Socialism with Chinese characteristics
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Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a set of political theories and policies of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that are seen by their proponents as representing Marxism–Leninism adapted to Chinese circumstances and specific time periods, consisting of Deng Xiaoping Theory, Three Represents (Jiang Zemin), Scientific Outlook on Development (Hu Jintao), and Xi Jinping Thought. According to CCP doctrine, Xi Jinping Thought is considered to represent Marxist–Leninist policies suited for China's present condition while Deng Xiaoping Theory was considered relevant for the period when it was formulated.[1]
The term entered common usage during the era of
Primary stage of socialism
During the Mao era
The concept of a primary stage of socialism was conceived before China introduced
After Mao Zedong's death
Some have called our road "
State Capitalism," and yet others "Technocratic Capitalism." These are all completely wrong. We respond that socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism, by which we mean that despite reform we adhere to the socialist road — our road, our theory, our system, and the goals we set out at the 18th National Party Congress....Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the dialectical unity of the theoretical logic of scientific socialism and the historical logic of China's social development. It's scientific socialismrooted in Chinese realities, reflecting the will of Chinese people, and adapted to the requirements of China and its circumstances.
— Xi Jinping, speech to the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, 5 January 2013[5]
On 5 May 1978, the article "Putting into Effect the Socialist Principle of Distribution According to Work" (贯彻执行按劳分配的社会主义原则) elaborated on the idea that China was still at the first stage of reaching a communist society[6] and that it had not become a truly socialist society.[6] The article was written by members in the State Council's Political Research Office led by economist Yu Guangyuan on the orders of Deng Xiaoping so as to "criticize and repudiate" the beliefs of the communist left.[7] After reading it, Deng himself authored a brief memo saying that it was "well-written, and shows that the nature of distribution by labor is not capitalist, but socialist [...] [and] to implement this principle, many things are to be done, and many institutions to be revived. In all, this is to give incentives for us to do better".[8] The term reappeared at the 6th plenum of the 11th Central Committee on 27 June 1981 in the document "Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of our Party since the Founding of the PRC".[9] Hu Yaobang, the CCP General Secretary, used the term in his report to the 12th National Congress on 1 September 1982.[9] It was not until the "Resolution Concerning the Guiding Principle in Building Socialist Spiritual Civilization" at the 6th plenum of the 12th Central Committee that the term was used in the defense of the economic reforms which were being introduced.[9]
At the
On 5 October 1987, Yu Guangyuan, a major author of the concept, published an article entitled "Economy in the Initial Stage of Socialism" and speculated that this historical stage will last for two decades and perhaps much longer.[12] This represents, says Ian Wilson, "a severe blight on the expectations raised during the early 70s, when the old eight-grade wage scale was being compressed to only three levels and a more even distributive system was assumed to be an important national goal". On 25 October, Zhao further expounded on the concept of the primary stage of socialism and said that the party line was to follow "One Center, Two Basic Points"—the central focus of the Chinese state was economic development, but that this should occur simultaneously through centralized political control (i.e. the Four Cardinal Principles) and upholding the policy of reform and opening up.[9]
General Secretary Jiang Zemin further elaborated on the concept ten years later, first during a speech to the CCP Central Party School on 29 May 1997 and again in his report to the 15th National Congress on 12 September.[9] According to Jiang, the 3rd plenum of the 11th Central Committee correctly analyzed and formulated a scientifically correct program for the problems facing China and socialism.[9] In Jiang's words, the primary stage of socialism was an "undeveloped stage".[9] The fundamental task of socialism is to develop the productive forces, therefore the main aim during the primary stage should be the further development of the national productive forces.[9] The primary contradiction in Chinese society during the primary stage of socialism is "the growing material and cultural needs of the people and the backwardness of production".[9] This contradiction will remain until China has completed the process of primary stage of socialism—and because of it—economic development should remain the party's main focus during this stage.[9]
Jiang elaborated on three points to develop the primary stage of socialism.[13] The first—to develop a socialist economy with Chinese characteristics—meant developing the economy by emancipating and modernizing the forces of production while developing a market economy.[13] The second—building socialist politics with Chinese characteristics—meant "managing state affairs according to the law", developing socialist democracy under the party and making the "people the masters of the country".[13] The third point—building socialist culture with Chinese characteristics—meant turning Marxism into the guide to train the people so as to give them "high ideals, moral integrity, a good education, and a strong sense of discipline, and developing a national scientific, and popular socialist culture geared to the needs of modernization, of the world, and of the future".[13]
When asked how long the primary stage of socialism would last, Zhao replied "[i]t will be at least 100 years [...] [before] socialist modernization will have been in the main accomplished".[14] The state constitution states that "China will be in the primary stage of socialism for a long time to come".[15] As with Zhao, Jiang believed that it would take at least 100 years to reach a more advanced stage.[9]
Socialist market economy
What is socialism and what is Marxism? We were not quite clear about this in the past. Marxism attaches utmost importance to developing the productive forces. We have said that socialism is the primary stage of communism and that at the advanced stage the principle of
People's Republicwas that we didn't pay enough attention to developing the productive forces. Socialism means eliminating poverty. Pauperism is not socialism, still less communism.
— Deng Xiaoping, speech discussing Marxist theory at a Central Committee plenum, 30 June 1984[16]
Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the
Ideological justification
In the 1980s, it became evident to Chinese economists that the Marxist theory of the
Mao said that the imposition of "progressive
Private ownership
The Chinese government's understanding of
The CCP still considers private ownership to be non-socialist.
Party theorist Li Xuai said that private ownership inevitably involved capitalist exploitation.[26] However, Li regards private property and exploitation as necessary in the primary stage of socialism, claiming that capitalism in its primary stage uses remnants of the old society to build itself.[26] Sun Liancheng and Lin Huiyong said that Marx and Engels—in their interpretation of The Communist Manifesto—criticized private ownership when it was owned solely by the bourgeoisie, but not individual ownership in which everyone owns the means of production, hence this cannot be exploited by others.[27] Individual ownership is considered consistent with socialism, since Marx wrote that a post-capitalist society would entail the rebuilding of "associated social individual ownership".[28]
See also
- Ideology of the Chinese Communist Party
- Revisionism (Marxism)
- Socialist ideology of the Kuomintang
- Socialism in one country
- Socialist market economy
- State capitalism
- Party-state capitalism
References
Citations
- ^ "Ful ltext of the letter by China's Minister of Commerce". Xinhua News Agency. 2 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
- ^ Xiaoping, Deng (1 October 1984). "Building Socialism with a Specifically Chinese Character". People's Daily. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
- ^ "Deng Xiaoping: Let part of people get rich first". Shanghai Fengqi. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ a b c Li 1995, p. 400.
- ^ Jinping, Xi (11 April 2022). "Regarding the Construction of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics (2013)". Redsails.org. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022.
- ^ a b He 2001, p. 385.
- ^ He 2001, pp. 385–386.
- ^ Deng, Xiaoping. "坚持按劳分配原则". cctv.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2004. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k He 2001, p. 386.
- ^ a b c d Li 1995, p. 399.
- ^ Schram 1989, p. 204.
- ^ Yu, Guangyuan (5 October 1987). "Economy in the Initial Stage of Socialism". Zhongguo Shehui Kexue (3).
- ^ a b c d He 2001, p. 387.
- ^ Vogel 2011, p. 589.
- Government of the People's Republic of China. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.)
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^ Deng, Xiaoping (30 June 1984). "Building a Socialism with a specifically Chinese character". People's Daily. Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Market fundamentalism' is unpractical". People's Daily. Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. 3 February 2012. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ^ a b Gregor 1999, p. 114.
- ^ Gregor 1999, pp. 114–116.
- ^ a b c d Gregor 1999, p. 116.
- ^ Gregor 1999, pp. 115–116.
- ^ a b c d e Gregor 1999, p. 117.
- ^ Gregor 1999, pp. 117–118.
- ^ Gregor 1999, p. 118.
- ^ a b c d Hsu 1991, p. 11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hsu 1991, p. 65.
- ^ Hsu 1991, pp. 65–66.
- ^ Hsu 1991, p. 66.
Sources
- Gregor, A. James (1999). Marxism, China & Development: Reflections on Theory and Reality. ISBN 978-0-7658-0634-5.
- He, Henry Yuhuai (2001). Dictionary of the Political Thought of the People's Republic of China. ISBN 978-0-7656-0569-6.
- Hsu, Robert (1991). Economic Theories in China, 1979–1988. ISBN 978-0-521-36567-3.
- Li, Gucheng (1995). A Glossary of Political Terms of the People's Republic of China. ISBN 978-962-201-615-6.
- Schram, Stuart (1989). The Thought of Mao Tse-Tung. ISBN 978-0-521-31062-8.
- Vogel, Ezra (2011). ISBN 978-0-674-05544-5.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-9811616242.
- Gregor, A. James (2014). Marxism and the Making of China. A Doctrinal History. Palgrave Macmillan.