Why China Seeks ‘National Rejuvenation’ through the Path of Socialism?
China, along with Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea and Laos are today the only nation-states that adhere to the Marxist-Leninist thought as its guiding state ideology. Yet, it is just an accident of history that China chose Marxism as its governing ideology. To begin with, when the Qing dynasty was overthrown in 1911, Chinese nationalist preferred to organize themselves politically along the established lines of western political philosophy, republican-constitutionalism and democracy. But this political experiment failed to gain traction with the Chinese people who were for over two millennia ruled by imperial dynasties with Confucianism as its state ideology. This made Chinese people remain unaware of the rights and unprepared for responsibility that comes along with the practice of democracy. On 17 October, 1917 Russian radicals known as the Bolsheviks (soon renamed Communists) carried out “the Great October Socialist Revolution” with the aim to form a government that ruled in the interests of the common people that would ultimately produce a communist utopia. Chinese nationalist at this time were in search for a way to organize themselves politically and found nothing in Chinese history, culture, literature and philosophy that could come to their rescue for the circumstances they faced in early 20th century. Chen Duxiu, one of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), in 1915 launched the revolutionary magazine New Youth (Qingnian Zazhi) and initiated the New Cultural Movement. On May 04, 1919 a mass student protest against the government’s response to the Treaty of Versailles triggered a national campaign to overthrow the old society and promote new ideas, including science, democracy and Marxism. Li Dazhao, also one of the main founders of the CPC, played a seminal role in promoting Marxism in China. The founding fathers of the CPC secretly started the First CPC National Congress at No.76 Xingye Road, a two-story brick-and-wood building in downtown Shanghai, on July 23, 1921. From this day onwards, after many trials and tribulations, China under CPC rule has now established itself as a great power in the 21st century. The CPC leadership since 2012 following Xi Jinping thought has brought up the idea of the “Chinese Dream” for the first time. Xi said the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation “is a dream of the whole nation, as well as of every individual. “At the 19th CPC National Congress in October, 2017, Xi gave a clear picture of the great rejuvenation of the nation-first, building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020; second, basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035; and third, making China a great, prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced harmonious and beautiful socialist country.
The Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation (中华民族伟大复兴):
The Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation, is now the primary organizing principle which is largely assumed to be first articulated by Xi Jinping on November 29, 2012, during a visit to an exhibition titled “The Road to Rejuvenation” in Beijing. As an organizing principle, it links the destiny of a nation to the destiny of the people. According to Xi, “History told us everyone’s destiny is closely linked with the destiny of the Country and the Nation”. Yet, as a concept National Rejuvenation is attributable to Li Dazhao (1889-1927), the man who sold Communism to the Chinese people. Li Dazhao was a Confucius by training and failed to secure government position because the civil service exams were abolished in 1905. He undertook a study to understand the situation China was in and reviewed Chinese literature and western political philosophy. It was his conclusion that China was in its situation because it was an “old” nation, and as an old nation it was lacking in vigor and the spirit associated with the youth. In his opinion, China must rediscover the “spring” in its national life, just like trees and plants do after the long winter. China must therefore rejuvenate to become a reborn nation which is young and full of vigor. This idea now runs through the very core of the CPC and echoes through Xi Jinping since he took office in 2012. Li Da Zhao first proposed the concept of “the rebirth of a Chinese nation” in April 1917 – “When talking about the Great Asianism, the reconstruction of the Chinese nation and the rebirth of the Chinese nation are the most crucial points”. Few others, argue the concept may have originated earlier, in late 19th century.
The Path of Socialism:
The Marxist canon is less devoted to socialism and communism, as it is towards a criticism of capitalism as the governing principle of mankind. Capitalism, according to a Marxist interpretation is an improbable social formation and a crisis prone economic system. Defined simply, within a capitalist system wealth concentrates in the hands of a few, and most people within a capitalist mode of production are left with socially necessary labor time. With socially necessary labor time, worker is generally unhappy because they are alienated from their labor. Karl Marx, observed this phenomenon in industrialized societies of the West and penned down a politico-economic thesis to push mankind from capitalism to a new system where man is free from socially necessary labour time and thus truly happy. More than what Marxist canon says or doesn’t say about socialism or communism, it is the method adopted by the Marxist school, dialectical materialism and historical materialism that gains traction with CPC. Marxism is the very first attempt to understand and analyze a societies development scientifically. Hence, Marxism is social science and social science is Marxism. Put simply, Man’s social and historical progress shifts alongside the shift in his material condition.
However, the initial attraction shown to Marxism was due to provisions for political violence and was adopted by Russia, and China, which remained a dedicated student of communist movement in Russia until 1950’s, due to such a provision for revolution through violence. Both Russia (Soviet Union) and China along with others failed initially in their attempts to achieve socialism and communism and used Marxist ideology to basically organize themselves politically. According to Karl Marx, socialism follows capitalism and it is only within an advanced capitalist society that certain forces emerge that are capable of achieving socialism. China and Russia, without a capitalist economy, failed miserably in their attempt.
Since its economic reforms of 1970’s, the CPC was forced to create space for private capital, private property and market economy. With its integration to the world capitalist market system in 2002 when China joined the World Trade Organization China’s economy has boomed and catapulted China’s rise. Today, the CPC leadership is once again confident to explore the path of socialism to realize its strategic objective of national rejuvenation with economic success achieved through the practice of capitalism. Yet, China might be operating with contradiction in this regard. The most fundamental difference between a capitalist economy and a socialist economy is – market. It is difficult to imagine an economic system without market and therefore any articulation of an economic system other than the known capitalist economic system is a dream. China is now in its own reading at the primary stage of socialism and therefore operates a socialist market and state led capitalism.
Finally, Marx contrary to popular belief was not an atheist. In fact, he was a devout Christian. Marx having born in Jewish family converted to Christianity at the age of six due his father’s profession. Marx was angry with God, given the condition of workers in industrialized economies of Europe where workers earned very little in terms of wages while the owner walked away with all the profit. With God not intervening in the matter, he took matters into his own hand and articulated an outline, an economic framework to liberate the workers and create a new society where all are free and happy. More than anything, for this to happen mankind has to “believe” that it can transit from capitalism to socialism. This emphasis on “belief” (Xinyang) is sourced from Christianity and now remains integral to Marxism as adopted in China by the CPC. The CPC has completely bought into Marxism as a scientific theory of social and national development and believes that this transition from the known (capitalism) to the unknown (socialism) is definitely possible. This understanding echoes in CPC’s formulation of the “shared destiny of mankind”.
The author is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi. Views expressed are personal. He can be reached at themayandischool@gmail.com
