East Turkestan Revolutionary Party
East Turkestan Revolutionary Party | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Abdulkerim Abbas |
| Founded | 26 April 1946 |
| Dissolved | 3 February 1947 |
| Merged into | Democratic Revolutionary Party |
| Headquarters | Ghulja (Yining) |
| Youth wing | East Turkestan Revolutionary Youth League |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-left |
The East Turkestan Revolutionary Party (ETRP)
The ETRP emerged from the more moderate East Turkestan Revolutionary Youth League (ETRYL), a group of young, progressive-minded intellectuals who opposed the conservative faction of the ETR government. Many party members came from the ETRYL, and the ETRYL later became the party's youth wing.
Names
| East Turkestan Revolutionary Party | |
|---|---|
| Uyghur name | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Xīnjiāng Rénmín Gémìng Dǎng |
Sources differ as to the official name of the party, but Abbas' handwritten copy of the party constitution is titled "Constitution of the East Turkestan Revolutionary Party".[b][1] The first chapter of the constitution, titled "On the Name of the Party", further states:
Our party is established with a base of the most progressive intellectuals; in line with the international situation at present and East Turkestan's current stage of historical development, the name of the party shall be set as the East Turkestan Revolutionary Party.[1]
Chinese sources generally describe the party as the People's Revolutionary Party.[c] The names Three Districts People's Revolutionary Party[d] and Xinjiang People's Revolutionary Party[e] are sometimes used to differentiate from the similarly named East Turkestan People's Revolutionary Party of the 1960s and 1970s.[2]
Prior to the party's founding, the Soviet leadership in Moscow suggested to Abbas and his Soviet contacts that the party be named the People's Party of Xinjiang, as such a name would appeal to all ethnic groups in Xinjiang (particularly the Han Chinese) and appease the Chinese authorities. The latter reason was especially important to Moscow, which hoped to improve Sino-Soviet relations while maintaining influence in Xinjiang. Abbas rejected the proposal.[3]
History
Background
The East Turkestan Revolutionary Party (ETRP) was active in the "Three Districts" of northern Xinjiang –
The
Origins and founding
The ETRP's origins can be traced to the East Turkestan Revolutionary Youth League (ETRYL), which was founded by disgruntled members of the ETR government. A group of young, progressive-minded intellectuals within the government opposed the presidency of Elihan Tore, who headed the government's conservative leadership.[11] In November 1945, they formed the ETRYL, the leadership of which consisted of the progressive faction of the ETR government headed by Abbas.[5] However, not all progressive leaders of the ETR were involved in the ETRYL's founding; most significantly, the pro-Soviet foreign minister Ehmetjan Qasim was preoccupied with peace negotiations with the Kuomintang.[12] The ETRYL quickly gained support amongst Soviet- and Chinese-educated youth; in a matter of weeks, its membership ballooned to 14,000, spread over 27 counties of the Three Districts.[13]
At its onset, the ETRYL was not ideological; it advocated an ethnically inclusive form of
In human societies of every epoch, the training of youths and the grooming of successors have been important matters, and the Three Districts Revolution was no different in this regard. In order to meet these important tasks, the provisional government and peoples of the Three Districts needed to train, organize, and utilize the youthful energy of the young people to ... consolidate, unite, and galvanise them in the fight against the Kuomintang reactionaries.[15]
Sources differ as to when the ETRP was founded. Saifuddin Azizi, another ETRYL central committee member, wrote in his memoirs that the ETRP was founded in December 1945. This is repeated in Xinjiang's Local History, the Chinese government-approved textbook used in Xinjiang's secondary schools.[16] Party records published by the ETRP's successor, the Democratic Revolutionary Party, give the date 26 April 1946.[1] Hanbaba meanwhile stated that the party was founded on 5 May 1946.[17]
The ETRP was founded with the blessing of the Soviet leadership, with whom Abbas consulted when drafting the party's program and organisational framework.[18] The party modelled itself after the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),[g] with adjustments to account for the material conditions of Xinjiang.[19] The ETYRL became the party's youth wing.[14] A seven-member central executive committee (CEC) was elected with Abbas serving as its chair.[14][20] Other members of the CEC were unaware of Abbas' communications with the Soviets. For example, Azizi incorrectly believed that the ETRP's existence had been kept secret from the Soviets to avoid their interference.[21]
Communications with the Chinese Communist Party
In December 1946, Abbas travelled to the then Chinese capital
At their second meeting, Dong provided Abbas documents from the CCP's 7th National Congress and the opinions of the CCP leadership. Dong extended the warm greetings of Zhou Enlai, the vice chairman of the military commission of the central committee. Zhou agreed in principle to CCP membership for leaders of the ETRP and the Communist League. However, Zhou also relayed the CCP central committee's opinion that the ETRP's name was "inappropriate" as it implied support for an independent East Turkestan. Abbas responded by agreeing in principle to table the "Xinjiang national question".[26] Before Abbas left to return to Ghulja, Dong gave him radio equipment for the ETRP to contact the CCP with. The radio, however, was not sufficiently powerful to reach Yan'an from Ghulja and the two communist groups could not establish regular communication.[26]
Dissolution
Abbas returned to Ghulja in early 1947 and immediately made arrangements to meet with the leaders of the Communist League. On 3 February 1947, the leaders of the ETRP and the Communist League met in Dihua. Abbas informed the attendees of the CCP central committee's opinions and recommendations, and the two groups agreed to a CCP-recommended merger. The dissolution of both groups and the formation of the Democratic Revolutionary Party were declared later that day.[27][28]
Ideology and program
The ETRP's program was reviewed and edited by the Soviets before its founding.
The ETRP was founded with the goal of becoming a
Central executive committee
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The ETRP's central executive committee (CEC) consisted of seven members:
| Member | Code name | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Abdulkerim Abbas | Lutfi | Chairman |
| Seydulla Seypulla | Ëldan | Minister for Rural Areas |
| Saifuddin Azizi | Nur | Minister of Communication |
| Asgat Iskhakov | Ijat | Minister of Organisation |
| Muhemmetimin Imin | Nijat | Minister of Military Affairs |
| Anwar Hanbaba | Cholpan | Minister of Commerce |
| Abdulla Zakir | Ilghar | Secretary-General |
Notes
References
Citations
- ^ a b c Wang 2020, p. 240.
- ^ Brophy 2023, p. 904.
- ^ a b Hasanli 2020, p. 189.
- ^ a b Evans 2017, p. 53.
- ^ a b c Evans 2017, p. 68.
- ^ Evans 2017, p. 2.
- ^ Hasanli 2020, p. 125.
- ^ Hasanli 2020, p. 123.
- ^ Wang 2020, p. 243.
- ^ Evans 2017, pp. 69–70.
- ^ Evans 2017, p. 66.
- ^ Wang 2020, p. 239.
- ^ Evans 2017, p. 69.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wang 2020, p. 241.
- ^ Evans 2017, p. 68, citing Hanbaba 1999, p. 19.
- ^ Evans 2017, p. 70.
- ^ Hanbaba 1999, p. 25.
- ^ a b Hasanli 2020, pp. 188–189.
- ^ Evans 2017, p. 71.
- ^ a b Evans 2017, pp. 70–71.
- ^ Brophy 2021, p. 240.
- ^ Benson 1990, p. 97.
- ^ Shih 2015, p. 154.
- ^ a b CCP History Archives 1998, p. 105.
- ^ CCP History Archives 1998, pp. 105–106.
- ^ a b CCP History Archives 1998, p. 106.
- ^ Chen 2006, pp. 112–113.
- ^ Zhang 2003, p. 458.
- ^ Brophy 2021, pp. 240–241.
- ^ Hasanli 2020, p. 188.
- ^ Wang 2020, pp. 242, 354–356.
- ^ Evans 2017, pp. 67–68.
- ^ a b Wang 2020, p. 242.
- ^ Wang 2020, p. 235.
Sources
Books
- ISBN 9787503400254. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2023-12-17. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
- Benson, Linda (1990). The Ili Rebellion: the Moslem challenge to Chinese authority in Xinjiang, 1944–1949. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 0-87332-509-5.
- Brophy, David (30 September 2023). A Decade in Sino-Soviet Diplomacy: The Diaries of Liu Zerong, 1940–49. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-981-99-4082-0.
- Chen, Guoyu, ed. (2006). 为了新疆解放 [For the Liberation of Xinjiang] (in Chinese). Xinjiang People's Publishing House. ISBN 978-7-228-10012-5.
- Hanbaba, Anwar (1999). ئۈچ ۋىلايەت ئىنقىلابى دەۋرىدىكى پارتىيە-تەشكىلاتلار [Parties and Organizations during the Three Districts Era]. شىنجاڭ تارىخ ماتېرىياللىرى [Xinjiang Historical Materials] (in Uyghur). Vol. 42. Xinjiang People's Publishing House. ISBN 978-7-228-04377-4.
- Hasanli, Jamil (3 December 2020). Soviet Policy in Xinjiang: Stalin and the National Movement in Eastern Turkistan. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-7936-4127-4. Archivedfrom the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- Newby, Laura J. (1986). The Rise of Nationalism in Eastern Turkestan, 1930–1950. University of Oxford.
- Wang, Ke (15 March 2020). The East Turkestan Independence Movement, 1930s to 1940s. Translated by Fletcher, Carissa. The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press. ISBN 978-962-996-769-7.
- Zhang, Zhenjie, ed. (2003). 伊宁县志 [Yining County Chronicle] (in Chinese). Xinjiang People's Publishing House. ISBN 978-7-228-08486-9.
- 中共党史资料: 第六十七辑 [Information on the History of the Communist Party of China: Issue 67] (in Chinese). Party History Research Office of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. 1998. ISBN 978-7-80136-188-2.
Journal articles and dissertations
- Brophy, David (1 January 2021), "The East Turkestan Independence Movement: 1930s–1940s, by Wang Ke; translated by Carissa Fletcher. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2018. vii+361 pp. US$50.00 (cloth).", The China Journal (Book review), 85: 239–241, S2CID 234108423
- Evans, Michael P. (July 2017). A Nearly Perfect Storm: The Rise and Fall of the Eastern Turkistan People's Revolutionary Party (PhD thesis). Indiana University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
- Shih, Chien-yu (1 December 2015). 蘇聯介入與現代維吾爾民族主義的興起：東突厥斯坦共和國不同史觀的討論 [Soviet Involvement and the Rise of Modern Uyghur Nationalism: A Discussion of Different Historical Views of the East Turkestan Republic]. Cultural Research (in Chinese (Taiwan)) (21). National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Press: 127–160. from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- Xu, Jianying (November 2016). “东突” 问题的历史与现状述论 [A review of the history and current situation of the 'East Turkestan' issue] (PDF). Journal of Xinjiang Normal University (Philosophy and Social Sciences) (in Chinese). 37 (6): 1–10. (PDF) from the original on 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2024-01-04.