Political History of China

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT Four influences: Geographical Influences Historical Influences before 1949 Historical Influences of the PRC The Political Culture

Influences before 1949: Dynastic rule The political culture inherited from centuries of dynastic rule centers around: Confucian values, such as order, harmony, and a strong sense of hierarchy - "superior" and "subservient" positions. China has traditionally valued scholarship as a way to establish superiority Strong sense of cultural identity and a relatively high degree of cultural homogeneity. Ethnocentrism A strong merit-based bureaucracy long before the Europeans adopted it

Revolutionary upheavals Major revolutions occurred in China in 1911 and 1949, with many chaotic times in between. Three themes dominated this revolutionary era: Nationalism Establishing a new political community Socioeconomic Development

China after 1911 The Revolution of 1911 was intended to create a modern republican form of government in China. Instead, the country broke up into warlord-dominated regions with increasing poverty and violence. The Kuomintang (Nationalist) Party led the revolution, but controlled few areas.

Kuomintang Party Sun Yat-sen was the main leader of the 1911 Revolution and the Nationalist Party (KMT). He died in 1925 and was succeeded as leader by Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang cooperated with the Communists for a time, but then massacred them in 1927.

Life of Mao Zedong  Mao led a Communist area in Jiangxi Province in 1934, but attacks by the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) government army forced them to undergo the “Long March” lasting over a year and covering 6,000 miles to a new, safer area to the north in Shanxi Province.  Mao emerged as a hero of the people, and many of his loyal friends on the March lived on to be prominent leaders of the People's Republic of China after its founding in 1949

Land Reform Mao discovered even in the 1920s that the Communists could win the support of the peasants by taking away land from the rich and sharing this with the poor. Mao learned how to get the vast majority of peasants on his side by concentrating the confiscations on a small minority of wealthy farmers.

Yan’an, 2 At the end of the Second World War, the Russians moved into Manchuria against the Japanese and were able to share some weapons with the Chinese Communists. Stalin urged Mao to ally with Chiang Kai-shek rather than to fight him.

Communist Victory, 1949 Due to corruption and inefficiency among the KMT leadership, the Communists took power in mainland China in October, The KMT leaders retreated to the island of Taiwan. “Two Chinas” Now Mao was in charge of the whole country.

Maoism Mao Zedong was strongly influenced by Karl Marx and Lenin, but his version of communism is distinctly suited for China. He believed in the strength of the peasant, and centered his philosophy around these central values: – collectivism – struggle and activism (don’t let people get comfortable, leads to corruption) – mass line – egalitarianism (focus on peasants) – self-reliance

Mao in 1949

The political development of the PRC Phases: The Soviet Model ( ) Land Reform. Civil Reform Worked to eliminate opium addiction and prostitution, ending arranged marriages which increased legitimacy Five-Year Plans nationalize collectivize socialize

Industrialization Between 1949 and 1960, China followed the Russian strategy of industrialization. They built large factories in the cities. Many Russian engineers came to China to assist in this effort. Many of the largest factories in China today were built during this period.

Anti-Rightist Campaign ,000’s of people were accused of enemies of the Revolution and demoted, fired, or sent to labor camps Hundred Flowers Campaign – govt encouraged dissent to appease the people( briefly) “Struggle against the anti-rightest resolutely”

The Great Leap Forward ( ) In 1958, Mao decided that the Russian strategy of industrial development was not suitable for China because it was not helping countryside. The Great Leap Forward was a utopian effort to transform China into a radical egalitarian society. It's emphasis was mainly economic, and it was based on four principles: All-around development Mass mobilization Political unanimity and zeal Decentralization The Great Leap Forward was a big flop Misreporting common and starvation occurred on mass scale

The Cultural Revolution ( ) Political, social and economic change: Mao’s main goal was to purify the party and the country through radical transformation. Remove all vestiges of the old China and its hierarchical bureaucracy and emphasis on inequality. Included self-criticism session in the xiaozu’s People would admit their shortcomings and promise to change Included attacks on elites/capitalists; students would attack those who harmed them and they were sent to farms and not school Mao died in 1976, leaving his followers divided into factions: – Radicals – The Military – The Moderates

Cultural Revolution, 2 Cultural Revolution followed the Hundred Flowers Campaign (1957) which encouraged open criticism, but actually helped government locate those against government who were later imprisoned The Cultural Revolution started among students, but it began to affect other sectors of society. Red Guards…carried out Mao’s police/soldiers who carried out the goals of the revolution “Reactionary” teachers and officials were common targets, who were often killed or committed suicide

Cultural Revolution Publicly criticized

Deng Xiaoping's Modernizations (1978- ”Present”) 1978, the new leader was Deng Xiaoping. New policies "Open door" trade policy Special Economic Zones Reforms in education Institutionalization of the Revolution

After Mao From 1975 to 1997, China was led by Deng Xiaoping who welcomed economic reforms in the direction of capitalism (socialism with chinese characteristics). Peasants were allowed to farm on their own and to leave the collective farms. Local governments were permitted to establish industrial companies that functioned like capitalist firms.

After Mao Mao would be turning over in his grave at the foreign investment and the consumer culture that is spreading in China today. However, Mao’s efforts did create a strong, united Chinese state that after Mao’s death was able to make serious reforms to compete in a global economy. Political legitimacy rests on economic growth and a rising standard of living.

Deng Xiaoping Theory - "It doesn't matter whether a cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice." The result of his leadership was a dramatic turnaround of the Chinese economy through a combination of socialist planning and the capitalist free market. True to Communist Party

Participation Citizens are subjects of government, not participants in a political system. The communist state redefined political participation by creating a relationship between the Communist party and citizenship, and by defining the economic relationship between citizens and the government. In recent years popular social movements that support democracy, religious beliefs, and community ties over nationalism have influenced Chinese politics and helped to define China's relationships with other countries.

BACKGROUNDS OF PARTY MEMBERS Transition in the backgrounds of party members. Cadres were peasants or factory workers, and few were intellectuals or professionals. Increasingly "technocratic" Today less than 40 percent of party members come from the peasantry, although peasants still make up the largest single group within the CCP. The fastest growing membership category consists of officials, intellectuals, technicians, and other professionals. Women make up only about 20 percent of the membership and only about 4 percent of the Central Committee.

INTERESTS, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, AND PROTESTS

Policy Making in China How to maintain the power of the elite Desire to make China a world power An orderly society Compliance of a politically-passive people Hope for respect from the global community

Protest Difficult for the party-state to monitor citizens. Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 Major protests have been staged by religious groups Village protests Labor strikes Stability issues