China in Transition: Political and Social Change through Economic Development In attempting to explain the multitude of factors that require or produce political and social change within the context of economic development, and specifically applying them to China, it becomes exceptionally difficult not to commit the non causa pro causa variety of the fallacy of false cause in which something is not really the cause at all, and the mistake is based on something other than mere temporal succession. In the case of China, the cause of a robust economy might not match, or even be synonymous with, the causes of political and social change; especially since the effects have not yet reached their full potential. However, there is some contrasts …show more content…
Pan tells how Zhiqiang had benefited from the political that that occurred after the Cultural Revolution, and begin to read many books that had been previously banned. Through this exploration, Zhiqiang found himself questioning much of the indoctrinated beliefs he had been taught in school (Pan 272). Again, Pan alludes to the Tiananmen square protests of 1989, and uses these as a starting point for how these events turned Zhiqiang's life around (Pan 274). The outcome of the trial, which was never decided, is less important in the context of the story that Pan weaves. The important aspect taken away from the reading is that it was not necessarily the economy in and of itself that forced a change politically or socially. It was more evident that it was the will of the people, and the government's response to the people's demands that were the important context. The trial was able to show that party leaders could be held accountable under the law (Pan …show more content…
In lecture, we were having one of the peer led session, and were discussing the Cultural Revolution, Zheng Zhong, and specifically the SARS epidemic. The female foreign exchange student, whose name I do not know, appeared to take offense to the exposition of the Chinese government’s failure in handling the epidemic. The question was, in light of the government's failure to react properly to the SARS epidemic, do you think that this could happen again? Her response was that the SARS epidemic was an anomaly and somewhat trivial. She was basically saying that this was the only epidemic that ever happened in China, and would probably not happen again. The reason I found this somewhat troubling was that it totally dismissed any earlier discussion about the massive famines, and starvation that happened during the Cultural Revolution. In addition, it completely discounted the sterilization of people without their consent as an epidemic. To put in context, and to specifically state what I put in my notes, this was my response: Famine and starvation, I guess is not an epidemic. What about sterilization of the population... I guess not an epidemic
Jonathan Spence tells his readers of how Mao Zedong was a remarkable man to say the very least. He grew up a poor farm boy from a small rural town in Shaoshan, China. Mao was originally fated to be a farmer just as his father was. It was by chance that his young wife passed away and he was permitted to continue his education which he valued so greatly. Mao matured in a China that was undergoing a threat from foreign businesses and an unruly class of young people who wanted modernization. Throughout his school years and beyond Mao watched as the nation he lived in continued to change with the immense number of youth who began to westernize. Yet in classes he learned classical Chinese literature, poems, and history. Mao also attained a thorough knowledge of the modern and Western world. This great struggle between modern and classical Chinese is what can be attributed to most of the unrest in China during this time period. His education, determination and infectious personalit...
Following the Chinese Revolution of 1949, China’s economy was in ruin. The new leader, Mao Zedong, was responsible for pulling the economy out of the economic depression. The problems he faced included the low gross domestic product, high inflation, high unemployment, and high prices on goods. In order to solve these issues, Mao sought to follow a more Marxist model, similar to that of the Soviet Union. This was to use government intervention to develop industry in China. In Jan Wong’s Red China Blues, discusses Maoism and how Mao’s policies changed China’s economy for the worse. While some of Mao’s early domestic policies had some positive effects on China’s economy, many of his later policies caused China’s economy to regress.
Civilizations that have a great deal of land and a strong military tend to have strong economies. Japan in the 1800s is a perfect example of how economic growth can change the course of a nation for the better, by increasing its land and armed forces. China in the nineteenth century is an excellent illustration of how a declining economy can destroy a civilization, by taking away its land and decreasing its military strength. These two civilizations clearly demonstrate how economic growth can influence all aspects of society.
Once China’s population began to grow at an exponential rate the government feared that there would eventually be social unrest, and chaos. This social unrest and chaos would eventually cause an internal crisis for the country. At that time, China’s leaders believed that population control was one of its top priorities because it was precondition for the coun...
In the early years of China, the Chinese began a period of establishment in the world with ideas and teachings of new religions, changing powers, and building empires. In a nutshell the Chinese were progressing toward new technology, writings, and belief systems. The Chinese saw many dynasties come and go as well as many ups and downs experienced with societies over the course of history. As all nation’s go through change, the Chinese experienced changes from other lands far away and produced many concepts in which helped other realms to see change for themselves. The Chinese used many inventive innovations to prosper as an economic power and stabilize intellectually. Change mixed with innovation proved to be the roots of China’s success as a powerful nation to be reckoned with for the vast numbers appeared in China’s favor.
The suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 wrecked public confidence in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP asserted harsh tactics to crush the opposition and influence the people to believe it had not lost its position. Other Chinese citizens believed that the CCP could be defeated because of the distrust the citizens had in the government. It led to a divide in society. The economic growth experienced in the 1990s led the people of China to forget about the politics and focus on material gains. This economic growth allowed the government to fuel its resources, including social surveillance and control.
Friedberg introduces the root of China’s rise to post Cold-War, when China’ economy began to grow and expand rapidly under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. Though their process of growth and rise to power has been marked by “a mix of insecurity
China has a list of problems while maintaining one fifth of the world’s population. It covers around the same geographic area as the United States, but has twice the amount of problems, along with five times the amount of people. They have not had a lucrative past, and their future does not either. In order to fix such problems, the Chinese government has taken miniscule actions to further aid their country (Riley, China’s Population).
China is the largest developing country in today’s world and the rapid growth of the Chinese economy has attracted attention from all over the world. Some people falsely think that China is a country that China is only pursuing their economic reform, but without any democratic changes. On the contrary, China actually has a long history of democratic reforms. China has a different way of democratic reform that different from western-style democracy, which made Westerners think China is a powerful country with limitations in democracy. However, my point of view is that China is not limiting their democratic change, and China is utilizing a distinctive form of democracy.
Confucius once stated, “Study the past, if you would divine in the future.” This means that if you want to get a good idea of your future, then you should study your past. In addition, if you do not study your past then you may make the same mistakes in your future. There are multiple changes that have occurred in China throughout history that shaped the country into its current state. For example, though China was mainly secluded after the communist revolution, it has opened its doors to the rest of the world again. Of course, all of these changes have advantages and disadvantages. Lu Xun and Li Po, who are both very influential Chinese authors, would agree that there are still changes that need to be made. Although China has advanced economically, the country is declining environmentally and socially. Moreover, there is a lack of trust between the citizens of China and the Chinese government. As Confucius stated, China needs to study its history so it can avoid future mistakes. The country should look back at its Sage emperors and their ways to deemphasize political status and focus on moral status.
Today’s China is perceived as an economic powerhouse and a seriousl player in Asia and more broadly in the international arena. However, China’s path to both economic and political prominence has been long and tortuous.The Great Leap Forward was an attempt to modernize China economy so that by 1988, China would have an economy that rivaled America. The “Great Leap Forward” was a setback to China instead of an economy booster. The main reason this atrocity occurred was the advancement of China economy. The ‘‘Civil War’’ generated economic devastation. It also displaced the majority of Chinese people from their residency into a series of communes. Political decisions/beliefs took precedence over common sense and communes faced the task of doing things which they were incapable of achieving. Party officials would order the impossible and commune leaders, who knew what their commune was capable of doing or not, could be charged with being a "bourgeois reactionary" if he complained. Such a charge would lead to prison. Peasants were a huge part of this major atrocity and they were treated poorly. Food was scarce and declined rapidly during the “Great Leap Forward”." The Great Leap Forward was aimed at accomplishing the economic and technical development of the country at a vastly faster pace and with greater results. People did anything and everything to survive. The Great Leap Forward is one of the biggest genocides to date 20 to 30 million people died. My project is on my opinion of how I feel about the great leap forward in my own words.
The countries of China and Japan share many similarities other than their geographical proximity. They both have and established rich cultures and great senses of national unity that rival and exceed that of their western counterparts. Both civilizations have crossed paths during several periods in the last thousand years, in which there similarities between religious and ethical moralities have heavily influenced one another. However despite these similarities in the last century, these nations have taken two extremely different views in creating a modernized state. What created this divergence are the extreme differences in the upbringings of each countries respective economic policy. Chinese civilization has truly withstood the test of time, existing as long ago as 2200BC. Before the 20th century China was a world leader in the fine arts and sciences. Unfortunately foreign occupation by the Japanese, and famine crippled the nation for many years giving way to new ideologies of the west. Communism found its way into the heart of the Chinese political system, which allowed China to become a sovereign nation, but at the expense of the people’s freedom. After this era of dictatorship modernization found its way into China in the 1970s. The country traded its planned socialism to a more marketed style socialism which would help China emerge into the superpower it is today. By decentralizing some economic decision making, China was still able to maintain political control. China’s large population allowed it to be a source for cheap labor, tremendously boosting its GDP, which eventually placed it as the number two economic power of our modern world today. Both Japan and China have proven themselves to be autonomous nations that have ...
Finally, the United States political system has a strong structural structure but in China their people always work together to be the best and stand out in the world. It is predicted that China will one day be the largest economy-growing country in the world. They continually grow and rebalance their world to be the best. The growth of the economy will depend on the Chinese government's comprehensive economic reforms that more quickly accelerate China's transition to a free market economy. Consumer demand, rather than exporting, is the main engine of economic growth; boost productivity and innovation; address growing income disparities; and enhance environmental protection.
The question posed is best explored through the lens of Modernization Theory, which partly originated with Lipset's 1959 formulation that the prospects for democracy to thrive within a country are directly correlated to its level of economic development. Przeworski has elucidated Lipset's theories as hypothesizing that economic affluence dovetails with democracy because wealth reduces the intensity of group or individual conflicts over the distribution of resources. Democracy – which through representative rule is perceived as the most egalitarian form of government – is widely taken to be the fundamental criterion of what makes a country or nation-state 'modern'. Lipset proposes that economic development sets off a series of profound social changes, such as increased urbanization, education and communication, that in turn precipitate larger middle classes and greater social equality. All of these elements combined, Lipset contends in his 1963 award-winning book, Political Man, provide the necessary framework for the emergence of democratic institutions. Today China maintains all such socio-economic elements. Thus, we are presented with a conundrum of sorts. Either we must construe that Modernization theory is dead, or according to its principles, that China’s democratization is latent, and will materialize at a later date.
The success in china’s development can be known through the use of the tactic peaceful development widely endorsed by General Secretary Xi Jinping and thanks to this Nowadays, China is the world’s second largest economy, and the country with the largest foreign exchange reserves. And is also China is the largest trading partner of 128 countries. Proof of this substantial amount of economic growth china has also become a major consumer electricity calling for the building of thousands of extra power stations to provide electricity for new factories and the vast city growth. Due to a rush in the 1990s, because of the mass privatisations going on in china, and the opening up of the country to foreign investment. Many overseas companies chose to migrate shop to china as the substantially lower labour costs provided means for worldwide usage. By using this sudden boom in Chinese labour china has risen to become the largest industrialized nation and the largest exporting country at present in particular its ...