BEIJING -- Top Chinese Communist Party officials are set to consider a key resolution that would leave President Xi Jinping's mark on the party's 100 years of history.

The "resolution on history" to be discussed at the Central Committee's plenary session next month would be only the third of its kind, after documents used by Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping to reshape China's political landscape. Here are three things to know.

What are "resolutions on history?"

They are documents of great importance to the party. Their primary purpose is to set an official historical narrative and set out a direction for future policy. In practice, they have served as tools to put an end to power struggles and unrest, and solidify the leader's core position.

The first resolution, in 1945, was a culmination of the "Rectification Movement" under which Mao's political opponents were purged.

At that time, Mao's grip on power was not absolute. The Rectification Movement swayed other senior officials to his side by forcing dissenters to confess to past ideological transgressions through harsh "self-criticism."

The "Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party" framed past policies as "mistakes" and "deviations," and firmly established Mao as the country's sole leader.

Deng's "Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the People's Republic of China" in 1981 acknowledged Mao's "errors" in an effort to quell the turmoil that followed the Cultural Revolution. But it also reinforced Mao Zedong Thought as an ideological pillar of the party alongside Marxism-Leninism, contending that Mao's successes should be considered separately from the mistakes of his "later years."

The resolution set out a role for the market in China's economy, marking the close of the Mao era and the start of Deng's.

What is the third resolution expected to say?

Xinhua reported Monday that the party's Central Committee is expected to review a "key resolution on the major achievements and historical experience of the Party's 100 years of endeavors."

The break with the titles of the other resolutions -- historical "experience" rather than "questions" -- may be significant. There is believed to have been a fierce debate within the party over whether to move forward with the resolution at all, and observers have suggested that the tweak could represent a concession to overcome objections by opponents.

The details have yet to be revealed, but the party's explanation of the purpose of the resolution centers on establishing Xi's core position and authority, and the realization of the "Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation" and the "Chinese Dream," as new historical imperatives.

While the other resolutions repudiated past eras, Xi is widely expected to avoid such risky moves as denying the past or trying to change views of the Cultural Revolution or the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Instead, he is expected to lay out the achievements of Mao and Deng, as well as Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, before touting his own results in that light.

Xi has set  as "centenary goals" the building of a "moderately prosperous society," along with the establishment of a "great modern socialist country" by 2049, the 100th anniversary of modern China. The resolution may seek to present the first as a historical success and the end of an era, while setting the second as the goal for a new era.

The document is expected to emphasize the importance of Xi Jinping Thought alongside Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought for the "new stage of socialism with Chinese characteristics."

What does Xi hope to achieve?

The Chinese leader is widely believed to have three key goals in mind. First, he wants to become China's third leader to have issued a resolution on history, after Mao and Deng. Second, he wants to position himself as a charismatic figure on par with Mao by producing a resolution of a similar length and quality as the latter's. And third, he wants to establish a hierarchy of historic Chinese leaders with him and Mao at the top, followed by Deng, then by Jiang and Hu, preparing to eventually hand the reins to Jiang's faction.

The move is expected to all but ensure Xi wins a rare third term at the Communist Party congress next fall. Mao had also used historical narratives as a tool to solidify his grip on power.

But there are stark differences between the past resolutions issued under Mao and Deng. Mao used his document to pave the way for authoritarian rule. Deng, on the other hand, called for prohibiting personality cults in any form and enshrined the idea of collective leadership, based on China's lessons from the Cultural Revolution. Xi, who has often been compared to Mao, could rewrite the party's narrative once again to play down Deng's warnings.

Past resolutions on history have not only reshaped power structures within China, but have had extensive effects on the world beyond as well. It remains to be seen what impact Xi's new take on China's history will have.