The “Second Wang Mine Line” (1935–38)

Abstract

Gregor Benton's article “The ‘Second Wang Ming Line’ (1935–38)” is the first major attempt to explore the internal ideological debates in the CCP during the Second United Front Period, the complexities of which have long been overlooked by other historians. In line with the prevailing tendency among historians to look upon Wang Ming as a young, inexperienced and dogmatic theoretician, Benton elaborates and confirms the official Chinese Communist interpretation of Wang's “rightist opportunism” or “capitulationism” in relation to the Kuomintang (KMT). He further asserts that Wang was simply a spokes-man for the Comintern, who framed his policies with “one eye on Moscow's foreign policy needs.” Proceeding on the assumption that Mao's internal statements do not provide conclusive evidence against Wang since the latter's secret reports are not available, he draws comparison between the public statements of Mao and Wang to support his view that fundamental and far-reaching conflicts existed between the two over various policy issues of the united front from 1935 onwards.