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Concept of democracy essay
Concept of democracy essay
Concept of democracy essay
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Introduction The topic of democracy in China is a highly controversial topic. Although China has not democratised, it has done well in the global situation amongst its democratic competitors. Since the path to democracy is different for each country, we cannot expect that China would follow the same path or same model of democracy as the western nations. This essay will look at what democracy is and how it can be placed in a Chinese context as well as looking at the proponents and opponents of democracy in China. It will also look at whether China is democratising by focusing on village elections, globalisation and the emergence of a civil society. These specific topics were chosen because they will help provide good evidence and arguments to the topic of democratisation in China. The main argument in this essay will be that although China is implementing some changes that can be seen as the beginning of a road to democracy, there contribution should not be over estimated. China still has a long way to go before it can be considered that it is democratising. The small changes are good but China still has a long road ahead of itself to achieve democracy. What is democracy? Democracy is “...the word that resonates in people’s minds and springs from their lips as they struggle for freedom and a better way of life...” (Schmitter and Karl, 1991:75). However, the word democracy has many different means depending on the country and context it is used in. “Every country has is own culture and comes by its political system through its own history” (Greenberg, 2007:101, cited in Li, 2008:4). Li, (2008) states that because of China’s political structure the usual road to democracy may be difficult for it to achieve. The western idea ... ... middle of paper ... ...(3): 385-412. Thornton, P., (ed.) (2010), ‘Censorship and Surveillance in Chinese Cyberspace: Beyond the Great Firewall’ In Gries, P. H., and Rosen, S., (eds) Chinese Politics (London and New York: Routledge). Weiwei, Z., (2011) The China Wave - Rise of a Civilizational State. (World Century Publishing Corporation). Xiaobo, L., (2011), ‘Two Essays on China’s Quest for Democracy’ Journal of Democracy, 22(1): 154-166. Zhao, S., (2003), ‘Political Liberalization without Democratization: Pan Wei’s proposal for political reform’ Journal of Contemporary China, 12(35): 333–355. Zhao, Y., (1998), Media, Market, and Democracy in China - Between the party line and the bottom line (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press). Zheng, Y., (1999), ‘Political Incrementalism: Political lessons from China’s 20 years of reform’ Third World Quarterly, 20(6): 1157-1177.
Schoenhals, Michael. China's Cultural Revolution, 1966-1969: Not a Dinner Party. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1996. Print.
Osborne, Evan. "China's First Liberal." Independent Review 16.4 (2012): 533+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
Fairbank, John King, and Edwin O. Reischauer. China: Tradition and Transformation. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1979. Print.
Fairbank, John King, and Merle Goldman. "The Nationalist Revolution and the Nanjing Government." China: a new history. 2nd enl. ed. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2006. 279. Print.
Langley, Andrew. The Cultural Revolution: Years of Chaos in China. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point, 2008. Print.
For several decades, since the death of Mao Zedong, dissidence among the public has increased against the single-party system of Mao’s Chinese Communist Party, or CCP. The CCP, which Mao co-founded, has ruled China since 1949 with little or no opposition party. The ruling party has long crushed dissent since its founding. Three authors have looked into the dissidence. The first is Merle Goldman in her analytical essay of the intellectual class in China entitled “China’s Beleaguered Intellectuals” (2009). In this essay, Goldman focuses on the intellectuals’ struggle for political and intellectual freedom from the CCP. Goldman’s view for the future of China is one containing more political freedoms. On the other hand, Andrew G. Walder’s critical essay “Unruly Stability: Why China’s Regime Has Staying Power,” (2009) refutes Goldman’s claim that China’s intellectuals have the ability to change domestic policy. He argues that, while political dissent has become more commonplace, the CCP and authoritarian control is here to stay. The third author, Philip P. Pan and his novel Out of Mao’s Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China (2008) has a more neutral tone and shows both the side of the intellectuals and the CCP. This paper will use Pan’s book in order to determine which view, either Goldman’s or Walder’s, is correct.
All through the extensive history of China, from the Qin dynasty to present-day, the Chinese government has been spectator to finish political reformations due to delicate periods in history merged with the soaring of a new movement rivaling for faithfulness of the people. Throughout imperial rule, the era of dynasties
...ences of Chinese political development, “I may not believe that China’s democratic model is completely mature or successful. But at least, I can claim that Chinese way of democracy is extremely distinctive from the Western liberal democracy. Different contexts and cultures from Eastern and Western countries decide the differences in democracy. Therefore, it is hard to explain the Chinese way of democracy through the existing Western democratic theories” (qtd in Yu). The Chinese democratic form basically fits into the process of modernization in Chinese society. It helps Chinese people to maintain social stability, protect citizens’ basic human rights, and promote China’s belief in good governance. To China, democracy could be an opportunity to not only bring good fortune to the Chinese people, but also contribute greatly to the advancement of democratic theory.
Gittings, John. The Changing Face of China: From Mao to market. Oxford University Press, 2005.
Whyte, M. K., (2010) ‘Do Chinese citizens want the government to do more to promote equality?’ In Gries, P. H., and Rosen, S., eds. 2010. Chinese Politics - State, society and the market. (Routledge, London and New York).
Firstly, K. Isbester mentions that democracy has a different meaning for everyone, as some can define democracy as a good aspect for development, on the contrary other believe that it is nothing more than voting after several years. Although, Latin America see democratic g...
Xu, Beina. "Media Censorship in China." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. .
Since the 1990’s, the Chinese government has had systems in place that block, monitor, and filter the Internet inside/outside of China (Guobin 52). The ‘Great Firewall’, very well is the largest internet filte...
Democracy has come to mean a principle under whose flag has most of the developed countries aced in their race for Imperialism. It has gone beyond all previous governing systems and has made room for progress and development. By offering free and fair elections, democracy has redefined human dignity and patriotism. It has also helped to improve decision-making among the citizens, and brought down the crime level. Democracy is for sure the most fitting among the other types of government, and needs to be implemented fully for effective functioning of a state.
Democracy today is alive in Europe and other parts of the country. However, democracy is still a hope; an organization under construction, a challenge. A mixture of old and new countries used to be under the oppression of communism but is now at the heart of the democratic experience. Democracy has manifested into the other parts such as South-East Asian countries where authoritarian has been removed. Democracy mobilizes political freedom and generates levels of prosperity and production.