China

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China

• The politics and government thereof

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The Mandate of Heaven

• In traditional Chinese politics there is a rhythm
• Dynasties come and go in accordance with the
  Mandate of Heaven
• You know if youve lost the mandate when there
  are earthquakes, floods,famine and droughts, as
  well as barbarians
• The story of the tablet on the Drum Tower

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Whats behind the Doctrine?

• Karl Wittfogels after Marx concept of Oriental
  Despotism
• China is essentially two rivers The Hwang Ho
  Yellow and the Yangtse
• To ease the effects of flood and drought, the
  Grand Canal was built to link the two

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CIA map of China
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Whats behind the Doctrine?

• China is essentially two rivers The Hwang Ho
  Yellow and the Yangtse
• To ease the effects of flood and drought, the
  Grand Canal was built to link the two
• Further irrigation works followed
• New dynasties cleared and repaired the canals,
  then slowly became corrupt and the waterworks
  silted up
• Hu Jintaos background is in water conservancy!

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Crisis of development

• China in trade surplus with rest of world until
  UK fought the Opium War
• Goal was to stop paying for goods in silver
• Pay opium insteadIndian Opium
• By the time various wars finished, UK had
  effectively occupied several ports
• Other European countries followed
• Then Japan

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Semi-colonialism

• In a very short period China went from being
  perhaps the richest country in the world to one
  of the poorest
• Economy based on consumer goods and services, not
  manufacturing
• So could not compete militarily
• And mandate of heaven was lost
• Tried to maintain traditional system

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What sort of Westernisation?

• 1911 Manchus overthrown
• Guomindang shared power with warlords
• Sun yatsen and Yuan shihkai
• 1917 Russian Revolution
• 1921 foundation of Chinese Communist Party in
  both Paris and Beijing
• Emergence of Chiang Kaishek as leader of
  Guomindang
• Failure of democracy

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Chinese Communism very different

• Peasant based not proletariat
• Protracted guerilla warfare, not city coup
• Chinese nationalism, not intermationalism
• Populist narodnik not Marxist
• Mao never went abroad, except short visit to
  Moscow. Suspicious of returned Bolsheviks
• Stalin equally suspicious of Mao

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Peoples Republic of China 1949

• Conquest of South by North
• Conquest of cities by countryside
• Army more of a national organisation than party
• State had to be built from bottom up
• Infrastructure poor
• Famine to overcome

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Main policies

• Lean to one side ie follow Soviet model
• Walk on two feet invest in Industry and
  Agriculture equally
• Great Leap Forward industrialise the
  countryside. Socialism without urbanisation
• Sino-Soviet split
• Cultural Revolution

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Mao was 30 good?

• Strategy for taking power
• Recreated infrastructure
• Used manpower because couldnt buy technology
• Egalitarian
• Chinese model

• Too many deaths
• Could have done more in cities
• 1956 went off the rails
• Sick and dictatorial
• Gang of Four
• Alienated both USA and USSR
• Tried to export rev.

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Post-Mao

• How to Modernise?
• Whateverists
• Oil
• Foreign investment
• Market revolution
• Special Economic Zones

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Deng Xiaoping

• Combined market reforms in agriculture
• With Special economic Zones
• While maintaining Stalinist Heavy Industry
• Made cheap Chinese labour available for foreign
  capitalists
• Recognised need to become a global player

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Standing Committee of Politburo 2003

• Hu Jintao General Secretary and President
• Wu Bangguo Chair,NPC SC
• Wen Jiabao Prime Minister
• Jia Qinglin Chair CPPCC
• Zeng Qinghong Vice-President and Secretary
• Huang Ju Vice-Premier
• Wu Guangzheng Sec, Committee for Disc. Insp.
• Li Changchun ideology and propaganda
• Luo Gan legislative responsibilities

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Chinese institutions