Chinese Communism

A 100 Year Journey

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JUNE 2021 Download this Article

Ruchika Chaubey

As the Communist Party of China (CCP) marks its centenary on July the 1st, the party seems to have succeeded in monopolising the Chinese society, culture and economy.

The Communist Party of China is the sole political body, governing the People's Republic of China. It is credited as the most prominent, and longest-ruling political party globally, with 90 million members.

चीनी साम्यवाद - 100 साल की यात्रा

Since its inception, CCP miraculously thrived in China, all these years. Although Communism was its founding ideology, it became a primary reason for famine, hunger, low economic performance, causing millions of deaths, in its journey.

Interestingly, in the last fifty years, it did something right, and has made a turn around. The same CCP led Chinese government, has lifted millions out of poverty.

This observation raises a pertinent question, whether Communism can positively impact countries, like China, notwithstanding, the massive population suffering at some point in time.

There are other communist countries like Russia, who had seen the worst phases of famine, poverty, censorship and deprivation, under its leaders, until the breakup of the Soviet Union, in 1990.

The Chinese and Russian Communism.

It is essential to understand, that Communism in China, originated from a student's protests of May 1919. They were anti-imperialist students from 13 colleges in Beijing, holding a mass demonstration, against the Treaty of Versailles.

As a result, under article 156 of the treaty, German concessions in Shandong province, were transferred to Japan. It was unacceptable to the Chinese, as Shandong province is of cultural importance. Great scholar Confucius was born there.

Similarly, in Russia, Communism took a route within the proletariat by Vladimir Lenin, with his party Bolsheviks. They patronised Communism as an ideology, and seized power during Russia's October Revolution.

Variance between the two communisms.

CCP, formed in China in 1921, was inspired by the Bolsheviks model of Communism. The CCP leaders, took inspiration from Joseph Stalin, and depicted him as a visionary, political genius, guardian of his people, and a benevolent leader.

There are significant differences between the CCP and the Bolsheviks, though. Foremost, the historians point out, that the October Revolution had complex composition.

The Soviet Union consisted of Transcaucasia, Ukrainian and Byelorussian republics, with their numerous ethnicities, languages, culture and history.

Binding a large unmanageable geographical area, based on a political ideology turned bitter, for the Bolsheviks later. Though it continued to be together subsequently, it was to sustain the pressure of the ensuing Cold war, from the NATO allies.

As soon as the cold war relaxed, the entire Soviet Union disintegrated, into 15 independent republics.

The CCP had many co-founders like the peasants, Mao and others, while Bolsheviks had a unified leader as Vladimir Lenin. It is another significant difference.

चीनी साम्यवाद - 100 साल की यात्रा

Holistically, the Soviet Union is a gigantic landmass, with a diversity of republics. Therefore, it was difficult to hold all, with a single political and economic ideology, like Communism.

On the other hand, China has the same composition, bound its diversity by Confucianism's philosophy, a common belief system. It is one ideology, with which all ethnicity could relate, keeping China intact.

Professor at Chinese cultural studies, at Duke University, Liu Kang asserts that "the current Chinese communist government, is more a product of nationalism, than a product of ideology, like Marxism and Communism." Indeed, the larger population can relate, keeping the unity in diversity.

The interplay of Russian and Chinese ideas of Communism.

Although the Chinese Communist Party, was inspired by Communism in Russia, a divergent pattern is observed in both nations' political, and economic functions.

In China, Mao Zedong, a popular leader, and a founding member of CCP, was against the city and industrial workers revolution, as the majority population belonged to the peasant class, (low-income farmers with low social status). Thus, Mao reinitiated the uprising, known as the Peasant Rebellion in 1925-27.

While in Russia, after the death of Joseph Stalin, in early 1950, Nikita Khrushchev took over the reins. He continued to modify Stalin's policies, which had no significant impact, on the standard of living of the Russian people.

In effect, Russians saw a ray of hope with the emergence of new governance. During the reign of Khrushchev, people anticipated the co-existence of Communism, with capitalism.

At the time, too, this model was considered one of the measures, for a prosperous society. It didn't go far, nonetheless. However, China under Mao disagreed with this step, taken by Khrushchev.

From 1953 to 1964, the Soviet Union saw a reduction in censorship, that made the Soviet Union a less repressive society. Was that enough? The world got answered in the Union's breakup of the 1990s.

While examining the notion of nationalism, in the Soviet Union, Ronald Grigor Suny, defines the nation as

"a group of people that imagines itself to be a political community, that is distinct from the rest of humankind, believes that it shares characteristics, perhaps original values, historical experiences, language, or any of many other elements, and based on its defined culture, deserves self-determination".

As the Soviet Union broke up, many historians, like Ronald claim, that the Soviet leaders couldn't bind the Soviet Union, with their idea of nationalism, which did not suit the diversity.

चीनी साम्यवाद - 100 साल की यात्रा

A JOURNEY – Failure and Success of CCP.

The CCP seems to successfully govern a vast population, facing numerous challenges, in the 20th and 21st centuries. China has gone through the worst times, while experimenting with new policies, on the Chinese people.

They have led to human tragedies. According to Forbes, between 1958-1962, the largest socialist experiment in history, Mao's initiative, resulted in the death of 45 million people, due to hunger. The experiment was called the "Great Leap Forward".

Under Mao, the state had complete authority, over economic activities. It was only later, that China embraced a free-market economy, under the influential leadership of Deng Xiaoping.

As a result, private ownership was introduced, which gradually reduced the state's interference in the economy.

However, the CCP still plays a crucial role in the country's economic policy, and state intervention plays a vital role, in the nation's economic cycle.

Consequently, through the decades, millions of Chinese climbed out of poverty, into prosperity. According to the World Bank Data, in 1981, the population of impoverished people was dismal at 88.3%, while in 2015, it improved to 0.7%.

When translated into numbers, it makes 878 million Chinese, economically elevated since 1981. Today, China is a leader in manufacturing, and exports, even ahead of the US and Germany.

चीनी साम्यवाद - 100 साल की यात्रा

The Turning Point in Chinese Communism.

Deng Xiaoping, a key leader, aborted many orthodox Communist policies, and incorporated elements of capitalism and globalisation. He is known to have a significant role, in accelerating the economic growth of China.

His political trek to the top started, when he participated in the Communist revolution, in the Soviet Union, in 1926-27. After returning to China, he became a political and military organiser, in the Jiangxi Soviet, Southwestern China. It is an autonomous communist enclave, established in 1931 by Mao Zedong.

He became the General-secretary of CCP, in 1954, and later a member of the political bureau, in 1955. From the mid-1950s, Deng was the leading policymaker, in the communist government. But a political conflict with Mao, cost his position.

As a result, Deng had to leave Beijing. The apparent reason for disagreement with Deng, along with Liu Shaoqi, was Mao's egalitarian policies. However, Deng was more for opening up the economy.

Later, Deng Xiaoping, returned to power, and reformed the economic development model.

Earlier, the government had complete control, over the peasants of China. Deng liberated them to some extent, which resulted in a remarkable achievement in production, political, economic, and social life.

He reformed the policies, to open gateways for trade with western countries, and introduced skilled cadres of technicians, and managers.

The historical one-child policy, to control the exploding population, was his brainchild. It was also his vision of developing Shenzhen, as the innovation centre of the world.

Deng, belonged to a well-to-do, well-travelled family, and had his education in France, which probably influenced his hybrid Communism, and capitalism outlook.

The State-Owned Enterprises as foundation of Chinese economic power.

The state introduced, State Owned Enterprises (SOE) reform, in the 1970s, as another pillar of socialism. A free-market economy, with discipline is considered as one of the reasons, for the emergence of modern China.

In the 1980s, the reform separated SOEs from the government's control. They laterally recruited management-level officials, outside the CCP.

During the transition, the CCP continued to adopt provisions, to define the party's role, in the functioning and management of SOEs. Finally, the 13th National Congress, proclaimed the separation of the party, from the functioning of SOEs.

The provisions were further modified into, the Law of Industrial Enterprises of 1988, to insulate SOE top officials, from the party.

So, China found its route of being an industrial hub, and eventually kept a successful capitalist approach.

चीनी साम्यवाद - 100 साल की यात्रा

Conclusion.

Through the generations, the influential leaders from the CCP, have been experimenting with their ideologies, on the Chinese populace.

Some had appalling results, like the Great Leap forward, while others succeeded, in making China, a self-sufficient nation. Eventually, both sides served their interest in keeping Communism intact, while adopting the elements of capitalism.

Since the era of Deng Xiaoping introduced a free market, to a basic communist structure, neither can China be categorised as pure Communist, nor being a pure capitalist economy.

It is a hybrid. The tactics have been fruitful for the nation, as China became an industrial hub, manufacturing capital, innovation centre, and continues to curb unemployment.

Millions have seen affluence, as a consequence. Last but not least, China is the largest exporting nation, for more than a decade.

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