All you need to know China AP Comparative Gov’t

Unit 1—Why China? Comparison between the different outcomes in China and Russia Comparison between China and other third world Why does China have such great unity in the midst of so many nationalities and languages—although 90% of pop is Han Chinese there are several different groups in the border areas.

Unit 2—Sovereignty, Authority, and Power Chinese royal families ruled in several different dynasties influenced by the rulings of Confucianism. Southern China, called Manchuria, was invaded by the Japanese during the 1930s before WWII. Soviet forces came down during the WWII to help the Chinese fight the Japanese.

After the World War the political leaders were seen as catering to the US and favoring the rich. Chinese Civil War ended with the Long March, Mao Zedong and the CCP ascending to power, and Chiang Kai-shek leader of the Kuomintang (KMT) nationalist government fleeing to Taiwan.

Mao’s campaigns Great Leap Forward—used five year plans focus on industrialization and modernization Hundred Flowers Campaign—brief relaxation of control over dissent Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution— ideological battle against anyone seen as having bourgeoisie or capitalistic leanings

Before Mao’s death the “Sino Soviet split” occurred mainly over the Soviets unwillingness to help China’s nuclear development. After Mao’s death there was a brief time of rule by the “Gang of Four” and then Deng Xiaoping which lead to economic change including allowing foreign investments, privatizing industry, and relaxing some of the political controls

Legitimacy Legitimacy during imperial times came from the Confucian order and a “mandate from heaven” Legitimacy under Mao came through egalitarianism (striving for equality) and the mass line Legitimacy now rests on the success of the economy and promises of new opportunites.

Unit 3—Political Institutions Democratic Centralism is a key concept. Interest Articulation is only allowed at the top. Party and State offices are parallel and hierarchical. Often times the same person can hold the parallel positions in both state and party. People earn their positions through the nomenklatura system. Even though both state and party positions exist the party is always dominant.

Political Institutions The top legislative body constitutionally is the National People’s Congress (NPC) with nearly 3,000 members that meets just for a few weeks each year. The Central Committee meets every couple of months to make decisions. The Standing Committee and the State Council function each day to run the country

Political Institutions The State Council resembles a parliamentary cabinet. The head of the State Council is the Premier (or PM) who is the head of government. The President is the head of state and has little constitutional power. These executives are elected for five-year terms by the NPC after being nominated by the National Party Congress.

Parallel to the People’s Congress is the Party Congress. Above the Party Congress is the Politburo which (like in the USSR) is the most important policymaking organization in China. The Politburo members all have jobs as heads of local party operations or overseeing the bureaucracy as part of the Secretariat. The Standing Committee of the Politburo includes the president, the prime minister, and their closest associates. The head of the Politburo is the General Secretary who has conveniently also been the President for several years.

Hierarchical and Parallel President and Premier Standing Committee State Council Central Committee National People’s Congress Secretary General Standing Committee Politiburo Central Committee National Party Congress

Political Institutions The peak of the bureaucracy is the government ministers in the State Council and the Prime Minister The offices of the government administration are paralleled by the party bureaucracy headed by the Secretariat. Allowed highly centralized local ministries find ways to adapt national policies to local problems The PLA is China’s military and has oftentimes been the arms of the party

Political Institutions The judiciary in China is a hierarchy of Peoples’ Courts that handle criminal cases with the Supreme People’s Court at the top. The Supreme Peoples’ Procuratorate’s job is to investigate cases of suspected illegal activity, to prosecute cases where crime is found, and to defend the rights of those brought to trial. Some resemblance of a rule of law has been found in China recently, most likely because of the demands of foreign investors and the World Trade Organization.

Political Institutions The Sub-national government work as part of the national government They are the local people’s congresses and the party congresses. They implement national policies and select delegates for the congresses up a level and the local administrations from the nomenklatura lists.

Unit 4—Citizens, Society, and the State 90% of the population is ethnically Han Chinese Each area has its own dialect which can cause disunity Cleavages are (illiterate) rural (75% of pop) vs. (educated) urban and old vs. young Only about 5% of the population is part of the CCP

Political Participation Officially accepted forms of political participation include letter writing to public officials, telephone hotlines to report abuses, letters to newspaper editors, and voting at elections for village committees. Unacceptable forms of political participation include strikes, marches, and other forms of protests. The Democracy movement, Tiananmen Square massacre and the Falun Gong are examples of movements that are unacceptable.

Censorship Even today, the party monitors teachers and students Print and broadcast media are tightly controlled by the CCP The gov’t, the party, and the PLA publish national and regional newspapers. Websites and discussion groups are monitored and censored; s are often eavesdropped; and government firewalls sit between Chinese networks and the global Internet. Violators serve long prison terms as a deterrent for others.

Unit 5—Political and Economic Change Transitions are slow, but peaceful and fairly smooth Political Change has been stifled Economic Change is directed by the Party and the government Government still controls most of the banking sector FDI have moved in and made some market sectors the fastest growing in the world

Unit 6—Public Policy Policy is top-down with the use of the mass line. Policy is made by the elite within the party (although local units are able to use national policies to meet their needs) Economic Policies and making China a world power are at the top of the agenda

Points to think about! How do you see democratization in China? How do you see globalization in China?

China AP Questions Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an achievement of the Maoist period that has been overturned by economic reforms in China?  A) Guaranteed employment  B) Extensive female employment  C) Effective environmental policies  D) Competitive educational opportunities  E) State subsidies for defense industries

Which of the following is true about economic policy in Communist China today?  A) all decisions are made by a central planning organization  B) There is a safety net in China for those who are unemployed  C) The state employs more citizens than the private sector  D) Private entrepreneurship is banned  E) China has close to a market economy today.

China’s official legislature is the  A) National People’s Congress  B) Politburo  C) People’s Liberation Army (PLA)  D) Secretariat  E) village officials

All of the following are forms of legitimate political participation in China EXCEPT  A) calling the government hotline  B) voting in a village election  C) strike  D) writing an editorial  E) contacting a public official