I. Introduction to comparative• CCP = Chinese Communist Party

dominates state and society• Power rests on four pillars:– Controls 2.25 million person military

• People’s Liberation Army (PLA)

– Control of personal appointments across political institutions, military, state-owned corporations, and public institutions (nomenklatura system)

– Control of media (*protect subversive danger)– Control of judiciary and internal security

I. Introduction to comparative

• How CCP describes it’s leadership:– “multi-party cooperation and political

consultation led by the Communist Party of China.”

• In reality:– One-party state – Successful move towards capitalism BUT

remains highly authoritarian• CCP legitimacy based on performance of the economy

NOT promoting political freedoms or pluralism

–World’s 2nd largest economy

INTRO TO CHINA• Communist state– “It doesn’t matter whether a cat is white or

black, as long as it catches mice.” – Deng Xiaoping

– In its constitution, the Party still officially proclaims the “realization of communism” to be its “highest ideal and ultimate goal.”

– Socialist market economy• Market elements: FDI, private entrepreneurs, stock markets, growing wealth disparity (rural vs. urban)• Socialist elements: limited/no private property, authoritarian regime

• Revolutions in 1911 and 1949

II. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY & POWER• Imperial period (221 BC – 1911)– Dynasties/emperors– Confucianism– Fall of Qing– LEGITIMACY: …God.

• Republican Period (1912 – 1949)– Nationalists (Kuomintang) vs. Chinese Communists– National sovereignty and peasant livelihood– LEGITIMACY: supposed to be “democratic”

• Communist Period (1949 – present)– Mao Zedong (PRC) move from agrarian economy

to communist utopia– Current socialist market economy begun in

wake of Mao’s vision failing– Never experienced “second revolution” – LEGITIMACY: Communist Party of China (CCP)

II. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY & POWER

• 1911 – 1949 Two political forces vie for power:

• The Nationalist Party (KMT)– Focused on resisting foreign influence– Favored modernization and reform– Eventually led by Chiang Kai-Shek

• Chinese Communist Party (CCP, founded 1921)– Led by Mao Zedong– By 1928, the CCP was forced West out of

the cities and into the countryside

II. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY & POWER

• 1934-1935: The Long March–Mao & supporters flee from Nationalist forces &

gain support in the countryside

• 1941-1945: World War II– Communists more successful against Japan

• 1949: The People’s Liberation Army marches into Beijing unopposed, establishing the People’s Republic of China (PRC) – The Nationalists fled to Taiwan, where they

established the Republic of China (ROC)

II. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY & POWER

• Maoism – form of communism that believed in the strength of the peasant

• MAO’S COMMUNIST UTOPIA:– 1) high level of economic activity– 2) absence of social conflict– 3) minimal role of government

• Lenin’s democratic centrism – Ordinary citizen’s DO NOT understand their own real interests

nor do they comprehend revolutionary knowledge and communist theory

– So…elite vanguard party w/ superior understanding (elites); authoritative arbiter of the interests of the people

• Mao agreed BUT added MASS LINE - elite maintain a close relationship w/ ordinary citizens– Scattered ideas of masses ------elites “correct ideas” ------

introduce ideas back to the masses

II. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY & POWER

• The Soviet Model (1949-1957):• Land Reform– Redistributed property from rich to poor and increased

productivity in countryside • Civil Reform– Free people from Opium addiction– Enhanced women’s legal rights

• Five-Year Plans– Nationalized industry– Collectivized agriculture– Private property eliminated

II. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY & POWER

• Discussion Question: Compare how the Communist Party came to power in China with how it came to power in Russia – how was it different?

• How was Maoism similar to Marxist-Leninism in the Soviet Union? Different?

II. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY & POWER

• The Great Leap Forward (1958-1966)–Wanted to free China from Soviet domination– Utopian effort to transform China into

a radical egalitarian (equal) society

– Reorganizes China into communes that would serve all basic social and economic functions• Backyard furnaces

• Failure - Famine

GREAT LEAP FORWARD (1958)• “people's communes and the steel

campaign"

II. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY & POWER

• The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)• Goal – remove all vestiges of “old” China

and its inequality– Scholars sent to fields to work– Universities/libraries destroyed– Emphasis on elementary education only

• Student radicals (Red Guard) lead a purging of “class enemies”

II. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY & POWER

• 1976: Mao dies leaving followers divided into factions– Radicals – led by Mao’s wife• One of the “Gang of Four” who

supported radical goals of cultural revolution

– Moderates – moderates who emphasized economic modernization and some contact with other other countries

• Moderates win and arrest Gang of Four

II. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY & POWER

• Deng Xiaoping – head of Central Military Commission from 70’s to 1997– Opened up economy to outside world– Reduce state economic control– Private enterprise

• Replaced by Jiang Zemin– Stable continuation of Deng policy

• 2002 Hu Jintao– Technocrats – administer policy based on

technical rather than political rationale• 2012: Xi Jinping (March 2013)

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS

• Authoritarian/ Single Party Communist Rule– Officially “A socialist state under the people’s democratic

dictatorship”• Unitary• Electoral System: N/A Controlled by CCP• Constitution: Established in 1982• Current Head of Party and State: President Xi Jinping • Head of Government: Premier Li Kequiang • Legislature: Unicameral (Rubber Stamp…kinda)• Judiciary: Not independent, no judicial review

Provincial People’sCongresses

Three Political Structures

The State/Governme

nt

Military

President/VP Premier (PM)Central Military

Commission

Ministry of State SecurityMinistry of Public

Security, People’s ArmedPolice

Provincial PartyCongresses/Committees

National PartyCongress

Communist Party

General Secretary Standing Committee

Politburo

Central Committee

Local Level PartyOrganizations

Primary PartyOrganizations

State Council

Central GovtMinistries, Bureaus

National People’s Congress

Local Level People’s Congresses

Village Councils

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: CCP

• Democratic Centralism (how do you not know this yet??? It’s been on like 30 slides! Know things!!!)– Society is best led by an elite vanguard party with a

superior understanding of the Chinese people and their needs

• Hierarchical structure– Village/township– County– Province– Nation

• Head of the party is General Secretary/President/Head of CMC – Chinese love titles I guess???

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: CCP• National Party Congress– More than 2000 delegates– Meets every 5 years– Rubberstamps decisions made by party leaders– Elects members of Central Committee

• Central Committee– About 340 members• Elected for 5 year term by National Party Congress• Secret ballot/candidates limited

– Meets annually (plenums)– Carries out business of National Party Congress between

sessions– Not as rubber stampy (yeah I made that a word)

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: CCP• Politburo– Chosen by Central Committee– Dictates government policies– Meets in secret– Politburo – about 24 members

• Standing Committee– Most powerful political organization in China!– Elite of the elite (about 7-9 members), chosen by Politburo

• General Secretary is chosen from the Standing Committee– Head of the CCP– Recent Secretaries have been educated (technocrats)

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS• 3 branches BUT all branches

controlled by party– Not independent– No checks/balances

• National People’s Congress– “Formal” authority of government to rule on people’s

behalf– Meets once a year in March for two weeks– 3,000 members – “deputies”, 5 year terms– Chosen from lower people’s congresses– “Chooses” President/VP – but only one candidate for

each – Has little power, but announces Politburo’s policies

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: LEGISLATURE

• National People’s Congress• Unicameral• “The highest organ of state power”• Strong on paper, weak in practice• power to amend the constitution; supervise its enforcement;

enact and amend laws; ratify and abrogate treaties; approve the state budget and plans for national economic and social development; elect and impeach top officials of the state and judiciary; and supervise the work of the State Council, the State Central Military Commission, the Supreme People’s Court, and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate

• In reality: EXERCISES MANY OF THOSE POWERS IN NAME ONLY

• RUBBERSTAMP for Party decision• A member of the PSC serves as chairman of the NPC Standing

Committee

CHINA IS A ONE PARTY DICTATORSHIP!!!

• See those other party’s represented in the light pink? You may think that means there’s pluralism in China, but you’d be wrong. Those guys are ultimately controlled by the CCP too…oh fake democracy you devious temptress

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: EXECUTIVE

• Head of State– President – VP– Serve 5 year terms, limited to 2– At least 45 years old– Senior Party Leaders

• Recently General Secretary and President are the SAME• Head of Government

– Premier (like a PM)– Formally appointed by Pres, but always a senior Party leader– Directs the State Council (like a cabinet)

• Made up of ministers who direct bureaucracy

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: BUREAUCRACY

• Exists on all levels– Immense in size and scope

• Made up of cadres– Person who exercises a position of authority in

communist govt– May or may not be Party members– Most must now retire between ages of 60-70

• Dual Role– Supervised higher bodies in govt and comparable

bodies in CCP• Cadre List (nomenklatura)

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: JUDICIAL

• Supreme People’s Court – highest court• Appellate mostly; not independent; no

JR

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: JUDICIAL

• From 57-77 no legal system• Civil law system• Reforms in 1990s:• Citizens can sue officials; increased

transparency• Constitution amended: protect human

rights and private property• Mediation committees – resolve civil

disputes

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: JUDICIAL

• WEAK RULE OF LAW• Functioning legal system would threaten

power of CCP• Party is widely perceived to support rule

by law—law as a tool for governance—but not rule of law

• economic development is “the first imperative,” and preserving stability is “the first responsibility,” whereas ruling lawfully is a “second or third” tier consideration

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: PLA

• Discussion Question: Read the following quote and explain its meaning in terms of power in China.

• “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. Our principle is that the party commands the gun and the gun must never be allowed to command the party.” – Mao Zedong

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: PLA

• World’s largest military force – 2.3 million active personnel– Includes all ground, air and naval armed forces

• Key organization is Central Military Commission (CMC)– 12 members: 10 of highest ranking officers of PLA +

Pres/GS (chair) and /VP– Chair is commander-in-chief and has always been highest

ranking party member

• Discussion Question: Why is the possibility for corruption great under the PRC’s system of governing?