Chairman of the Communist Party of China

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The Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (simplified Chinese: 中国共产党中央委员会主席; traditional Chinese: 中國共產黨中央委員會主席; pinyin: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhǔxí) was the highest rank within the CPC. In 1982, it was succeeded by the general secretary.

[edit] History and functions

Yet between 1922 and 1925, Chen Duxiu (still party secretary) was elected Chairman of the Central Executive Committee, but the name was changed in General Secretary of the CEC in 1925. The post was first introduced in March 1943, when the Political Bureau decided to discharge Zhang Wentian as general secretary and named Mao Zedong Chairman of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. The seventh CPC National Congress introduced the post of Chairman of the Central Committee into the party constitution, and in 1956 the general secretary was given the day-to-day management of the Party Secretariat. The chairman was elected by the Central Committee in plenary session and had full powers over the CC, the Politburo and its Standing Committee.

The 1969 Party Constitution (adopted by the 9th Congress) introduced the post of a single vice-chairman, in order to give more authority to Lin Biao as Mao's successor. The 1973 Constitution (adopted by the 10th Congress) re-introduced the collective vice-chairmanship, present from 1956 to 1969. In 1976, Hua Guofeng was named First Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee.

The 1975 Chinese Constitution reinforced the influence of the party on the state. The Central Committee (and, by extension, its chairman) was placed before the National People's Congress. Article 15 said that "the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China leads all the armed forces of the country".

When Hua Guofeng succeeded Mao at the party chairmanship, he was unable to enforce his authority when, in 1978, then Vice-Chairman Deng Xiaoping became the de facto paramount leader of China.

The post of chairman was abolished in 1982 and the General Secretary was re-introduced.

[edit] List of chairmen

• Mao Zedong (1943-1976) as chairman of the Politburo (from 1943 to 1945) and chairman of the Central Committee (from 1945).
• Hua Guofeng (1976-1981)
• Hu Yaobang (1981-1982)

[edit] List of vice-chairmen

• 8th Central Committee (1956-1969)
  • Zhou Enlai, Chen Yun, Liu Shaoqi (expelled in 1968), Zhu De, Lin Biao (from 1968).
• 9th Central Committee (1969-1973)
  • Lin Biao (died in 1971).
  • Zhou Enlai (from 1976)
• 10th Central Committee (1973-1977)
  • Hua Guofeng (First Vice-Chairman from 6 April 1976, Chairman from 9 September), Zhou Enlai (died in 1976), Kang Sheng (died in 1975), Li Desheng, Wang Hongwen (arrested in 1976), Ye Jianying.
• 11th Central Committee (1977-1982)
  • Li Xiannian, Wang Dongxin, Ye Jianying, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, Hua Guofeng (from 1981), Zhao Ziyang (from 1981).