What political system for China?
Now that you have a sense of Chinese history, what place does democracy have in a nation like China? Can it succeed? Why or why not? Also, consider why so many people in China voluntarily turned to communism before 1949. Try to refer to facts from throughout China's history.
posted by Mr. Hess at 4/18/2006 07:27:00 AM
10 Comments:
It will be an enormous task for China to become a democracy. This is a country that has never really had that freedom, and Russia is a perfect example of how badly the transition from communism can go. At the very least, the economy must finish the transition to free trade, because government owned business is a great way to create corruption. China's people are rapidly becoming well enough informed that they will be able to sucessfully support a democratic republic. That is due primarily to the change in thought since tiananmen square. Back then free-trade and democracy were catchphrases, but now the chinese understand what they actually are and mean.
I agree that it is possible for China to become a democracy, which i think would really united the country and also help with their economy, if they learn from Russian and other countrie's mistakes and take a slow transition to democracy. I think that the people of China turned to communism because it seemed fair and it was better than the brutal governments they had been exposed to. They were searching for equality and they found it in communism.
I don't think that that much would change if China became a democracy. They already have quite a few economic liberty. All they would need to change it would be to allow people to vote and other political rights. Also, Tinananmen Square showed us that quite a lot of Chinese want democracy. Also, there are all of the nationalist in Tawian that would support the chnage. I think that if they had democracy that they would succeed without to much diffculty from the people.
In my opinion, a democratic government, which constitutes the voice of the people via elected representatives, is spreading its political potency through the cracks of capitalism and special economic zones in China and is currently gaining a foothold in the modernized minds of the Chinese intellectuals. These people -- as evidenced by surveys of popular opinion and past and current discourse on governance -- want democracy. Throughout the post-Mao reform era so-called neo-authoritarianism and neo-conservatism -- which mourn the loss of the ethos of egalitarianism, the loss of the spirit of selfless “service to the people,” the lack of strong, dedicated leadership, and so on -- have vied with liberalism for the allegiance of China’s intellectuals. Nevertheless, I am ready to admit that Confucianism, which is often considered the core of public (and especially political) values in China, is “fairly anti-democratic.” But, on the other hand, I want to argue that historically every society that became democratic was once non-democratic. This is as true of the countries of the West as it is of countries elsewhere in the world. In short, that a country is now non-democratic does not mean that it cannot become democratic. The ever-growing support of democracy in the minds of China’s intellectuals supports the model of Chinese democracy due to the fact that these intellectuals will and are running the country. However, democracy will not sweep China overnight, yet neither has capitalism and Western influence. Currently, China’s government is very aware of their role in the modern world and they are treading carefully along the path to becoming a superpower. Does democracy have a place in China? I say yes.
I think that China suddenly turned to face communism in 1949 because it was completely lost and in need of a path of leadership. Much like Germany following World war I, it seemed like China needed a guiding point and a foundation from where they needed to begin their new lives. Because of the history of their people undergoing harsh centralized government, sacrifice and torture, I think that they felt it was a time for change. A time for Communism: when people can work side by side, equally for the benefits of each other.
Although China is capable of functioning successfully under a democratic system, the world, specifially the U.S. must realize that democracy doesn't always look the same place to place. China will have to work through its own problems and create their own version of democracy that fits in their culture and values. If democracy is defined as government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives, then China is most definately capable of pulling off such a transition. I'm not arguing that the transition from communism to capitalism and democracy is easy, but it is certainly possible when China's people are willing to work for the change. Through Tiennaman Square, the world witnessed that China wanted capitalism, not necessarily democracy. Yet today, it is clear that the Chinese people will take nothing short of democracy.
I think that it would be extreamly difficult for China to become a democracy because there are so many peope in the country, many of whom probably know very little, if anything about politics. With so many people wanting differnt things, and not considering what is best for the country, I think it would be very difficult to be successful. It is not to say that it can not be done though. I think many people so easily turned to Communism because is because as I was saying earlier, with so many people, it is difficult to maintain peace while trying to please so many people. In the beginning, Communism looked like it was a good organized system, and it seemed like a better option than the chaos that was happening before.
Democracy only works if the people are educated about the issues and candidates. In America it sometimes doesn't work because the voting population doesn't learn about the problems. In China, you're dealing with so many people, many of whom live in rural areas and have no access to find out who's running or on what stance. It wouldn't work because it's too many people.
Whether China likes it or not, they are on the move towards capitalism and democracy. As most of us have already touched on, the transition cannot happen too fast. I agree with Alex that the large rural population in China would get shortchanged in an election now, so the government should use the large amount of power that hey have to upgrade China's infastructure. Not to be condescending, but freedom will have to come slowly. Their new internet connection is a good example of this. Although the government filtering the conection is a rights violation, suddenly opening up the world could prove a bad idea. Radicals around the world could persuade the Chinese people into violence. Remeber what happened the last time people stood up to the government? And thta time they were just holding up signs. The rest of the world also has to stop turning a blind eye to them. In the end, they need our business just as much as we need theirs.
I think that China turned to Communism after 1949 becuase they realized that their government was not satisfing the people and their wants. They saw that in Russia everyone was cared for and the country was much more sucessful than they were. Also I think the people were looking for equality and a new beginning, which Communism offered.
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