History 261

One of the most significant changes in the Communist Party has been the distribution of power. In the days of Deng and Mao, for instance, the leader held the majority of power in the Chinese political system. In more recent years, however, the Communist Party has dictated more of the government's actions while the leader, Hu, has relinquished a fair amount of power and authority. This shift is exemplified by the author's idea, “In Mao’s and Deng’s days, the leaders towered

“The Party: The Secret World Of China’s Communist Rulers,” by Richard McGregor is a book which provides detailed insight into the Communist Party of China, revealing many of the secret underpinnings of how the party is run, and explores the question of how they have continued to stay in power for so long. While other strong socialist powers, such as the Soviet Union and Eastern Germany, fell at the end of the 20th century, the CPC was able to stay in control and ultimately come out of that period even stronger. In McGregor’s own words “the party picked itself up off the ground, reconstituted its armor and reinforced its flank. Somehow, it has outlasted, outsmarted, outperformed, or simply outlawed its critics, flummoxing the pundits who have predicted its demise at numerous junctures.” Instead of letting its own ideologies weaken its power, the CPC has continually adapted and transformed its policies and goals in order to maintain their stronghold over the nation. Through his impressive list of Chinese scholars and political contacts, McGregor is able to lay out the fundamental workings inside the Chinese government and the impressive actions they’ve taken to remain such a powerful organization.

In correlation to Stalin’s Russia, Mao’s China shadowed through the darkness of an intensive economic crisis, generally referred to as, ‘The great leap forward’. The campaign lasted over a decade despite the catastrophic events that made China and its economy go downhill. Although Mao’s efforts were too colossal to go unnoticed, the monstrosity of a decade lead Mao to slowly fade in the background. Consequently, Zedong’s acquaintances, Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shao-chi, rose to power to rectify the situation. Deng and Liu’s attempts to restore China – after the period of the great leap forward - may have been an optimistic road for the two officials. However, for Mao Zedong, it was far from the ideologies he obtained from the very beginning. Mao’s return in 1966 was merely to enforce his socialist principles, underpinning the Cultural Revolution.

As many other countries around the world China has its long history of a struggle for equality and prosperity against tyrants and dictatorships. The establishment of People’s Republic of China in 1949 seemed to have put an end to that struggle for a better life. “The Chinese people have stood up!” declared Mao Tse-tung, the chairman of China’s Communist Party (CPP) – a leading political force in the country for the time. The people were defined as a coalition of four social classes: the workers, the peasants, the petite bourgeoisie and the national-capitalists. The four classes were to be led buy the CPP, as the leader of the working class.

On Wednesday, Xi Jinping, the president of China, showcased the six officials that would be helping him lead China for the next 5 years. President Jinping made it clear in his speech that he intends to make China a more present and more powerful influences of world politics. The committee of men 7 men that will be ruling Communist China for the next 5 years are all well into their 60’s and they all have the intentions to get a lot accomplished in the up and coming years. Although Mr. Xi seemed both excited and proud to be revealing his council members with their experience in international relations and history of intellectual excellence, he had yet to introduce his successor that will be taking command when his presidency ends in 2023.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has experienced unprecedented economic growth under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 1978. In his speech “The Present Situation and the Tasks Before Us,” Deng Xiaoping emphasized the importance of economic reform: “The superiority [of the socialist system] should manifest itself in many ways, but first and foremost it must be revealed in the rate of economic growth and in economic efficiency” (Deng 1980). With this explicit commitment to growth, Deng links the political legitimacy of the CCP, as the monopolist of power within the PRC, to economic performance. Therefore, the inevitable economic slowdown in the PRC will undermine the legitimacy of the authoritarian CCP and force political liberalization.

Deng Xiaoping has been the individual with the most impact on China since the 1970’s. Along with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, he is looked at as one of the key figures in evolution of communism in China . Deng Xiaoping will be remembered as a national hero, but this was not always the case. The real story of Deng includes the fact that, on more than one occasion, his peers ostracized him. During his lifetime he has been a part of the many changes in China throughout the twentieth century. He was by Mao Zedong’s side through all of the struggles of the Chinese Communist Party; battling with Chiang Kai-shek and the Guomindang over

Throughout history, China has been the center of many developments allowing for it to establish itself as an advanced society, one that has lasted through a number of dynastic cycles, an attempt towards the creation of a Republic, and still existing, People’s Republic of China, under the rule of China’s Communist party. Throughout this turbulent history China has made much advancement in site of its setbacks and has allowed itself to grow immensely and increase its stature, making it one of the world’s great powers.

Chinese philosophy places great emphasis on gradual change in order to maintain stability. Many Chinese elite, scholars and technocrats, who are affiliated with the CCP, are the ones who shape the debate and are able to change norms and policies. Whereas Americans, regardless of social standing and political patronage, have been known to challenge social, economic and political norms, resulting in constant innovation. In China, pulling the lever is reserved to a minority elite with limited room to address issues beyond business, finance and economics. The Chinese government is already grappling with the consequences of market reforms which has given Chinese citizen the ability to voice their opinions through their economic rights. Unfortunately, challenging orthodoxy does not go hand in hand with Chinese

A line of thousands of Chinese communists hiked up the mountains of Northern China. The years of struggle and harsh life they lived did not deter these fighters. Their goal was to create a better future for the common Chinese citizen by using communism; something which their leader called “a hammer which we use to crush our enemies.” He stayed true to his word. This bold and charismatic leader was at the head of a mass revolution in which China was forever changed. He led a movement which transformed China into the powerful and influential nation which they had never envisioned for themselves. This man’s name was Mao Zedong. Mao’s actions drove forward the process in which he turned both his nation and himself into world leaders.

The future of China is a subject of great interest and debate. While some scholars, economists, politicians, and political scientists claim to know the future, the only certainty is that no one really knows what is going to happen. There are prevailing forecasts that predict that China will either become the foremost economy in the world, or will fail spectacularly in that mission. Another prominent forecast is that China will democratize on their way to the top. This democratization will occur in the form of economic reform, greater social freedom, and political action. These reforms and steps toward democratization would bolster all facets of Chinese life and would assist their rise to the top. Unfortunately, it does not seem like even the smallest forms of democratization are on the horizon for China. The Chinese government is far too attached to their current ruling practices and has no plans to change. Couple that with the continued repression of dissent and the desire to do anything to stay in power, and China is on no path toward democratization. While democratic reform is one of the future forecasts for the nation, and ruling it out entirely would be naïve, it would be equally foolhardy to consider it as a likely path for the nation to take. Recent behavior and long term strategies point to much different forecasts.

The economy of China boomed once Deng opened its market to foreign investment. It was this shift that caused Wong to start to feel “schizophrenic” (186), and made her reflect on exactly who she was and what she truly believed in. It was also here that a small sentiment of democracy begin to upheave.

The major actors involved in the Chinese challenge include the US government, the Chinese Government, US and Chinese businesses, and the American Citizens. When analyzing the hierarchy of goals for the Chinese government, it is important to note that the Chinese Communist Party is not democratically elected. Their mandate to govern has been based on China’s strong economic performance. Above all else, it is crucial for the Chinese government to maintain its economic success. 29% of China’s GDP is composed of exports of goods and services.

This article is an attempt to, via reviewing various related sources on this topic, identify some the major elements in the history of China, the achievements and lessons, and their roles in shaping today’s Chinese Dream as expressly initiated by the current Chinese political leadership.

The China Boom: Why China Will Not Rule the World, by Ho-fung Hung. New York: Columbia University Press, 2016.