China Democratic Socialist Party

The China Democratic Socialist Party (CDSP; ) was founded in Shanghai on 15 August 1946. It was formed through the merger of the former Chinese National Socialist Party (; their preferred shorthand name was "Socialists" and had no relation to the German Nazi party) and the Democratic Constitutionalist Party (), both of which had survived the years of Japanese aggression by generally supporting the Kuomintang-led national government. The new party's first head was Dr Carsun Chang (Zhang Junmai).

Both the Socialists and the Democratic Constitutionalists had strong ties to Liang Qichao's defunct Progressive Party. The former were based in China as part of the China Democratic League while the latter was made up of overseas Chinese and expatriates. Most of their members were middle-age to elderly. They never actively recruited and most of their members were friends or relatives of each other. Their small numbers meant they lacked influence but also allowed them to operate under the radar of the Kuomintang and prevent infiltration by other parties.

The CDSP's platform was to promote democratic socialism in China, world peace, individual freedoms, economic development, a narrowing of the gap between rich and poor, and equal rights for women. The party also sought the implementation of a social welfare system for public health and social security.

After the promulgation of the Republic of China's constitution in January 1947, the CDSP established branches in several...
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