Wiki+Assignment+2


 * __Legitimacy (DW)__ **


 * 1) Legitimacy in China is a complicated topic. Up until the last transfer of power, the person in control took control through force, and the legitimacy of the government was based on that person’s ability to take power. The last power transition, from Jiang Zemin to Hu Jintao, was peaceful, and involved little power struggle between the incoming and outgoing administrations. This change in the way power is transferred can possibly be a interpreted as a sign that China is moving towards a more stable system of transferring power, and maybe towards constitutional legitimacy.
 * 2) The Chinese constitution consists of four sections: General Principles, The Fundamental Rights and Duties of Citizens, The Structure of State, and one that outlines the flag and where the capital shall be located. This is different from the U.S. constitution in that it is much more specific, and therefore probably less elastic. While the U.S. constitution mainly spells out how the government will be structured, this is only one section in the PRC’s constitution. Another difference: while the U.S. constitution has 27 amendments, the Chinese constitution only has three, but it as a Bill of Rights-esque section as a part of the constitution (The Fundamental Rights and Duties of Citizens) instead of adding it after the ratification. The Chinese constitution is longer than the U.S. constitution as well.

This issue highlights legitimacy because of the questions raised over the government’s execution of the laws. A legitimate government makes legitimate laws and executes them in a way that people believe is consistent with the intent of the law. In this case, the Chinese government is being questioned in how it is carrying out laws. The legitimacy of the laws, and by extension the government, is being questioned as the seemingly innocent man is thrown into jail.
 * 1) Important terms:
 * 2) Mandate of Heaven – the right to rule as seen by the collective ancestral wisdom that guided the empire from the heavens above
 * 3) Maoism – Political ideology based on Marxism, trumpeted by Mao Zedong; endorsed centralized power exercised through top leaders of the party but also stressed importance of staying connected to the peasants
 * 4) Mass line – requires leaders to listen to and communicate with ordinary citizens; without the mass line, legitimacy of government is questionable
 * 5) Politburo – a group of between 19 and 25 people who oversee the government. The power is concentrated in the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (which has between 5 and 9 members).\
 * 6) Current Events
 * 7) On February 9, Chinese human rights activist Tan Zuoren was sentenced to five years in prison for “inciting subversion” for an essay he wrote in 2007 about the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident and for a 2008 blood drive he organized to commemorate the incident. The real reason many people see for his incarceration, however, is his investigation into the deaths of children in a May 2008 earthquake, specifically why so many school buildings collapsed when surrounding buildings did not. The United States and many outside observers criticize China’s use of anti-incitement legislation as a way to silence criticism and dissent.

Links: [|The Constitution of the People's Republic of China] [|Politburo Standing Committee] [|Current Events Article: Legitimacy] [|Legitimacy of Chinese Government]

**__Historical/Political Traditions (CM)__**

1) Authoritarian Power
 * Around 1500 BC, the Chinese began to use oracles to foresee the future.
 * They also worshipped a natural force called t’ien (roughly translated into heaven).
 * Heaven ruled over all the other gods and over men, so heaven decides who will be emperor.
 * Thus, an emperor could rule as long as they had the mandate of heaven (as long as heaven wanted them to rule).
 * The emperor loses the mandate of heaven when the people begin to revolt.
 * The concept of the mandate of heaven dominated the rule of China, showing the people’s belief in an absolute ruler.
 * The mandate of heaven lead to what Confucian scholars called a dynastic cycle.\
 * First, a series of wars lead to the unification of China under a certain emperor or dynasty.
 * The ruler consolidates his power, leading to peace, economic and population growth, and public works/military expansion projects.
 * Just when the country appears invincible, the cost of expansion leads to heavy taxes and corruption.
 * This leads to a loss of faith in the government and rebellions.
 * Finally, the cycle starts anew.
 * This pattern of absolutism continued from pre-history to 1911, showing the Chinese tradition of absolutism.
 * China’s borders have changed, but it has always been a large land-based authoritarian empire ruled from a central place.
 * Chinese citizens are used to being subjects of instead of participants in the government.
 * Throughout China’s pre-twentieth century history, the country was ruled by the dynasty system but challenged by rival warlords who did not believe in their “mandate of heaven”.
 * Today, similar trends are apparent with the country’s decentralization (the government tries to control a vast population with numerous policies and problems).

Qin, China's First Emperor that would form a Lasting Legacy of Imperial Rule 2) Confucianism
 * Confucianism means the School of Scholars, or the Religion of Confucius.
 * This tradition has shaped Chinese culture since the sixth century BCE.
 * It is described as a complicated system of moral, social, political and religious ideas that largely influenced Chinese culture.
 * Some have considered it to have been the "state religion" of imperial China, for it eventually became required study for all government positions.
 * Confucianism emphasizes ritualism (punishment for actions by shame so they will learn their lesson) over the Western Ideal of legalism (punishment by law).
 * Confucius also argued that in order for an emperor to rule the people, he must first rule himself (act with benevolence so that the kingdom can be ruled with benevolence).
 * He created the Chinese ideal of mutual respect amongst family members, elders and children, ruler and ruled, etc (still prevalent in China today) that conflicts with the communist ideology of an egalitarian society.
 * However, Confucianism emphasizes the importance of order and harmony while encouraging citizens to submit to the emperor’s power and reinforce the emperors need to perform his duties conscientiously.
 * This coincides with the communist belief known as **Democratic Centralism** (a small group of leaders rule for the good of the people).

Confucius, founder of Confucianism​ 3) Bureaucratic Hierarchy Based on Scholarship
 * In Imperial China, around 40% of males could read and only about 10% of females.
 * Thus, even most males stopped schooling at a young age.
 * The remainder studied to recieve a place in the emperor's bureaucracy, for all of the emperors had entourages of educated Confucian scholars.
 * Government jobs were well-desired and extremely competitive.
 * To get a job, one must pass a difficult exam that few had the ability to master.
 * As a result, a social separation quickly formed between the ruling elite and the peasant population.
 * The Confucian Text exams were so intense that those who passed almost automatically advanced to the upper levels of the bureaucracy, those who failed were stuck with the peasants in the lower rungs of society.

Chinese Bureaucrats (Above) at Work 4) The "Middle Kingdom"


 * The name China means Middle Kingdom or Middle Country.
 * The Ancient Chinese, unaware of the Western world, believed their country was the center of the world and of civilization.
 * With their country the only known one in existence and China itself surrounded by uncivilized raiders, it seemed th rest of the world was hostile and uncultured.
 * Foreigners were seen as barbarians that had little to offer in terms of power, ethics and quality of life.
 * Although all countries are ethnocentric when dealing with other countries, but China always assumed that no one else had anything to offer them.
 * This view was challenged, but not destroyed, by imperial ambitions in China during the nineteenth century.
 * This view still holds to a certain extent today, for the direct translation of China's present day name is Middle Glorious People's Republican Country.

The Great Wall was built to protect China from barbarians, further confirming their suspicions that they were the only civilized nation.

5) Communist Ideologies
 * When the CCP first took control of China, they attempted complete communism similar to that of Lenin and Stalin in Soviet Russia called Maoism.
 * The twentieth century idea of Maoism agreed with the morals of Confucianism but contradicted with its hierarchical nature (mandate of heaven, respect for elders, etc).
 * When Mao's rival, Deng Xiaoping, took control of the country, he set out to reform the economy towards more of a state with a practical mix of authoritarian political control and economic privatization.
 * The Deng Xiaoping Theory has been in effect ever since, largely boosting economic growth.



Mao Zedong, founder of Maoism and of Communism in China ** __Political Culture (RL):__ **

Terms:


 * Dynastic Rule**:China’s political culture is greatly influenced from centuries of dynastic rule centered on Confucian Values. Scholarship is traditionally valued as a way to establish superiority. China’s relative isolation from other counties contributed to a strong sense of cultural identity.


 * Resistance to imperialism**: During the 19th century China resisted imperialist nations - such as Britain, France, Germany and Japan. This lead to a feeling of caution and suspicion when dealing with “foreign devils.”


 * Maoism**: Influenced by Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, Mao developed his versions of communism by mixing Western and Chinese ideals.


 * Collectivism**: The good of the community is valued above that of the individual. This belief suited the peasant-based communities that have existed throughout Chinese history, but scholars have often been drawn to individualism.


 * Struggle and activism**: Mao encouraged the people to actively pursue socialist ideals something he understood would require struggle and devotion.


 * Mass line**: A line of communication between party members and peasants that would allow all to struggle toward realization of the gals of a communist state.


 * Egalitarianism**: Hierarchy is an important part in the organizational structure of pre-1949 Chinese society. Mao’s emphasis on creating an egalitarian society was in direct opposition to this.


 * Self-reliance**: People were encouraged to rely on their own talents to contribute to their communities instead of relying on the elite to give directions.


 * Deng Xiaoping Theory **: His idea was to not worry about ideology, just do what works. This resulted in drastic changes to the Chinese economy through a combination of socialist planning and the capitalist free market. His policies remained true to the communist tradition that the party should supervise all, and no allowances should be made for individual freedoms and/or democracy.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Trends **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">:

1) []

The world public opinion poll shows that current Chinese president Hu Jintao enjoys an over 50% rating in confidence in most parts of Asia and a 94% confidence in China. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal;">Separate surveys were also conducted in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. In each, well over 60% of the population express confidence in President Hu. From a tradition Chinese politics perspective he could be said to have the mandate of Heaven. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">

2) []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">The philosophy of the ancient Confucius makes a tentative comeback in <span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">China // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">. More and more Confucian schools <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> are popping up in China. Parents believe that "It emphasises virtues like kindness and self-discipline. It is very good for my son and very good for Chinese society as well." The headlong rush for growth in modern China has caused many people to seek balance between the metaphysical and the spiritual and the science and philosophy.

3) [] <span style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 18px;">As China's population continues to soar, wealthy parents who want their children to stand out from the crowd are making a special effort. More and more Chinese parents are encouraging their child to take up additional classes to compete with other children.

4) [] Although Chinese society at large, have adopted Western ideals, it will lead not only to the westernization of China but also the Chinesenization of the world. “China does not aspire to run the world because it believes itself to be the center of the world,” he writes.

5) [|http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8284087.stm] The Chinese president usually wears a business suit but for national celebrations such as the 60 years anniversary he wears the traditional Mao shirt.

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