People’s Republic of China

Role of Political Parties

• China is the most populous country in the world, and ruled by a single party, the Chinese Communist Party (aka. The Communist Party of China)

• 8 other political parties known as “democratic parties” that do not actually hold power– Only there to lend credibility to the CCP’s claim of

democracy

Role of Political Parties

• The Chinese Communist Party– Founded in 1921 in Shanghai– Established to promote Communism ideology

and supplant Kuomintang regime, which had controlled China since the fall of the Qing Dynasty

– 1949: party defeated the Kuomintang and founded the People's Republic of China (PRC)

Roll of Political Parties

• The Chinese Communist Party– Largest party in the world in terms of formal

membership– Party plays decisive role in formulating broad

and detailed government policies – Supervising their implementation at all levels

of administration – This includes placing CCP members in key government

posts

Role of Political Parties

• CCP– Promotes idea of single-party state– Has made efforts to get private entrepreneurs

(capitalists) to join– Women make up less than 20%– Communist Youth League: training ground for

CCP membership (70 million people between ages 14-28)

Role of Political Parties

• Eight other parties apart from CCP• Most of them were founded during the

anti-Japanese war and the national liberation war

Role of Political Parties

• China Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang – Officially founded on January 1, 1948 – Tied with former members of the Kuomintang,

which fought with the Communist Party of China for political control of China

– Promotes Chinese nationalism as well as unification with Taiwan

The Role of Political Parties

• China Democratic League – Established in November 1939– Comprised of patriots and senior intellectuals

in the fields of culture, education, science and technology who support socialist causes

Role of Political Parties

• China Democratic National Construction Association – Established on December 16, 1945 – Composed of patriotic representatives in the

economic and intellectual fields

Role of Political Parties

• Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party – Founded in August 1930 – Most members are patriot intellectuals in the

fields of medical science, science and technology, culture and education who support socialism

Role of Political Parties

• China Zhi Gong Dang – Founded in October 1925 – Democratic party mainly composed of

returned overseas Chinese and their relatives

Role of Political Parties

• Jiusan Society – Founded in May 1946 – Mainly composed of senior and medium-level

intellectuals in the fields of science and technology, culture, education and public health

Role of Political Parties

• Taiwan Democratic Self-government League – Founded in November 1947 – A political alliance mainly composed of

Taiwan compatriots living in the mainland of China and patriots supporting socialism

Political Culture of China/Identity

• Political culture: based on communist ideology– After the death of Mao, communist ideology

fell apart• It was not until Deng Xiaoping came to power in

1978 was the legitimacy of the CCP restored• His ideology: the Four Cardinal Principles

– Upholding socialist road, the people’s democratic dictatorship, the leadership of the Communist Party, and Marxism-Leninism

Political Culture of China/Identity

• No true freedom of press, but more relaxed control of media (especially in the arts sector) over the years

• Exploding internet access (government has blocked certain foreign websites, shut down unlicensed cyber cafes, and arrested people accused of disseminating subversive material over the Internet)

Political Culture of China/IdentityFrom Communism to Consumerism

• Courses in school have moved away from politics and political propaganda

• Instead, much greater attention is paid urging students to gain the skills and knowledge they need to further their own careers and help China modernize

Political Culture of China/Identity

• China’s citizens have a strong sense of national identity

• National identity in terms of what ties them to the state is going through a profound and uncertain transformation

• Citizens are skeptical or dismissive of communist ideologies

• Official media puts considerable emphasis on the greatness and antiquity of Chinese culture to promote nationalism

Political Culture of China/Identity

• China’s minorities are highly concentrated in the regions of Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Tibet, and Xinjiang

• The Chinese constitution grants these autonomous areas the right of self-government in certain matters, such as cultural affairs

• Limited autonomy; family planning policy loosened

Role of People

• Formal structures of political system designed more to extend party-state relationship of political life than to facilitate citizen participation

• People make extensive use of personal connections to help ease contacts with party officials and bureaucrats who wield enormous power

Role of People

• Patron-Client politics is also pervasive at the local level– Example: Village leader (patron) ay help

farmers (clients) avoid paying some taxes by reporting false production statistics in exchange for support to keep him in politics

• Very corrupt

Role of PeopleMechanisms of Social Control

• While China has loosened up politically since Mao, the party-state’s control penetrate to basic levels of society and serve the CCP’s aim of preventing formation of groups or movements

• Major means of control: danwei system• A Chinese term that means “unit” and is the basic

level of social organization and a major means of political control in China

Role of People

• The danwei system: – A person’s danwei was usually his/her

workplace– The danwei would hold mandatory

meetings to discuss the officials line on important policies or events

• If a person changed jobs, it was only done with the danwei’s approval

Role of People

• China has numerous mass organizations formed around social or occupational categories

• Two of the most important: All-China’s Women Federation (the only national organization representing the interests of women in general)

• All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU); labor union to which 90 million Chinese Workers belong

Protest and the Party-State

• The Tiananmen massacre of 1989 showed the limits of protest in China, and there have been no large scale political demonstrations since

• Biggest and most continuous demonstrations against the state have been carried out by Falun Gong

• A spiritual movement that combines philosophical and religious elements drawn from Buddhism and Taoism with traditional Chinese exercises (ie. tai chi)

Protest and the Party-State

• Falun Gong– The government outlawed Falun Gong and

deemed it an “evil cult” that spread lies, fooled people to the point that they rejected urgently needed medical care, encouraged suicides, and generally threatened social stability)

Protest and the Party-State

• Labor unrest becoming ore frequent in China, with reports of thousands of strikes and other actions in recent years (low wages, unsafe working conditions)

• Countryside: rising tide of protest due to corruption of local officials, exorbitant taxes, extralegal fees, and the government’s failure to pay for purchased agricultural products