China Flashcards
Dynastic circle
Long periods of rule by a family punctuated by “chaos”, when the lost its power and was challenged by a new, and ultimately successful, ruling dynasty. Repeat.
Mandate of heaven
Heaven granted emperors the right to rule based on their ability to govern well and fairly.
China legitimacy
Legitimacy was established through the mandate of heaven and power passed from one emperor to the next through heredity connections within the ruling family.
Sun Yat-sen
The first president of the Chinese Republic after 1911. His new regime was suppose to be democratic, with legitimacy resting on popular government, but warlords challenged his plan.
Mao Zedong
Emerging from the chaos of Sun Yet-sen.
Leader of Maoism.
Maoism
Maoism shares Marx’s vision of of equality and corporation.
Idealist and egalitarian (believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities).
Endorsed centralized power exercised through the top leaders of the party.
Stressed the importance of staying connected to the peasants through a process called mass line.
Democratic centralism.
People’s Republic of China
Established in 1949 and Mao led the Communist Party as the new wielder of power until his death in 1976.
Mass line
Requires leaders to listen to and communicate with ordinary folk, and without it, the legitimacy of the rulers would be questionable.
Central Military Commission
How the military is represented int he government.
Huge source of power.
Played an important role in the rise of the Communist Party.
Historical traditions:
Authoritarian powers
China as always been a huge, land-based empire ruled from a central place by an emperor or a small group of people. Citizens are have traditionally been subjects of, not participants in, their political system.
Historical traditions:
Confucianism
Emphasizes the importance of order an harmony, encourages Chinese citizens to submit to the emperor’s power, and reinforced the emperor’s responsibility to fulfill his duties conscientiously.
Connected to “democratic centralism.”
Encourages respect among family.
Historical traditions:
Bureaucratic hierarchy based on scholarship
Emperor’s surrounded themselves with highly organized bureaucrats. Government jobs were extremely commutative, with only a few mastering the examination system. The exams were knowledge-based.
Historical traditions:
The “Middle Kingdom”
Chinese have referred to their county as “Middle Kingdom”, or a place centered in civilization.
Foreigners were seen as “barbarians” whose civilizations where far inferior to China’s, not just in terms of power, but also ethics and quality of life.
Historical traditions:
Communist ideologies
The 20th century brought Maoism that emphasized the “right thinking” and Confucianism.
The late 20th century brought Den Xiaoping Theory, a practical mix of authoritarian political control and economic privatization.
Geographical influences
- Access to oceans/ice free ports
- Large navigable rivers
- Geographical/climate split between north and south
- Isolation of the western part of the country
- Mountains, desserts, and oceans that separate China from other countries.
Historical eras:
Dynastic rule
“superior” and “subservient” positions. China values education as a way to establish superiority. China’s early relative isolation from other countries contributes to a strong sense of cultural identity. This also leads to ethnocentrism (“middle kingdom”).
Confucian values
Order, harmony, a strong sense of hierarchy
Historical eras:
Resistance to imperialism
China’s strong sense of national identity blossomed into nationalism as it resisted persistent attempts by imperialist –England, France, Germany, and Japan– countries to exploit China’s natural resources and people.
“foreign devils”
Imperialist countries– England, France, Germany, and Japan.
Historical eras:
Maoism
Based on the values:
- Collectivism
- Struggle and activism
- Mass line
- Egalitarianism
- Self-relience
Collectivism
Valuing the good of the community above that of the individual suited the peasant based communities.
Struggle and activism
Mao encouraged the people to actively pursue the values of socialism, something he new would require struggle.
Egalitarianism
That all humans are equal in fundamental worth or social status.
Self-relience
Instead of relying on the elite to give directions, people under Moaist rule were encouraged to rely on their own talents to contribute to their communities.