Blog Discussion Group Eight
Blog post due at 11:55pm on March 27 and comment due at 11:55pm on March 30.
China
- What changes did Mao make to Marxism and Leninism to make them more appropriate to the Chinese setting?
- Is it still appropriate to think of
- Discuss the possibility of
I don't think it is appropriate to think of China as a "Communist" country, so much has changed over time. Although the overall interest of the government is for the people, the economy and the way China has to adapt to all the changes around the world has caused them to change. From having complete control of businesses to giving some away but staying in touch. The economy and how China has to adapt to use all its benefits, may resemble western culture, but always maintain the goal of taking care of its people in the roots. Just because the Communist Party is in charge doesn't mean it cant adapt. I think China now has a little of communism, socialism and even capitalism. I think in today's world if you want to be a top nation, your government needs to mix it up to create the best country possible, and China has done just that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts on how China is no longer a traditional Communist nation. The country has changed a lot over the last couple of decades. I really like your point about how the government is a mix between communism, socialism, and capitalism. Modern day China has incorporated aspects of all three into their government.
DeleteI do not believe that it is appropriate to think of China as a "communist" country in this period of time. The Chinese Communist Party took over the country in 1949 after suffering from years of civil war, rebellion, invasion, and terrible government (Kesselman, Kreiger, and Joseph 653). By the 1990s however, reform economically made society in China much more open and diverse. "People were vastly freer to choose jobs, travel about the country and internationally, practice their religious beliefs, join non-political associations, and engage in a wide range of other activities that were prohibited" (Kesselman, Kreiger, and Joseph 656). With the availability of these things as well as the freedom to basically do as they please, Chinese people began to experience what it was like to be out from under communist rule. This is because the new reforms put in place basically did away with the communist ideals and laws the country once held. In fact, China is basically running under a government that can be considered the complete opposite of a communist government.
ReplyDeleteI believe that you cannot say that China is still a communist country, because they are allowed to express their own freedoms. Even though that communist party is in control, Jinping does what he can to make sure that the society can express themselves in their own ways. They are allowed to practice their religious beliefs. Earlier on in China you weren't allowed to express your beliefs. The Chinese government has done a good job in adapting to the economy. In some ways they have a little bit of communism in them but overall I would say that they are giving rights to their people. So, therefore I would not considered China a Communist Country.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is inappropriate to still call China a communist country because China has progressed so much since initially adopting communism. China has access to other countries and vice versa. We are allowed to learn from their culture and its people are given freedoms that people in communist countries do not necessarily posses. The Chinese government has greatly modernized and changed a lot in its treatment of their citizens. However, there is still work to be done. The Chinese government has allowed the economy to gain strength therefore the country and its people have been able to come out from the typical stereotypical communist country and gain some freedom.
ReplyDeleteI would say that it is inappropriate to call China a Communist nation because so much has changed. The people have been given more freedom than is usually permitted in a traditional communist nation. This is not to say that the people have a lot of freedom, but they do have opportunities that most people in Communist nations do not. such as the citizens of North Korea. China still has some work to do but they have evolved past being a Communist nation I believe.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it is appropriate to call China a "communist" country. In the past few decades the people of China have seemed to break some of the boundaries of the Chinese Communist Party. I think one of the main reasons why China is becoming less communistic is due to the fact that it is so densely populated and newer generations are distancing themselves from traditional communist values. China also trades with many other countries so people see how other governments are set up and the way it effects their economy, etc and overtime those interactions are likely to cause a shift in cultures and views.
ReplyDeleteChina has changed so much over the years that I don't believe it is right to call them a Communist nation. The people are given way more freedom and expressions than other nations with a Communist background. The people of China used to have strict religious rules but now Jinping allows them to express their religion freely and openly for everyone to see. They may be a communist nation but they aren't ran in a Communist way. North Korea is a communist nation and they have no freedom, look at China and they're so much different than NK.
ReplyDeleteI think once a country starts accepting change it is very hard to label it as one thing. Like you mentioned there were some changes in how people in China are treated in regards to their freedom. I am not sure what to label china today but communist is not the appropriate term.
DeleteChina can certainly still be considered a communist country, although the form of communism, or perhaps socialism, that has evolved into the 21st century is different from what Marx envisioned. China is completely ruled by the central party. It is a one party political machine. Threats to the central party have been erased, have disappeared, and been disposed of. The lack of concern over true democracy and human rights in itself lead to a definition of China being a communist country. That said, there is a growing private sector of industry that provides more to the GDP of China's party owned industries. The people of China like to say, "it doesn't matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice," (Cameron Kirk, Irish Independent News, 2017). The financial growth of Chinese industry and investment, has helped to propel China into one of the leading economic growth centers and trading partners in the world.... not very communist!!! Mostly, I believe that China is communist because that's how China identifies itself "socialism with Chinese characteristics" (Kirk) and who China allies themselves with, primarily Russia, North Korea, Cuba and other non democratic nations.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I can see your point about what you think makes China a Communist country, I have to disagree. In a communist society, the government has control over a lot of aspects of the government and people's lives. More recently however, the Chinese government has stepped away from control over businesses and has allowed for privatization. People are also now freer to choose jobs, travel throughout the country and internationally, practice their religious beliefs, join non-political associations, and engage in a wide range of other activities that were prohibited. With that being said, China is seemingly stepping away from their previous Communist ideals.
DeleteAlthough China is still considered a communist country a lot has changed since its government origins. Very much of the reason China is still a communist country is traditionalism. Very little actual communistic beliefs are being enforced to the citizens of China but it is still the root of their government. They have adapted to modern times and their current government is the product of what is effective today. Although China is not a democracy, I believe their government has undergone many beneficial changes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts and ideas surrounding this subject. China is still technically a communist country. However, they have made several changes to their belief system and policies that do not follow a traditional communistic outlook. They have definitely put a twist on communism to adapt in the modern society, which I also believe has been very beneficial to them.
DeleteI had to read the Russian chapter in order to fully grasp the distinction between Maoism and Leninist Marxism. What I've gathered from the readings - and my prior HP: Modern Pacific Asia class - is that Mao and Lenin had different approaches to employing communism in their respective countries because of many reasons such as demographics, their core leadership, etc. In both China and Russia, it was intellectual elites who spearheaded and introduced
ReplyDeletemarxist thought. In Russian, "Most revolutionary leaders... were not workers, but came from a more educated and privileged stratum, the intelligentsia" (Kesselman 548). The case was similar in China where "a few intellectuals, inspired by the 1917 Russian revolution, established the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)" (646). However while Lenin adopted Democratic centralism and accepted a hierarchical somewhat elitist ruling party Mao dramatically differed from that view (Kesselman 548). The vanguard "party arty leaders claimed to understand the interests of working people better than the people did themselves" (Kesselman 548). Mao on the other hand had much more faith in the peasantry, and uplifted them as intelligent, as the central force for revolution. On his trips investigating the peasant uprisings he warned everyone: several hundred million peasants will rise like a mighty storm, like a hurricane, a force so swift and violent that no power, however great, will be able to hold it back" (Kesselman 647). In his statement he also placed peasants as the central authortiy in leading the revolution: "Every revolutionary party and every revolutionary comrade will be put to the test, to be accepted or rejected as they decide. There are three alternatives. To march at their head and lead them? To trail behind them, gesticulating and criticizing? Or to stand in their way and oppose them? Every Chinese is free to choose, but events will force you to make the choice quickly" (Mao 1927). This is in stark contrast to Leninist Marxism which embraced intellectuals to enlighten the masses and teach them of their own class struggles. Additionally, while the Bolsheviks introduced policies to appease the peasantry and end civil war Mao fully embraced the militaristic element of revolution. He encouraged the peasant uprisings, intellectually defended their punishment and killing of landowners, and he essentially saved the CCP by taking them into the mountains to build up their military strength (Kesselman 647). Those are the few ways I understood Maoism differed from Leninism/Marxism I'm sure there are more.
Cited outside source:
"Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan" (March 1927), Selected Works, Vol. I, pp. 23-24. *