Sachem High School East
AP Comparative Politics
Mr. Antonucci | Comparative Government and Politics |Spring 2008
EXAM ESSAY| China
Choose One – Due on Tuesday March 25th
Essay
1.
The Chinese revolution occurred in a rural country that didn’t have a credible central
government and which had been invaded by Japan. How did those circumstances
affect the way the Chinese communists went about trying to put Marxist ideas and
ideals into practice?
2.
During the 1980s, the Chinese communists concentrated on economic reform, while
their Soviet counterparts did more politically. What impact did that difference have on
the evolution of Chinese politics?
3.
Why has communism not (yet) collapsed in China?
4.
The most powerful people in China well into the early 1990s were veterans of the
Long March of the 1930s. What difference did that make in China?
5.
What was the Cultural Revolution, and what has its lasting impact on Chinese political,
social, and economic life been?
6.
Deng Xiaoping not only argued that the color of the cat made little difference when it
came to catching mice, he also was quoted as saying "To get rich is glorious." What
ideological argument could justify that statement from a Communist Party leader?
7.
The Chinese state has been energetic and vigilant in controlling access to foreign media
and the Internet. What are the leaders' fears? Are they realistic?
8.
The governing elite in China has been enthusiastic about gaining entry into the World
Trade Organization. Should Communist leaders fear that membership as well as
welcome it? Why (not)?
9.
Is the invitation to capitalists to join the Communist Party a reversal of ideology, a way
of co-opting the capitalists, or a pragmatic adaptation of communism to new realities?
Why?