close to the masses in order to organize them through effective leadership, a doctrine later formulated as the "mass line." Yet, Mao was at the same time challenging the beliefs of those same masses, beliefs long held and enshrined in tradition.
Still, the mobilization of the masses was the key element in the revolution, in the immediate reforms, and in subsequent efforts at reform. Members of the party learned about peasants by living with them and near them and by knowing the villages so well that they would be able to discern who was a committed adherent and who was an enemy. The policy was highly successful, and the mass line policy has to be seen as a key element in the CCP victory. By 1945, membership in the CCP had increased to 1.2 million. Rivalry between the KMT and the CCP continued, but the CCP was succeeding in surviving the KMT military attacks. Conflict between the two for control of China was heated. The leadership of the CCP was solid, while that of the KMT was not. The victory in 1949 is attributable to this fact in part.
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