Maintaining Political Control in China Flashcards
What are the 10 most important points from the “Authoritarian Resilience” reading ?
- Post-Tiananmen Resilience: Despite predictions of collapse after the Tiananmen crisis in 1989, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) managed to stabilize its rule through various measures.
- Economic Stabilization and Growth: The regime successfully controlled inflation, restarted economic growth, expanded foreign trade, and attracted foreign direct investment, contributing to its resilience.
- Institutionalization as a Key Factor: The resilience of the CCP regime can be attributed to its institutionalization, which involves the adherence to formal and informal rules and the adaptability, complexity, autonomy, and coherence of state organizations.
- Norm-Bound Succession Politics: The orderly transition of leadership from Jiang Zemin to Hu Jintao demonstrated a level of institutional stability and adherence to succession rules uncommon in authoritarian regimes.
- Meritocracy vs Factionalism: The promotion of political elites in China has evolved towards a more meritocratic system, where administrative skill, technical knowledge, education, and party allegiance play a significant role.
- Institutional Differentiation: The Chinese regime has seen an increase in the separation of responsibilities and spheres of authority among different state agencies, contributing to a more complex and autonomous system.
- Autonomy of the National People’s Congress (NPC): The NPC has gained more independence in initiating and reviewing legislation, indicating a trend towards greater institutional autonomy.
- Evolution of the Military: The Chinese military has become smaller, more technically competent, and more professional. There’s also a growing sentiment among younger officers to advocate for a nonpartisan national force.
- Media Commercialization and Autonomy: While the media is still controlled by Party and state agencies, there has been a trend towards commercialization and a shift away from direct political control.
- Input Institutions and Political Legitimacy: The regime has established input institutions that allow citizens to participate in local-level decision-making,
Describe the contents of the 2021 China Media Project.
- Central Office Guidance for CCP Anniversary Propaganda: The Central Office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has issued a notice providing instructions for propaganda and education leading up to the 100th anniversary of the CCP. This notice outlines the overall plan for a comprehensive national propaganda campaign.
- Guiding Theme: “Forever Following the Party”: The main theme emphasized in the propaganda campaign is “Forever Following the Party” (永远跟党走), which underscores unwavering support and loyalty to the CCP.
- Objectives of the Anniversary Campaign: The campaign aims to celebrate and promote various aspects, including the goodness of the CCP, socialism, reform and opening, the greatness of the motherland, and the contributions of all ethnic groups in China.
- Two-Phase Approach: The campaign will unfold in two phases. The first phase, taking place in the current month, focuses on key events like the Fifth Plenum, the 14th Five-Year Plan, and declarations regarding extreme poverty elimination, highlighting the positive outlook for the upcoming Five-Year Plan period.
- Second Phase: “Spirit” of Xi Jinping’s Speech: The second phase, extending from May to the end of the year, with a peak in June and July, will center on the “spirit” of an important speech by Xi Jinping during the official ceremony marking the CCP’s 100th anniversary. It will also emphasize China’s progress towards building a moderately prosperous society.
- Seven Key Propaganda Points: The notice outlines a comprehensive propaganda strategy, which includes activities like oath-taking ceremonies by Party members (including new members), and the utilization of historic revolutionary sites, memorials, and cemeteries as “red resources.”
- Propaganda Slogans: The notice also released a list of 80 propaganda slogans for the 100th anniversary commemoration. These slogans emphasize themes of celebrating the CCP’s founding, the enduring commitment to its original mission, and the leadership of Xi Jinping.
- Historical Context: The release of such slogans for national propaganda campaigns was a characteristic of PRC politics under Mao Zedong. However, it was not common in post-reform China until 2019 when a similar notice was issued for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC.
- Prominent Coverage in People’s Daily: The People’s Daily, a leading state-run newspaper, prominently featured the report on the Central Office’s guidance for the anniversary propaganda on its front page, highlighting its significance.
- Continuity of Ideological Control: The issuance of detailed propaganda guidance for significant events like anniversaries underscores the CCP’s commitment to maintaining ideological control and ensuring a unified narrative in the public sphere. This approach is in line with the party’s historical practices.
How did the collapse of communist states in the 90s shape the rest of the world ?
This common label crumbled in a very short span of time, all associated with the fall of the soviet union.
It was a big deal for the international community because one of the blocks involved in the cold war was failing, but not all the countries.
China, Viet Nam, North Korea, Laos and Cuba survived.
What is the first factor which lead to the survival of the 5 remaining communist state ?
- None of the remaining powers were reliant on the USSR to establish or maintain power and control.
In Eastern Europe, the power mostly came from Moscow, and when Moscow retreated, it was not long until the communist parties and states collapsed.
What is the second factor which lead to the survival of the 5 remaining communist state ?
The movements that brought these governments to power were indigenous to the country in question, unlike in Eastern Europe where the movement was born in Russia and only minimally adapted for Eastern Europe.
There was no sense of belonging to this movement.
What is the third factor which lead to the survival of the 5 remaining communist state ?
The party had strong nationalist ideology and adjusted their practice to involve communism in their nationalism.
This way, even in communism became less popular, it would remain relevant because of its close ties to nationalism.
What is the fourth factor which lead to the survival of the 5 remaining communist state ?
In the case of China and Viet Nam, they had begun economic reforms before the soviet collapse even occurred. When NK and Cuba tried, it felt like a desperate attempt and last effort to save their regimes however.
This economic reform helped the five states, but especially China and Viet Nam, wether the effects and consequences of the fall of the Soviet Union (economic disturbances and challenges world wide, was a big player in communist exchanges)
What is the fifth factor which lead to the survival of the 5 remaining communist state ?
China studied the collapse of the Soviet Union and drew conclusions to learn from and avoid this type of event in China.
Before Xi Jinping, the Party believes that the USSR collapsed because :
1 - Economic results were not delivered. USSR economy was too closed off, focussed on the military and was too centralized which stunted its growth. It should have provided more growth, better living conditions and more dynamism.
2 - Ideology had become stale and dead in the USSR. China thinks people did not truly believe in it anymore. Ideology should have been adapted and attractive to improve the states nationalist legitimation claim.
What is the first primary challenge to non-democratic governments ?
To control the population.
The leader wants to prevent collective uprisings that may exercice some sort of pressure on them. Avoid protests and movements in general that mights request you step down.
What is the second primary challenge for non-democratic governments ?
Controlling the elites around you.
You must find a way to share the power, and keep them content enough so they do not wish to challenge you, and divided enough from another so that they cannot.
What is the first secondary challenges for non-democratic governments ?
How do you institutionalize your rule ? Rules of the leadership cannot be taken too seriously, but you need to be institutionalized to mitigate the challenge of authoritarian power sharing. Give everyone a sake in the system.
This is difficult because there is no system for checks and balances, relies on informal norms and agreements. In China, biggest challenge to institutionalization is personalization.
What is the second secondary challenges for non-democratic governments ?
Personalization. It is a challenge because the ruler bases his rule on his wisdom, abilities, ideas.
As Weber said: charismatic authority is brittle.
It is less predictable if connected to a person who has bias, can be convinced, makes mistakes, and will die (which is a challenge because of succession instability)
What is the third secondary challenges for non-democratic governments ?
There is the issue of information.
Information and statistics shape policy outcomes and the ways members behave.
When there is no free press, it is harder for social problems to be identified, and it is therefore harder to fix them.
What is the fourth secondary challenges for non-democratic governments ?
Establishing institutions to mitigate this lack of information. Need to find ways, like petitioning, spying etc. to still know how the population feels.
Even worst in personalist regimes, because the elite around the leader may not be willing to tell them the truth about what is going on. In that case, not only does the leader have more power, but less knowledge, and his biases are constantly being reaffirmed.
What is the fifth secondary challenges for non-democratic governments ?
Legitimacy: all governments have to give reasons for why they are ruling. In democracies, it is procedural (commit to the way to elect etc. regardless of how you feel about the ruler).
In authoritarian regimes, there is sham elections, but mostly 1. nationalism (we are the protector of the nation) 2. performance (we have delivered wealth) 3. personalist authority (isn’t he just the best)
