Two Years in Revolutionary China - Essay Example

RECOMMENDATIONS OF HOW THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT COULD HAVE ENCOURAGED BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND INDUSTRIALIZATION Introduction China in 1925 was an economy that had been left behind in the bid for industrialization. For centuries, she had been a major economy of the world. However, by the time industrialization had spread from Europe, she had suffered a series of tragic blows to her governing system and was greatly weakened (Akimova, 1971). The Qing dynasty was one that was beleaguered with problems. The dynasty had a string of weak emperors who took minimal interest in their royal duties, and spent more time building their personal treasure houses or devoting themselves to their religious schools of thought (Akimova, 1971). By the time of the first Sino- Japanese war in 1894-1895, her position was greatly weakened. It was not surprising that Japan won the war, having built their strength during the Meiji restoration. The loss to the Japanese marked the shift in the dominating power in Europe and the end of the beginning for the Qinq dynasty. The loss of the war was an indicator of the weaknesses within the dynasty and foreshadowed the Boxer rebellion, the revolution of 1911 and the downfall of the Qing dynasty in 1912 that would make way for the later rise of communism (Akimova 1971). By 1925, the population of china was around 450 million people, most of whom got their livelihood from agriculture. There was a great unevenness in the distribution of the land. More than half the national population was completely landless, working as laborers for the land owners who were made up of only roughly 20 percent of the population. Reformations that could have been carried out by the Chinese government in 1925 (Chandler 2004) Through out Chinese history, the imperial powers, knowing too well on what side their bread is buttered, have had a stringent control on the economy of the country. Other than land, the imperial powers had control over more than half of china’s biggest industry, textile production together with a third of the railways system whether directly or indirectly. The imperialists also monopolized the shipping on Chinese waters which accounted for 80% of her foreign trade (Blackwell, 2008). Why the revolts by the peasants were always thwarted is because they could not master the forces needed to fight against the imperial powers. This was another ploy by the imperialists to guarantee that there was no real threat because they knew the forces raised by the peasants were puny and could be easily crushed (Blackwell, 2008). Imperial china was slow to pick up what is termed as the capitalist revolution, where individuals work by themselves, to earn their own profit. It was detrimental for china to choose the communist approach with a dictatorial government determined on controlling every aspect of development. This created a cloistered environment that did not encourage business growth (McCarthy, 1994). China could have looked to other countries such as Britain to see for themselves the benefits of the capitalist revolution of the late 18th to late 19th century. It would have been a different story if they would have adapted to the capitalistic approach instead of rejecting them off hand because it was a concept that had come from their foes. Another reason why china was unreceptive to the capitalist revolution was that they had been steeped in imperial rule for over 18 centuries. The capitalistic out look was completely foreign (Chandler 2004). The imperialists had carried out a redistribution of land, implementing land policies that stated there was no individual ownership of land. The peasants were rebellious of this reform. They would work the land and not see the benefits. This led to several rebellions by the peasantry. The government spent time and energy in snuffing out these rebellions, time and resources that would have been better used in building the national economy. If the government had implemented policies even faintly agreeable to the peasants, then they would have had the labor class working with them not against them and cut their miseries by half (Akimova 1971). The government could have used another approach to unify the country such as dialogue instead of brutal force. This created within the people hostility towards what the government had set to achieve. They were lees cooperative to align their vision with the one the government had (Chandler 2004). A corruption ridden society is one that faces many impediments in its attempts at development. Corruption is like a wrench in a gearwheel. China at the time had very corrupt officials. It was constantly necessary oil palms be it to get a license, or to move form one place to another. The government should have taken a firmer stance to uproot corruption. There should have been strong measures put in place to curb the spread of corruption and eradicate it all together in the long run. The corruption was felt strongly more in the police force (Akimova 1971). There should have been established adequate lending and financial institutions. This would have given the people a source of capital if they wanted to open business and this in turn would have stimulated economic growth (Blackwell, 2008). The government should have made great investments in the building of a comprehensive infrastructure. China is a massive country and with its heavy reliance on agriculture at the time, it was imperative that there be a network to link the remote areas with the cities to ensure the easy flow of supplies. Also, there was need to link the sea ports the interior (McGregor, 1971). By 1925, industrialization had revolutionized not only how goods were produced, but also people’s way of living. Education had to be revised so as t keep up with the changing needs of the people. China’s traditional education had had its focus on the arts. But there was a need to shift this focus to a greater emphasis on the technical and science subjects if china was to catch up and keep p with other industrializing nations. Also the government would have had to encourage education among the younger people by making it accessible to the greatest part of population as possible (Blackford, 2008). The Chinese government should have employed a different approach to solve its internal problems, such as the plight of the peasantry. A country or nation is always for the people, not just a select few who live of the sweat of the rest, but for every individual. Instead of working to suppress the uprisings of the peasantry, by working to beat them into submission, the government should have worked towards seeking real solutions to their problems. The rulers should have opted for dialogue, where the dissenters would have been given a platform to air their grievances. If the two parties would have worked together, real answers could have been gotten as to the problem of land reformations. What the government did was postponing an issue that would fester and burst in the form of the peasant uprising of 1925-1927(Blackford, 2008). From the very beginning, china was wary of foreigners. During the reign of the Ming dynasty in the 15th and 16th centuries, china almost withdrew completely from foreign trade. There was a brief period in the 16th century when foreign trade was completely banned. By 1925, it was apparent that the Chinese were still not very receptive of foreigners. They had unfriendly policies that discouraged traders from abroad to do business with them, along with exorbitant tariffs that put off potential investors in the Chinese market. Unlike Japan who had embraced international trade china seemed more reluctant to do so, and this hesitation cost her greatly (Chandler 2004). Conclusion At times, when looking back in retrospective at the world’s history, we like to think of all that could have been done differently that could have saved a great deal of pain and suffering. For china, I feel strongly that if the cards could have been dealt differently, it would be another scenario altogether in this time and day. But I talk in retrospect. On the whole, china made an economic recovery though she still has to carry out social reforms that will help eradicate the last visage of imperialism so that she can be recognized as a nation that gives the best to her people. References Akimova V.V (1971): Two Years in Revolutionary China, 1925-1927, Asia, Harvard University Press. Blackford Mansel G. (2008): Rise of Modern Business: Great Britain, the United States, Germany, Japan, and China, 3rd edition, NC, North Carolina University Press. Chandler Alfred Jr. (2004): The Dynamics of Industrial Capitalism, MA, Cambridge. Belkan Press McCarthy Dennis (1994): International Business: a Contextual and Case Approach. Greenwood Publishing Group. Read More