July 16-23,1922

The CPC held its Second National Congress in Shanghai, Twelve delegates attended the congress, representing 195 Party members.

The congress adopted and issued a historic declaration, Based on Lenin's theories on national and colonial questions and the examinations of the basic questions of the Chinese revolution made since the founding of the CPC, the declaration analyzed the world situation and the semi-colonial and semi-feudal nature of the Chinese society, expounded the character, motive force and targets of the Chinese revolution and formulated the minimum and maximum programmes of the Party. The objectives of the minimum programme, or the chief programme of the Party at the stage of democratic revolution, included eliminating internal disorder and overthrowing the warlords to achieve peace in the country; overthrowing oppression by world imperialism to gain complete independence for the Chinese nation; and unifying China as a genuine democratic republic. After these objectives were attained, further efforts should be made to prepare for the achievement of the objectives set by the maximum programme-“to establish the dictatorship by workers and peasants, eliminate the system of private ownership and gradually move into the communist society.” For the first time in modern China, the Second National Congress of the CPC explicitly set forth a programme of democratic revolution, opposing imperialism and feudalism, and thus it unequivocally charted the tasks and orientation for the people of various nationalities in China in their revolutionary struggles at the present stage.

For the benefit of carrying out the Party's programme for democratic revolution, the congress adopted the “Resolution on Democratic United Front,” calling on the workers and peasants throughout the country to rally under the banner of the CPC in their struggle, and at the same time to unite with all the revolutionary parties and the bourgeois democrats in the country to form a democratic united front in order to eliminate the feudal warlords, overthrow imperialist oppression and build an independent, truly democratic China.

The “Resolution on the Organizational Rules and Regulations of the Communist Party” adopted by the congress clearly defined the nature of the Party. It pointed out, "Our Communist Party is neither a Marxist academic society organized by intellectuals nor a utopian revolutionary organization of a few Communists who are divorced from the masses, It should be a political party fighting for the interests of the proletariat, a party of a large number of people of the proletariat who are imbued with the noblest revolutionary spirit and the vanguard of the proletariat in the revolutionary movement.” The resolution stressed that the CPC was the vanguard organization of the Chinese proletariat. The Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party adopted by the congress was the first constitution after the Party was founded. It contained specific provisions concerning requirements for Party members, the Party organizations at various levels and Party discipline.

Among others, the Congress also adopted the “Resolution on the Chinese Communist Party's Joining the Third Communist International,” the “Resolution on 'the Trade Union Movement and the Communist Party,”" the “Resolution on Women's Movement” and the “Resolution on the Juvenile Movement.” It elected the Central Executive Committee of the Party and Chen Duxiu chairman of the committee, and decided to publish a weekly The Guide as the organ of the Party, with Cai Hesen serving as the chief editor.