The United Front in the context of politics based on personal relationships: the story of Mixian County in an age of ambivalence

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn the Republican period, as a result of the constant changes taking place in modern China, key social concepts, political organizations, and absolute authority became ambivalent. Many facets of this social and political ambivalence were reflected in Henan Province, where local forces partially overlapped with the national regime. Mixian County in Henan Province is an ideal place on which to focus because of the emergence of Fan Baiquan, a local strongman, and the rise and fall of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the county during the Chinese War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (the War of Resistance). The ascendance of Fan Baiquan and the development of the CCP in Mixian County during the War of Resistance were closely related to the general environment of politics based on personal relationships, splits within an organization, and ambivalent authority.