Asian Studies

It is believed that there would be no New China were it not for the Communist Party it led China to a new era marked by new political and socio-economic systems. The Communist Party of China has over the past 80 years been such a steering impetus in taking the Chinese people forward to greater levels of success. It has been at the forefront in driving out the foreign imperialists as well as getting rid of the warlords. In addition, it has been of great support in the victory achieved in the War of resistance against Japan. Again, it occasioned the overthrow of the American-backed Kuomintang administration which in turn led to the establishment of a social system based on the interests of the greater part of the population. In this event, there were remarkable economic reforms and China opened up to the rest of the world while resuming sovereignty over Hong Kong and Macao. This study seeks to evaluate the ideological and organizational strengths that Snow sees in the Chinese communists It will also evaluate the value of CCP recruiting followers, importance of the appeals of nationalism and the importance of class appeals.

Red Star in North-West
It is believed that the struggle in Shensi led to excessive killings of officials, tax collectors, and landlords. The armed peasants invaded the captives and made it very difficult for them. They held them ransom in their fortified areas to the extent of conducting themselves much like the ordinary bandits. In the year 1932 the Communist Party had organized a political department at Yulin so that it could govern the Lius troops (Edgar, 213). In 1933 the first Shensi Soviet and a regular administration were established and this was accompanied by a programme that was similar to that in Kiangsi (Edgar 213).

The Shensi Reds grew considerably their armies improved and they did a lot to stabilize the adverse conditions within their districts. In this event, there was established a Shensi provincial Soviet Government, a Party training school and a military headquarters (Edgar 213). In addition, the Soviet established their own banking system and postage system and as a result began to issue crude money and stamps. The Soviet spirit cut across in the economic sector land and the wealth of the landlords was confiscated and devolved accordingly. The redistribution was meant to compensate the marginalized and the landless. The Soviet economy had no room for sur-taxes as they were abolished, co-operatives were also established. The party valued education and it sent out a call to furnish primary schools with quality teachers.

Edgar narrates of his experience on how Chinese people underwent suffering and infringement of their human rights.  He notes of how Chinese children died of famine and worst of all was that there were still rich people that lived in the city. In many of those towns there were very wealthy men, rice-hoarders, wheat-hoarders, money-lenders, and landlords. They enjoyed maximum protection from the guards, while they profiteered enormously (Edgar 217).

The experience of Edgar reflects a situation where the rich continue to get richer and the poor get poorer. This is a society whose values are embedded on capitalism where private property is highly regarded and the spirit of altruism has no place at all. It is sad to note that this people who succumbed to all these suffering did so without an act of protest. In fact, Edgar is surprised why these suffering people cannot revolt and match in a great army and attack the oppressors who only know how to obtain taxes from the poor and misappropriate it to their own needs. Why dont they sweep into the great cities, and plunder the wealth of the rascals who buy their daughters and wives, the men who continue to gorge themselves on elaborate thirty-six-course banquets while honest men starve (Edgar 218). It is believed that the Chinese peasant is not passive and will always fight whenever there is a method, an organization, leadership, a workable programme, hope and arms (Edgar 218). This hypothesis has been proved by the development of Communism in China.

Soviet Society
On the background of what has been discussed above, Chinese Communism as found in the North-west relates to what Karl Marx would have emphasized in his communist manifesto. In more precise terms, Chinese Communism can be referred to as rural equalitarianism. This fact is evident in the economic, socio-political and cultural life of the organized soviets. In addition, there was a crude Marxist guidance, and it was accompanied by limitations of material conditions that was seen everywhere. The Reds did not aspire to settle for anything else but a political framework for the beginnings of Socialist Economy. In addition, the activities in the rural areas focused on the ways in which the problems of the peasants could be addressed, especially the issue of land and taxes. Amazingly, the Chinese Communists never regarded the distribution of land as anything beyond a phase in the building of a mass base, a strategy that made it possible to develop the revolutionary struggle toward the conquest of power and the maximum realization of thoroughgoing Socialist changes. In such a case, it would be inevitable to resort to collectivization.

In the period 1931 the Communist Party of China indicated a strong desire for the establishment of a complete Socialist State of the Marx-Leninist conception. The main ideas of the Communist Manifesto can be summarized as follows (McLellan 14) Communism is a reality which should make itself known hence the need of a Manifesto. The frequent opposition between classes in history find now their expression in the opposition between bourgeoisie, that is, the rich people living in towns, and proletariat, that is, the people who can only produce children andor poor workers. The rich prepare their own destruction by the exploitation of the workers, because the latter are bound to revolt. After the revolution, the workers will suppress private property. Marxs final appeal is that working men of all countries unite
The Soviets were comprised of workers and peasants and in fact the government and the entire region was largely peasant in character and occupation, and the regime had to shape itself accordingly. There was an attempt to balance peasant influence as well as offsetting it through the classification of the rural population into three categories landlords were classified into great landlords, middle landlords and small landlords the peasants were classified into rich, middle and poor peasants, rural workers, handicraft workers and professional workers which consisted of teachers, doctors, and technicians (Edgar 223). These categorizations were political as well as economic and during the elections of the Soviets, the tenant peasants, rural workers, handicraft workers had the greater representation compared to other categories. This somehow created some kind of democratic dictatorship of the rural proletariat (Edgar 223). There was no longer a centralized system of government as the structure of representative government took the form of the village Soviet, as the smallest unit then the district Soviet, the county Soviet, and the provincial and central Soviets. Each region in the village had the opportunity to elect its own delegates to the higher Soviets. This is a kind of government that ensures that the marginalized are given necessary opportunity to take part in the nation building and decision making. The Communist Party enjoyed an extensive membership among the farmers and workers found in the towns and in the villages, it was a preferred party of the people.

Economic Socialism
The government established co-operatives where the masses participated fully in order to outdo private capitalism and State capitalism. This evolved as a partnership of the masses with the government. It is believed that the tendency of the Soviet Co-operative movement was socialistic in nature. The Reds referred to it as an instrument to resist private capitalism and develop a new economic system (Edgar 232). In line with this the co-operatives aimed at combating the exploitation of the poor by the merchants, development of the national economy of the Soviets districts, improvement of the economic-political level of the populations and finally to prepare a framework for Socialist construction. In addition, the consumption, sales, production, and credit co-operatives were established in the local level for instance, in the village, district, county, and province. The central bureau of co-operatives was managed by the Finance Commissioner and a department of national economy (Edgar 233). The co-operatives aimed at encouraging the participation of the lowest level of the society in the nation making activities. In general, this move was meant to empower all individuals so that they could all feel a sense of equality and fairness in the distribution of resources. In addition, there was a spirit of brotherhood where the government fought for a non-citizenry discrimination policy that saw Muslims and other Chinese communities agree on mutual co-existence the class war in China was also addressed.

Revolution in China
The Chinese Communist Party began in the 1921 a period regarded as turbulent marked by sentiments of nationalism and pro-democracy. These sentiments spread through the semi-colonial and semi-feudal county (Peoples Daily 1).  There was a great political desire in the hearts of many people for national sovereignty and independence, political authenticity and economic development and prosperity. The Chinese Communist Party settled for an anti-colonial and anti-feudal platform where it pledged total commitment to the liberation of the Chinese people and the enactment of a democratic republic. Indeed, this platform in the long run, became the foundation of the Chinese revolution. It is believed that the capitalist Democratic Party that was represented by Kuomintang just focused on non-altruistic policies which had no democratic values. On the contrary, the CPC stood for the entire population and ensured that the people got involved in their own revolution. In this regard, the revolution became a collective responsibility with unity of goal and purpose.
Furthermore, the CPC mobilized several strikes in a bid to bring workers to the forefront of the revolution. This move marked a new beginning to the nature of the Chinese revolution so that it was no longer an elites revolution but more so a people-oriented revolution.

In the period of the Northern Expedition (1926-27) there emerged a struggle against the warlords by the democratic forces, where the CPC liaised with the Kuomintang under the same anti-colonial and anti-feudal flag (Peoples Daily 1). Notably, the CPC members and progressive members took a leading role. In this event, the laborers and peasants spread all over the cities as well as the countryside in order to confront both the imperialists and domestic feudal rulers.

Despite the zeal that was evident in the already initiated revolution, there emerged certain set backs due to the betrayal by the capitalists and the attempt to capitulate within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Kuomintang assumed power in 1927 and thereafter became the warlord ruling China. In this regard, the Kuomintang became the new foe of the Chinese Communist Manifesto. The right of workers to freedom of association was gagged by the administrations iron-fist rule a situation that led CPC shift the battleground to rural areas. The vast majority of Chinas people especially the poorest actually were found in the rural areas. Moreover, Mao Zedong led the CPC members in rural areas in the establishment of several revolutionary bases meant to commence a guerilla war (Peoples Daily 1). Mao Zedong was the leader of the Chinas Communist revolution in the period 1920s and 1930s where later he became the leader of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949-1959 (Encarta Encyclopedia 1).

The new China desired nothing short of social stability, economic development and improvement in their standard of living. This desire was deeply evident in Chinese people living on the ruins of war and in very pathetic conditions of life. This led the Communist government shift its focus to the reconstruction of the economy above all else. The government came up with new strategies in its quest to adjust the economic structure as well as enabling a full recovery and quick development of the national economy. The government came up with a general framework for conducting a socialist economic transformation in the sectors of agriculture, industry and commerce. Under this framework, the government slowly by slowly completed the economic system which saw a greater percentage of privately owned assets converted into State-owned assets. It is believed that by 1953-57, the national economy had improved in all aspects, the standard of life of many people has also improved the countrys international status had improved as well.

Today, Chinas economy has got into a new phase after the crushing of the political factions that began the Cultural Revolution. The Chinese people in their ordinary circumstances have demonstrated strong desire for social stability, economic development and modernization. The Chinese Communist Party is on record for having passed several resolutions that marked emancipation from the constraints of left-wing thinking.  The Third Plenary Session which is regarded as another turning point in CPC history saw the party settle for a general guideline of reform and opening up.

The meeting of the CPC Central Committee began the implementation of the reform agenda and opening-up policies. It further aimed at clarifying the guideline of constructing a socialist economy that essentially would reflect the Chinese values and convictions (Peoples Daily 1). These guidelines led China to shift its focus from the political struggle to socialist economic construction as well as conducting reforms of the socialist economic system, including the scientific and technological system. Eventually, the Chinas economy shows remarkable growth and vitality and the political atmosphere has improved as well. The gradual development of the national economy ushers an overall strength in China where the people standard of living has also improved significantly. Foreign investment and free trade continues to enjoy favorable atmosphere as a result of the decision made by the Government during its reform agenda and the recognition of special economic zones. The Hong Kong and Macao have had the opportunity to resettle to the motherland and this is among the important achievement realized by the Chinese Communist Party (CPC). Now that China does not wallow in the chains of the colonial rule, it has become a much more powerful nation under the leadership of the CPC. It is no longer a susceptible country that can be subjected to arbitrary humiliation or belittlement by foreign powers. Surprisingly, it is among the developed nations and further to that, has a big influence in international affairs.

It can be seen that China has come from far to what it is today, it was a real struggle. Although it is believed that many countries had to fight for their independence and sovereignty it is saddening to note how the colonists deprive of them certain basic human rights. The Chinese people did got through a lot of inhuman suffering. It is impressive however to note the desire that the government had for socialism. This is the best from of government where there is co-existence and mutual benefit. Certain principles of governance like democracy and devolved government continue to cut across many constitutions today. Any state should strive to come up with a nationalist framework where all classes are treated fairly and equally.