In February 1949, the price in Chongqing increased by 1000 times on average compared with that in August 1948. In fact, it has caught up with the Beijing-Shanghai area. The salary adjustment method for public teachers announced by the Kuomintang authorities stipulates that the salary adjustment in Beijing and Shanghai is 75 times, while that in Chongqing is only 35 times. Therefore, the life of public officials has been in a desperate situation. Under this circumstance, teachers and students in Chongqing, who have a glorious revolutionary tradition and have been trained by the pro-democracy movement for a long time, have launched a massive campaign of "fighting for food and clothing and survival", which has won wide sympathy and support from all walks of life. 1949 in early February, primary and secondary school teachers in Shanghai were forced to stop teaching because of soaring prices, low wages and difficulties in life, and petitioned the Kuomintang authorities to improve the treatment of teachers. This struggle later affected and expanded to the main cities in the Kuomintang-ruled areas. Chongqing is a unified and centralized movement, which is gradually brewed from sporadic and scattered struggles. At first, some teachers took "loan leave" to borrow money and "pawn leave" to be pawnbrokers.
In late February, the professors of the Central Institute of Technology first announced a three-day collective strike, and the students also launched the "Respect for Teachers Movement" to raise money to support teachers. Then Chongqing University, Central Institute of Technology, Women's Teachers' College, Sichuan Institute of Education and other teachers and students went on strike, set up a "food and clothing committee", organized a charity sale, respected teachers in the streets, and gradually established eight colleges and universities in the province. Teachers from seven middle schools, primary schools and private universities and colleges in the city took action and took part in the struggle. For some time, primary and middle school students who respect teachers and sell for charity have been active in the streets and alleys of mountain cities, forming a very lively and enthusiastic scene. Teachers, students and even principals of many schools have petitioned the Kuomintang Southwest Chief Executive's Office and the municipal government in turn, demanding a rapid improvement in the lives of faculty and students, making the reactionary authorities exhausted and embarrassed. The characteristics of this stage of struggle are that teachers get up first, students actively cooperate and the masses gradually mobilize. The content of the struggle starts from the aspects of economy and life, and is directed at the Kuomintang authorities. There are some minor leagues between schools. Party member of every school and members of the Party's peripheral organizations took an active part in the struggle, but they have not yet gained the leadership of the movement.
In mid-March, more and more schools and students took part in sports, and mutual visits between schools promoted each other.
More than 4,000 students from nine public universities held large-scale demonstrations and petitions in this city, which was the first peak of the movement. The parade not only highlighted the slogan of economic struggle of "overcoming hunger, striving for food and clothing, and striving for survival". The parade promoted the scale of the movement and the content of the struggle.
On March 27th, in order to show the unity and strength of Chongqing students, a grand bonfire party was held in the gymnasium of Chongqing University. Nearly ten thousand students from downtown, Shapingba, Beibei and Qingmuguan participated in the activity. All kinds of activities, performances and programs at the party showed a distinct and strong political color, raised the demands of the masses for improving their lives to the height of "uniting to overthrow the reactionary Kuomintang dynasty", and expressed them in various vivid literary forms, which had strong appeal. The song "Unity is Strength" came one after another and became the theme song of this evening. With warm applause, the sports square was named "Unity Square". Through a parade and a party, the masses were further mobilized and the movement was pushed to a new peak.
More than 6,000 students in Nanjing held a demonstration demanding that the Kuomintang government accept the eight conditions for peace talks put forward by our party, which was brutally suppressed by the reactionary Kuomintang authorities, resulting in two deaths and more than 65,438,000 injuries, resulting in the "April 1 tragedy". When the news came, the students in the city were filled with indignation. The "April 1st Massacre" in Nanjing further promoted the great unity of students in the city.
On April 15, more than 80 representatives from 42 schools in the city gathered at Zhengyang School to set up the "Chongqing Student Survival Federation" and called on students to strike. And decided to hold a city-wide student demonstration and petition March on April 2 1. There are 57 schools that signed up for the parade, accounting for more than two thirds of the total number of large and medium-sized schools in the city. During the preparation for the parade, various activities were widely carried out within and between schools. The schools in the city are boiling, and the reactionary authorities are frightened. Under the auspices of the Southwest Chief Executive's Office, a special organization was set up to suppress the student movement, and the Kuomintang Youth League and Gendarmerie Xiante blacklisted them, preparing for a big arrest and creating a bloody case. At this critical juncture, Comrade Yuan, who entered the enemy's ranks, grasped the enemy's dynamics and learned about their plans to suppress the student movement and some blacklists. In order to avoid unnecessary heavy sacrifices, the leaders of the underground party in Chongqing decided decisively to change the centralized city-wide parade into a district or campus rally on the evening of April 19. The party's decision was quickly communicated to the headquarters of the Federation of Students and the contact points of all districts and schools. Through the work of party member and members of each school, the students were persuaded to change the way of the parade. On the afternoon of April 20, the enemy declared martial law in the whole city, set up roadblocks on the main roads, blocked the two river ferries, isolated the downtown area from Shaci District, Jiangbei District, Nan 'an District and Jiulongpo, and sent military police to surround No.1 Middle School. 2 1 On this day, students from various schools held demonstrations and rallies in various districts or schools under the heavy encirclement of the enemy. The parade in Shaci area the day before included 7000 students from Beibei and Qingmuguan. There are also more than 3,000 people marching in Haitangxi area on the south bank. Schools such as Minjian and Shudu Middle School in Panxi, Jiangbei also gathered hundreds of people to March along Jialing River, facing the parade teams of major schools across the river, shouting at each other, echoing each other and encouraging each other. Most other schools hold rallies and parades, give speeches and perform live news dramas. Although the city's student parade was forced to be cancelled, the atmosphere of the rally held under the siege of the enemy was even more tragic, forming the final climax of the movement.
From the night of April 2 1 day to the 22nd, the Kuomintang reactionaries forcibly canceled the "April 2 1 day" city parade, but they still did not relax their persecution and repression. Garrison headquarters has arrested more than 50 activists from No.1 Middle School, major schools and middle schools by kidnapping, detention and arraignment, arrested Wen, the principal of No.1 Middle School who supported the student movement, and announced the permanent dissolution of No.1 Middle School. After many struggles and rescues, these arrested comrades have been released one after another.
The liberation of Nanjing declared the collapse of the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang. The situation has gone from bad to worse, and the victory of national liberation is just around the corner. The underground party in Chongqing estimated that the enemy might take risks and suppress and persecute the revolutionary people more violently. So, after April 2 1 day, the struggle turned to school activities, and the exposed backbone was evacuated and transferred. A group of activists in the student movement joined the underground society.
The April 21st Movement was the last large-scale mass movement of Chongqing students during the War of Liberation. This movement has developed from teachers to students, from schools to society, and from economic struggle to political struggle. This is a very successful student movement. Through the struggle of sports and practical education, the students have United and prepared for liberation.
After the school resumed classes, underground parties and underground clubs further carried out community activities in various schools through various legal forms, trained activists, and did a lot of work to unite and educate students more widely. Some also held night classes for workers and farmers and social surveys. 10, the struggle of "responding to emergencies and protecting schools" was launched to protect the integrity of school buildings and avoid damage and loss.
1949165438+1In the early morning of October 30th, students from Social University raised the first red flag to welcome liberation in the "spiritual fortress" (that is, Jie Fangbei), leaving the last vivid picture of the student movement in Chongqing before liberation.