Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang

The Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK), also commonly known, especially when referenced historically, as the Left Kuomintang or Left Guomindang, is one of the eight minor political parties that exist under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party, in the People's Republic of China. It was founded in January 1948, during the height of the Chinese Civil War, by members of the left-wing of the Kuomintang (KMT), especially those who were against Chiang Kai-shek's policies. The first chairman of the party was General Li Jishen, a senior Nationalist military commander who had many disputes with Chiang over the years, while Soong Ching-ling (the widow of Sun Yat-sen) was named Honorary Chairwoman. Other early leading members were Wang Kunlun, Cheng Qian, He Xiangning and Tao Zhiyue. The party claims to be the true heir of Sun Yat-sen's legacy and his Three Principles of the People. In December 2022, the party had around 158,000 members. Among the officially sanctioned political parties of the People's Republic of China, the Revolutionary Committee is officially ranked second after the CCP, being the first-ranking minor party. Thus, the Revolutionary Committee is allotted the second highest number of seats in the People's Political Consultative Conference (30%). It also owns numerous assets, some formerly owned by the Kuomintang, throughout mainland China. The Revolutionary Committee operates a range of party-owned institutions, such as party schools. History After the end of World War II, the relationship between the Chinese Kuomintang and the CCP, who had allied to fight the Japanese, became increasingly tense; ultimately, both sides restarted the civil war, which World War II had interrupted. In 1945 and 1946, members of the Kuomintang's left formed the Three Principles of the People Confederation of Comrades and the Kuomintang Democratic Promotion Association in Chongqing and Guangzhou, respectively.