Chapter 10
the Asian exception?
Part 2
Democracy in China
---- presentation by Xi Jia
Population: 1.3 billion
1st of the world
Area total: 9.6million
3rd of the world
GDP total: $11.299 trillion
2nd of the world
Per Capital: $5413
91st of the world
Ethnic groups: 55
recognized minorities
Basic Background
History of China's political system
• China's political system was based on hereditary
monarchies, known as dynasties
• Beginning with Xia Dynasty (approx. 2000 BC)
• Ending with the fall of Qing Dynasty in 1911
• the People's Republic of China established in
Beijing on 1 October 1949
• 4000 years monarchies
authoritarianism
( long time & many reforms )
Democracy
authoritarianism
• a form of social organization characterized by
submission to authority
• concentrated in a small group of politicians
• opposed to libertarianism
• Why Chinese government choose
authoritarianism? What are the advantage of
authoritarianism in China?
Advantage of authoritarianism
• Keep the largest citizenry on the globe with
economic development and growth at a pace
• “Harmony”
• If the president smart enough, with
authoritarianism, the national policies can
quickly be executed without obstruction.
did Chinese government try politics
reform?
Yes. But road is tortuous.
Famous cases:
•June Fourth Incident
•opening-up and became a market economy
“pseudocapitalism”
June Fourth Incident
• In 1986, Deng
Xiaoping set up a
task force to
examine
possibilities for
political reform.
• In 1987, Deng Xiaoping
forced out the head of the
Communist Party, Hu
Yaobang.
• Because the goal of Deng is
liberalized communist
system, not liberal
democracy.
• But Hu was agreeable
liberal reform and too
tolerant of student
demonstrations.
• On June 4th , 1989, the students had
demonstration in Tiananmen Square
• It clear Tiananmen Square with a bloody
military assault and crushed the pro-democracy
movement.
opening-up and became a market economy
•
•
•
•
•
•
Communist ideology changed
Open the market and welcome the capitalists
Reform the state companies
A lots of people became wealthy.
But Still authoritarianism on general public
And it also communism, not capitalism. So
author called it “ pseudocapitalism”.
The authoritarian transition
Four possible scenarios:
1.Consultative rule of law
2.Transition to democracy as economic
development
3.A new authoritarianism as current form fall
4.To democracy as current form fall
1.Consultative rule of law
•
•
•
•
•
Regime that adopts judicial independence
Civic pluralism
Means of public input
But not competitive election
Like model neighbor, Singapore, becoming
noncommunist, and less bluntly repressive.
• If like that, judicial independence and civic
pluralism, there will be mass movements
again.
• But China are much larger than Singapore, so
it is not easy to solve the problem peaceful.
2. Transition to democracy as
economic development
• “As the economic development, China would
have made a transition to democracy”
---- Henry S. Rowen
Reason, relate to Chapter 4:
Expanding levels of education and information ,
and growing societal complexity and pluralism,
will press the state to grant much political
freedom and competition to maintain
legitimacy.
3. A new authoritarianism
as current form fall
•
•
•
•
The individual interests of its agents
They quickly get rich on the boom
Slowly dismantling political stability
Example : governor transfer their capital out
of the country
• So the regime will collapse
• And Pie believe it will bring a new form of
authoritarianism
4. To democracy as current form fall
• There are many hopeful view of where this
“ corruption, misgovernance, injustice,
instability, and repression” will lead to
democracy
• Also support by Bruce Gilley
Important question
• “Is there any organization in society that might
offer a political alternative?”
• No! Today, there is not.
• But author guess: a broad coalition of
opposition forces will come together
temporarily to oust the communist regime.
like Russia
• Author also has a prediction with some
confidence: “in 2025, India will have
essentially the same political system that it
has today, and China will not”.