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Lecture 20: Patterns of Political Interaction

in China

SOSC 152

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A. Can we talk of "participation" in socialist systems?

B. Modes of participation?

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A. Can we talk of "participation" in socialist systems?

1. Definition: "1. Definition: "Conscious effortConscious effort by individuals or groups by individuals or groups to influence the actions of rulers, change their to influence the actions of rulers, change their rulers, or affect policy outcomes at all levels of the rulers, or affect policy outcomes at all levels of the political system."political system."clearly participation does occur but usually not approved by rulersparty sees all group efforts outside its control as illegitimateparty role is to direct social change, not respond to social demandsToday, the party really wants to limit participation, not mobilize it

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A. Can we talk of "participation" in socialist systems? (con’t)

2. “Mobilized” (2. “Mobilized” ( 發動發動 ) versus “Autonomous” () versus “Autonomous” ( 自發自發 ) ) ParticipationParticipationneed to differentiate these two types, former really state directed.party organizes citizens into mass organizations to prevent autonomous participationmass mobilization as strategy for party to fill up political space"instrumental" view of participation, supported if it helps economy, but if it threatens party control great pressure to stop it.

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A. Can we talk of "participation" in socialist systems? (con’t)

3. CCP’s traditional concept of participation: “Th3. CCP’s traditional concept of participation: “The Mass Line” (e Mass Line” ( 群眾路線群眾路線 ))

"from the masses to the leaders, from the leaders to the masses"

party collects information from people, turns it into policy, takes it back to the people

in open periods quite effective, in conservative periods or during mass mobilization party leaders don't listen.

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A. Can we talk of "participation" in socialist systems? (con’t)

4. Reform and Participation4. Reform and Participationunder Russia and China, reformers gave groups more autonomy as way to generate popular support, initiative, and resolve social problemsZhao Ziyang's willingness in 1987 to recognize societal interestsby fall 1988, conservatives attacked this concept, fearful of societal demandsSee handout on “Interest Groups Under Socialism”

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Different Interest Groups Under Socialism

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Controlling the Diversification of Interests

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Sino-Soviet Summit Anticipated in 1989

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B. Modes of Participation 1. Elections:1. Elections:

a. Rural Electionsmost early elections in 1960s and 1970s were for team leader (生產隊長 ) under collective systemparty tries to control who runs for officeelections for village leaders in 1980-81, let village leaders (生產大隊 ) express displeasure with local leadersnow since 1988, electing “Villagers Committee” (村民委員會 ) and their leaders in villages in China under design of Ministry of Civil Affairs (民政部 ) to get farmers to invest in rural projects, bring stability.great variation in these elections in openness, level of campaigning, secret ballotParty usually controlled candidates until Hai Xuan (海選 )1999 Law allowed open nominations

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B. Modes of Participation (con’t)

b. Elections for Provincial People's Congress

in 1980, after Deng speech supporting democracy, very open electionssome candidates elected ran on anti-party platform – Haidian district (海淀區 )though elected, not allowed to take officeelections in 1986 were open in some cities, party suppressed them, students in Hefei, Shanghai, Beijing, took to streets in protest, led to fall of Hu Yaobang.

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Participation in Election-related activities in Four counties in Rural China, 1999

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B. Modes of Participation (con’t)

c. Group Activityaccording to definition, need "conscious awareness of shared interests," autonomous leaders, medium through which to communicate ideas, and channels to leadersunder socialist systems, formal interest groups not allowed to form, but NGO (Non-governmental organizations) beginningbut participation can occur through formal organizations, if party let them.still very different from interest groups in democratic systemsin fall, 1986, managers of factories were organized by reformers to discuss attitudes towards political reform

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B. Modes of Participation (con’t)

c. Group Activity (con’t)

student‘s efforts to have Autonomous Student Federation (學自聯 ) during spring 1989, strongly resisted by many top party leaders

fearful that it would legitimize Worker‘s Unions (工自聯 ).

in USSR, scientists protested to save Lake Baikal, first environmental movement

Today in China many protests over environment

Group petitions to higher level officials (上訪告狀 )

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B. Modes of Participation (con’t)

d. Collective Action1. Protest marches not uncommon in 1980s

• Tiananmen (1989) as largest scale protests against party since 1949.

• Falun Gong (法倫功 )

2. "Unorganized Collective Action"• many people share similar constraints and efforts by

them all to break out at same time• rural reform followed this pattern, as peasants throu

ghout country pushed for decollectivization• critique of party during before Anti-Rightist Campai

gn

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B. Modes of Participation (con’t)

d. Collective Action (con’t)

3. Widescale passive resistance• in 1973 during Pi-Lin Pi-Kong Campaign (批林批孔運動 ), w

orkers slowed down to protest poor working conditions• slowdown by bus drivers in Beijing in 1986 to protest taxi drive

r salaries

4. Individual Activity• because many allocations of resources and opportunities are pol

itical, scope of politics wider in socialist systems• Voting in village elections• individual efforts to get benefits becomes political, approaching

cadres• Join the system, the Party, participatory in campaigns• various strategies include letters to newspapers, big character po

sters (大字報 ) to State Council Office, taking official to court – Administrative Law (行政法 ) in 1990

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Strategies employed by villagers to solve problems in four counties in rural China, 1999