The Yan'an Rectification Movement from the Perspective of Political Socialization Research

Analysis of Objectives and Methods

Abstract

Background The Yan'an Rectification Movement from 1941 to 1945 was the first rectification movement led by the Communist Party of China and is widely regarded as an extremely successful ideological education practice. Methods Revisiting the Yan'an Rectification Movement from the perspective of political socialization has significant theoretical and practical implications. This article begins by introducing an analytical framework for political socialization research, illustrating that the movement can be termed a political socialization activity in terms of both its objectives and methods. It then proceeds to analyze the approach of combining the mechanisms of indoctrination and internalization during this movement, and finally offers a brief evaluation of this practice. Conclusion The Yan'an Rectification Movement was the first intra-party rectification campaign initiated by the Communist Party of China. Firstly, from the perspective of political socialization research, the Yan'an Rectification Movement can be seen as a relatively successful practice of political socialization. Secondly, an unprecedented level of unity in terms of thought, politics and organization has been achieved. Meanwhile, internalization involves the transformation of thought within each individual person, which cannot be entirely enforced through subjective demands. Further attentions should be paid in the study of political culture and through the continuous re-examination to look for whether there exists a truly correct path to achieve political socialization.