周恩来, p=Zhōu Ēnlái, w=Chou1 Ên1-lai2; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from September 1954 unti ...
, and the
Chinese Communist Party
The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
(CCP),
the commune briefly administered the city of Shanghai before its forceful dissolution by order of
Chiang Kai-shek. The dissolution of the Shanghai Commune would lead to the 1927
Shanghai massacre
The Shanghai massacre of 12 April 1927, the April 12 Purge or the April 12 Incident as it is commonly known in China, was the violent suppression of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organizations and leftist elements in Shanghai by forces support ...
, and the onset of the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...
.
Background
As Shanghai held a large industrial base, the CCP, who were influenced by the events of the
October Revolution
The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...
, viewed Shanghai as a natural base for a worker's uprising in China.
By 1927, popular opposition to the control of local warlords, combined with the growing military successes of the
First United Front
The First United Front , also known as the KMT–CCP Alliance, of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), was formed in 1924 as an alliance to end Warlord Era, warlordism in China. Together they formed the National Revolution ...
encouraged local organs of the CCP to overthrow the local administration, leading to two separate armed uprisings between January and early March 1927.
Formation
During a general strike on March 22, 1927, Chen Duxiu and Zhou Enlai would lead a group of 5,000 armed workers in the city's third armed uprising.
After seizing the city by 6pm, they, along with soviets organized by strikers, established the Shanghai Provisional Municipal Government along the lines of the
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...
. During the meeting, 19 members were elected to the municipal government, with 9 representatives from the CCP, and 9 from the various factions of the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
.
Dissolution
After receiving word of its formation, Chiang Kai-shek demanded that the Shanghai Commune be dissolved, and appointed Right KMT officials as heads of a future provincial government. Chen Duxiu would then hold a meeting with members of the CCP, including Zhou Enlai, preparing for conflict with Chiang Kai-shek. However, the municipal government would have to garner support in resistance against Chiang from both the Kuomintang's Left Faction, and the
Communist International
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internationa ...
. As a result, the Comintern's actions in China would be criticized both by some within the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, such as
Leon Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...
, and by retrospective scholars.
Troops loyal to Chiang would ultimately enter the city on April 12, and dissolve the commune.
See also
*The
Shanghai People's Commune
The January Storm, formally known as the January Revolution, was a ''coup d'état'' in Shanghai that occurred between 5 January and 23 February 1967, during the Cultural Revolution. The coup, precipitated by the ''Sixteen Articles'' and unexpe ...
established during the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...
References
1927 in Shanghai
Communism in China
Military history of Shanghai
Chinese Communist Revolution
{{China-hist-stub