PRC State Ideologies

1. PRC State Ideologies from Marxism-Leninism to “Harmonious Society”

2. Political Ideology • A systematic set of ideas • explanation of political phenomena • criteria and standards of evaluation • social and cultural orientation to define and affirm individual and collective identity • program of political action • Lenin: “What is to be done?”

3. Pillars of Communist Regimes • Marxist ideology • Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) • Communist Party • Lenin (1870 - 1924) • command economy • Stalin (1879 - 1953)

5. Marxism • Dialectics • contradictions and class struggle • Materialism • productive forces, economic structure, and superstructure • in time proletariat will be emancipated from capitalist exploitation through an international revolution

6. Leninism • Marxist revolution can happen • in one country • before industrialization • before capitalist democracy • Bolshevik party • highly disciplined • hierarchical organization • of professional revolutionaries

7. Mao Zedong Thought • practical politics and inconsistency • continuous revolution in a backward agrarian society of half a billion peasants • the “red” versus “expertise” debate • revolutionary change • smooth administration • technical expertise • ultimate goal of making China strong

8. Mao Zedong Thought • attacked traditional Chinese culture • especially the network of relationships • replaced with class identity, nationalism, and new loyalty • incorporated traditional elements • ideological indoctrination • Mao’s monopoly on determining what would constitute correct ideology for China

9. Voluntarism • properly motivated people could overcome virtually any material odds to accomplish their goals • contradicts Marxist materialism • e.g. the “Great Leap Forward” • 1958 - 1960

10. Mass Line • A leadership doctrine developed in 1940s • vanguard role of the party • dictatorial leadership • strong participatory role for the populace • before decision making • during implementation of policy initiatives • “from the masses to the masses” • intended to avoid losing touch with masses

11. Mass Campaigns • concentrated attacks on specific issues • through mass mobilization of the populace • social or political transformation • economic development • e.g. Suppression of Counterrevolutionaries (1951) • e.g. Great Leap Forward (1958 – 1960) • e.g. Cultural Revolution (1966 – 1976)

13. Struggle • directly contradict Confucian ideal of “harmony” • bad class labels: • landlords • capitalists • rich farmers • violence

14. Egalitarianism • frugal living • Confucius: “those who head a state do not worry about scarcity but about inequality”

15. Anti-Intellectualism • In Mao’s view, intellectuals • embodied the traditional culture • lost touch with the masses • used technical expertise to counter revolutionary enthusiasm • reinforced social inequality • repression of intellectuals cost China a generation of highly trained specialists

16. United Front • “unite with all who can be united” • united with Chiang Kai-shek to fight Japanese in 1930s • united with “democratic parties” to fight Chiang Kai-shek in late 1940s

17. Class Struggle • Mao’s unorthodox interpretations of Marxist class concepts • class labels were assigned in 1950s • carried by every resident until after Mao died • class status could be determined by political attitude • e.g. “capitalist-roaders” during the C.R. • class status could be hereditary

18. Self-Reliance • Mao: “keep the initiative in one’s own hand” • whether a community could sustain itself even in adverse circumstances • the sudden withdrawal of Soviet aid in 1958 • Maoist China strived to minimize its dependence on any single foreign country

19. Political Hierarchy

20. Current PRC Constitution • “Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China • “and the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of ‘Three Represents’ • “the Chinese people …”

21. “Deng Xiaoping Theory” • “emancipate minds • “and seek truth from facts” • “It doesn’t matter whether the cat is black or white as long as it catches mice” • “cross the river by groping for stones”

22. Jiang Zemin’s “3 Represents” • “the Communist Party represents the development requirements of China's advanced social productive forces”

23. Hu Jintao: Harmonious Society • China Daily: “In a harmonious society, the political environment is stable, the economy is prosperous, people live in peace and work in comfort and social welfare improves.”