8th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China


The 8th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was in session from 1956 to 1969. It was preceded by the 7th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. It held 12 plenary sessions in this period of 13 years. It was the longest serving central committee ever held by the Communist Party.
It elected the 8th Politburo of the Communist Party of China in 1956. This politburo was dysfunctional from 1967 -1969. This Committee was succeeded by the 9th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Members

Chronology

  1. 1st Plenary Session
  2. *Date: September 28, 1956
  3. *Location: Beijing
  4. *Significance: Mao Zedong was appointed Chairman of the CPC Central Committee, with Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and Chen Yun as vice-chairmen and Deng Xiaoping as general secretary. A 23-members Politburo, the 6-members Politburo Standing Committee and other central organs were elected.
  5. 2nd Plenary Session
  6. *Date: November 10–15, 1956
  7. *Location: Beijing
  8. *Significance: Liu Shaoqi made a report on the Suez Crisis and the anti-communist revolts in Hungary and Poland; Zhou Enlai made a report on the 1957 economic plan; Chen Yun made a report on food issues. Mao Zedong delivered a closing speech focusing on the relations with the Soviet Union and upholding Joseph Stalin's legacy.
  9. 3rd Plenary Session
  10. *Date: September 20–October 9, 1957
  11. *Location: Beijing
  12. *Significance: Deng Xiaoping made a report on the Anti-Rightist Campaign; Chen Yun made a report on State governance and development of agriculture; Zhou Enlai made a report on labor insurances. The Great Leap Forward was first outlined.
  13. 4th Plenary Session
  14. *Date: May 3, 1958
  15. *Location: Beijing
  16. *Significance: The meeting approved the report which was to be delivered to the 2nd Session of the Party's 8th National Congress as well as a resolution on the meeting of communist and workers' parties held in Moscow in 1957.
  17. 5th Plenary Session
  18. *Date: May 25, 1958
  19. *Location: Beijing
  20. *Significance: The meeting focused on organizational issues, particularly appointing Lin Biao an additional Vice-Chairman of the CPC Central Committee, and starting the publication of Hongqi with Chen Boda as editor-in-chief.
  21. 6th Plenary Session
  22. *Date: November 28–December 10, 1958
  23. *Location: Beijing
  24. *Significance: The people's commune were proclaimed. Mao Zedong decided not propose himself as President of the People's Republic of China to the 2nd National People's Congress, paving the way for Liu Shaoqi.
  25. 7th Plenary Session
  26. *Date: April 2–5, 1959
  27. *Location: Shanghai
  28. *Significance: Meeting focused on economic and financial work. Reports were submitted by Bo Yibo, Li Xiannian, Deng Xiaoping and Li Fuchun.
  29. 8th Plenary Session
  30. *Date: August 2–16, 1959
  31. *Location: Lushan
  32. *Significance: Also known as "Lushan Conference", a debate on the Great Leap Forward occurred. In the end, Peng Dehuai was accused of being a counter-revolutionary and removed along with other Party leaders like PLA Chief-of-Staff Huang Kecheng and former General Secretary Zhang Wentian. The plenary meeting followed a central conference started on July 2.
  33. 9th Plenary Session
  34. *Date: January 14–18, 1961
  35. *Location: Beijing
  36. *Significance: Chen Yun made a report on the 1961 economic plan; Deng Xiaoping made a report on the 1960 Moscow meeting of communist parties. Regional bureaux of the CPC Central Committee were established at this session.
  37. 10th Plenary Session
  38. *Date: September 24–27, 1962
  39. *Location: Beijing
  40. *Significance: The meeting repeated Mao Zedong's assessment that Chinese economy was to take agriculture as basis to develop industry. The session's official communique also started to outline Mao Zedong's "theory of continued revolution under proletarian dictatorship" which led to the Cultural Revolution.
  41. 11th Plenary Session
  42. *Date: August 1–12, 1966
  43. *Location: Beijing
  44. *Significance: First plenary meeting after 4 years. It approved the Decision of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, setting the course for the Cultural Revolution, which had started in May. The Politburo Standing Committee was expanded from 7 to 11 members, with Lin Biao as the single Vice-Chairman and Liu Shaoqi severely demoted.
  45. 12th Plenary Session
  46. *Date: October 13–31, 1968
  47. *Location: Beijing
  48. *Significance: Liu Shaoqi—the main target of the Cultural Revolution—was condemned as "renegade, traitor and scab" and expelled from the Party. A decision to convene the Party's 9th National Congress was adopted.