Concept of the Political System in China - Assignment Example

East Asian Politics Question The rise of communist totalitarianism in modern China is one of the major landscapes in the modern political history of China. In this regard, totalitarianism is a concept of political system, wherein the government possesses total authority to the society of the state or the nation. It controls every aspect of private and public affairs that are feasible (Siegel, 1998). Moreover, communist totalitarianism is the totalitarianism form of governance among the communist leaders. It is notable that the rise of communist totalitarianism in modern China is due to some of the major factors (Guo, 2012). These factors are discussed in the underneath subheads. Philosophical Absolutism One of the major factors that contributed to the rise of communist totalitarianism in China is the philosophical absolutism in the nation. The ideology of the people and most importantly the government bodies has the absolute completion of a provided task or objective (Guo, 2012). The higher level of commitment in attaining an objective also led to the establishment of an ideology, suggesting the absolute completion of task at any cost (Guo, 2012). This philosophical absolutism in the culture of China has led to the formation of communist totalitarianism within the nation, wherein the government had the absolute authority (Siegel, 1998). Pervasive and Exclusive Ideology Another major factor that contributed to the rise of communist totalitarianism in modern China is the pervasive and exclusive ideology of the nation. It is important to note that China along with the absolutism ideology have the pervasive and exclusive ideology. This suggests that Chinese government seeks for the control of human behavior. This is prominently in the public areas (Siegel, 1998). It is worth mentioning that the people of China do not have the right to deliver speech at their own will. This suggests that the government seeks for the pervasive control over the citizens of the nation. Subsequently, it had led to the rise of communist totalitarianism in the modern China (Guo, 2012). Highly Centralized and Hierarchical Single Elitist Party It is evident that one of the major factors that have contributed to the rise of communist totalitarianism in modern China is the highly centralized form of governance. Moreover, the extensive hierarchical form of governance is one of the major factors that have led to the rise of communist totalitarianism. This also signifies the single elitist party in China. This form of governance persisting in China led to the establishment of a distance and communicational gap between the government and the public (Siegel, 1998). Further, it had led to the creation of a supreme authority of the government with lack of opinion from the citizens. The decisions taken by the government are strictly needed to be followed by the people and the private enterprises (Guo, 2012). This centralized and extreme hierarchical form of governance suggests of the dictating form of governance, wherein the government have the absolute control over the nation and the private affairs. This had significantly affected the democracy of the nation. Eventually, it led to the rise of communist totalitarianism in China (Guo, 2012). Mass Violence, Mobilization and Terror The increased violence and terror within China along with the evidences of mass mobilization are the major factors that have contributed to the rise of communist totalitarianism in the nation. The reason behind the mass terror and violence within the nation is dissatisfaction and frustration of the citizens of the nation due to the economic downfall with lack of job opportunities. Moreover, the people are also dissatisfied with the totalitarianism form of governance. This has influenced the people to protest in mass against the government (Siegel, 1998). However, it is notable that this protest from the people has also led provoked the government further to implement totalitarianism comprehensively (Guo, 2012). Furthermore, there are evidences that the government had executed mass mobilization in order to fight against the domestic mass violence. This also signifies of the totalitarianism form of governance in the nation. Furthermore, it is also worth mentioning that mass mobilization is implemented in order to fight against the foreign nations. Thus, it is apparent that mass violence and terror along with mass mobilization are some of the major factors that have contributed to the rise of communist totalitarianism in modern China (Guo, 2012). Question 2 During the period before pre-World War II, Japan has witnessed the rise of military fascism. This is notable from 1930s, which was considered as the most eventful and chaotic decade in the history of Japan. In the early years of the decade, Japan has observed the murder of two prime ministers and other public officials. Moreover, there was lack of support from the foreign nations. It was also evident that the nation has radical dissatisfaction among the young army officers in the nation. This had eventually influenced the rise of violence in the nation. However, the nation has perceived the rise of complete totalitarianism, when it has staggered war against China in 1937 (Tansman, 2010). There are several factors that have contributed to the rise of military fascism during the pre-World War II period in Japan and more notably during the war against China in 1937 (Willensky, 2005). These factors are discussed in the below subheads. Trade Imbalance One of the important factors that have contributed to the rise of fascism in Japan is trade imbalance within the nation. It is notable that Japan has a significant rise in the import quantity as compared to the total national export during the pre-World War II period (Willensky, 2005). This had affected to the rise of trade deficit and subsequently, led to the fall in the national currency. It had greatly affected the economy of the nation. Hence, it had influenced the rise of military fascism in the nation (Tansman, 2010). Wall Street Crash or the Great Depression in 1929 The major reason for trade imbalance that had eventually led to the rise of military fascism in Japan during the pre-World War II period is the Wall Street crash or Great Depression in 1929. This had majorly affected the export of the nation. It is important to note that one of the prime exporting nations during that period was the US. The US on account of the Wall Street crash restricted further import of goods from Japan (Willensky, 2005). This has greatly affected the economy of the Japanese economy. The downfall of Japanese economy through the Wall Street crash in 1929 is also considered as the reason behind the rise of military fascism in Japan (Tansman, 2010). Limited Power of the Parliament Another major factor that had led to the rise of fascism in Japan is the limited power of the Diet or the parliament of the nation. In this regard, one of the major reasons for the limited power of the parliament of Japan is due to its ineffective structure. The ineffective structure of the parliament had resulted to its ineffectiveness in making decisions and policies (Willensky, 2005). Moreover, other evidence that has revealed of the ineffectiveness of the parliament is its lack of democratic control over the national budget. This is more prominent in the Japanese army budget (Tansman, 2010). Corruption Another major factor that had influenced the rise of the fascism in Japan during the pre-World War II period is excessive corruption within the nation. Excessive corruption in Japan during the pre-World War II period had led to the degradation of reputation of the nation as a democratic country (Willensky, 2005). However, it has been argued that close ties amid different political leaders had led to the rise of rumors against the in effectiveness of the government to manage the overall operations of the nation. This had influenced people to revolt against the government of the nation (Tansman, 2010). Elitism One of the major reasons considered for the rise of military fascism during the pre-World War II period is the rise of the elite class of people in the society. During the period of pre-World War II in Japan, there was a major rise of the elite class people. This has led to the rise of social discrimination within the nation (Willensky, 2005). Moreover, the concept of Darwinism theory significantly relates to the current context. The theory of Darwinism suggests of the survival of the fittest in the society. The rise of the elite class of people affected the middle class and the lower class people in the nation. This had significantly encouraged the rise of military fascism in the nation (Tansman, 2010). Question 3 There is a remarkable difference between the cultures of China and Japan during the period of pre-World War II. This cultural aspect of the two nations had notably influenced their political development. It has been a major factor for impacting the foreign policies of the two nations (Guo, 2012; Tansman, 2010). The comparative analysis of the cultures of the two nations are illustrated in the underneath subheads. Japanese Culture Japan during the period of pre-World War II has military domination, wherein the nation was governed by the military bodies. This period of military domination had started after the end of Meji period. Military domination in the nation had started around 1920 and ended in 1945. In this period, there have been diverse laws within the nation (Tansman, 2010). Moreover, the military governance policies were very strict. The infringement of the law stated by the government leads to serious punitive measures. This strict military domination had a major impact on the foreign policies of the nation. The governing body was highly cautious in implementing policies that are of greater benefit to the nation. This is evident by the export driven foreign policies of the nation (Hrebenar, 2000). Moreover, during the period, the nation have higher trade imbalance owing to the fact that the culture of the government as well as the citizen perceived foreign products to have superior quality as compared to the domestic products. This had led the nation to import a significant amount of goods. Higher import level of products has been an important consideration for the development of strong foreign policies and relationship (Tansman, 2010). On the contradictory, it is also argued that the military culture of Japan in the pre-World War II period signifies of higher patriotism within the nation. The government of the nation during the period had been highly cautious in protecting the nation from the foreign nations. They also had the objective of increasing the domestic output and reduce further import of goods from the foreign nations (Tansman, 2010). This is largely evident from the halt in the import and export of products from the pre-World War II period. This signifies that the military dominations in the pre-World War II period in Japan had greatly affected the foreign policy and political development of the nation (Tansman, 2010). Chinese Culture Unlike Japan that had military dominance during the period before World War II, China had a very different political culture during the same period. During this period, China had communist totalitarianism form of governance (Guo, 2012). However, there are certain similarities in both the form of governance. One of the major similarities is with regard to the power distance of both the forms of governance (Redner, 2014). In both the countries, it was notable of the low power of the people. The Chinese government had the supreme power in the state. This had a major impact on the foreign policies. Chinese government did not have major foreign trade during that period (Guo, 2012). This is largely because of the Chinese political culture that operated in a self-interest way without considering the benefits of the people. The nation depended on the capability of the natural and human resources. This provoked the nation not to possess strong foreign policies. This aspect of negligible foreign trade was unlike in Japan, as Japan had certain compatible foreign trading policies. In addition, the foreign trade policies are identified to be positive in terms of trade agreements (Redner, 2014). Moreover, it is notable that the foreign policies of China during the period before World War II were not encouraging. This is primarily because of the lack of encouraging political culture in the nation (Guo, 2012). The nation had evidenced of the extensive domestic violence and there had been evidences of terror attacks (Redner, 2014). Moreover, there are evidences of mass mobilization within the nation. This mass mobilization was observed by the foreign nations and thus, greatly affected the foreign relations. Thus, it subsequently affected the foreign policies of the nation (Redner, 2014). From the political cultural studies of the two nations, it is apparent that both the nations had favoring and encouraging foreign policies during the pre-World War II period (Guo, 2012). Although, it is notable that Japan had certain foreign policies that are encouraging to the promotion of foreign trading, but in China, there were no major evidences of such encouraging foreign policies. This also signifies and classifies the political development of the two nations in terms of policy formulation and implementation (Redner, 2014). Question 4 The comparative analysis in the nature of political regimes and the key characteristics of the political institutes are illustrated in the below subheads. China Political Regimes China has two major political landscapes in the modern era. This is from the Deng period to the Mao period and finally to the current post Mao period. In this regard, it is notable that the political power of the nation is monopolistic in both Mao and Deng’s regime. Both of them also have the similar ideologies in their regimes owing to which similar importance and commitments have been used to attain their respective objectives (Guo, 2012). However, it is also notable that Deng’s regime is less coherent as compared to Mao’s regime. Moreover, during the Mao’s regime, mass mobilization was notable. This was unlike during the Deng’s regime that has limited mass mobilization (Hsu, 2007). This mass mobilization signifies that both the regimes have the objective of attaining political advantages over other nations and within the nation. Additionally, both the regimes have the goal of communism, but it was also notable that Mao’s regime was more focused on industrialization, while Deng’s regime was more on modernization. Furthermore, there are certain similarities in both the regimes. This is apparent from the infallible charismatic leadership of both the leaders. Moreover, both of them had the membership of Elitist vanguard (Guo, 2001). Although there had been significant changes and development in China during the post Mao period, still there are several evidences of lack of alteration in the Mao regimes in the present day context. One of such is evident from the party state apparatus. It is notable that the party structure of Mao’s regime was in the hierarchal form, which is also relevant in the present day practices. In this regard, the decisions are majorly undertaken by the higher authorities in the party (Guo, 2012; Pye, 1999). Moreover, another Mao’s regime, which is apparent in the present day context, is the party dictatorship. The political parties of the nation dominate and penetrate in every sector. It is also notable in the present day and argued by several scholars that People Republic of China (PRC) has a dictating form of governance, wherein the public opinions are less considered. The decisions undertaken by the government are of compulsion to be followed by the public. This aspect of dictating governance is unlike in Japan (Sue, 2011). Furthermore, it has been notable in the Mao’s regime that there are evidences of fusion of power of the federal government to the state institutions. This is done in order to gain political advantages. This aspect of political regime is not as notable in Japan as compared to China (Hsu, 2007). Japan Political Regimes Japan had encountered significant changes in the political system. It was majorly notable from 1993, wherein the domination of one party within the nation was terminated. This was evident from the split in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan. However, it is also worth mentioning that LDP is still the largest party in the nation. The other parties are very small as compared to LDP. The reason behind the domination of LDP is that the other parties do not have effective political strategies to dominate (Kornblum, 2007). Moreover, it is apparent that the voters also perceive that the development of Japan during the post war period was largely because of the effectiveness of LDP. Similar to Japan, China also has the evidences of single party domination. However, in the recent decades, there are also evidences of the establishment of several other political parties (Ohtsu & Imanari, 1999). There are certain key elements or attributes in the Japanese political party system. These are based on the two party systems, which are First Party System that started from 1955 and ended on 1993. In this period, LDP was the single dominating party. During this period, there are evidences of six opposition parties, but these parties failed drastically to defeat LDP. As a result, LDP remained in power for a long period (Kornblum, 2007). Moreover, it is identified from the First Party System that the nation had Multi-member and Single-seat Electoral System. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that the political parties and the members largely dominate through the internal party rapport and conflicts. This aspect of multi-member electoral system is unlike in China (Kornblum, 2007). However, on the onset of the second party system from 1993 in Japan, negotiations and compromises amid the parties have been a common phenomenon. Moreover, the electoral system had also changed from 1993 (Kornblum, 2007). In the current electoral system, single seat district is notably observed. Furthermore, through the onset of second party system, party factions have greatly reduced as compared to the First Party System (Moody, 1995). Thus, from the above discussion, it is evident that China and Japan have significant differences in the political regimes. The difference is also notable from the key characteristics of the political institutes of these two nations. In this regard, it has been identified that the Chinese political system has been based on collective interest owing to autonomy as well as rights of an individual has been ignored. On the other hand, the Japanese political system has been grounded on western liberals and in this respect; the policies are developed on right-based morality (Kornblum, 2007). References Guo, S. (2012). Chinese politics and government: power, ideology and organization. London: Routledge. Guo, S. (2001). The party-state relationship in Post-Mao China. China Report, 37(3), 301-315. Hrebenar, R. J. (2000). Japan’s new party system. USA: Westview Press. Hsu, C. L. (2007). Creating market socialism: how ordinary people are shaping class and status in China. USA: Duke University Press. Kornblum, W. (2007). Sociology in a changing world. USA: Cengage Learning. Moody, P. (1995). Traditional societies and the new world order. Chapter 5, 106-121. Ohtsu, M., & Imanari, T. (1999). Japanese national values and Confucianism. The Japanese Economy, 27(2), 45-59. Pye, L. W. (1999). An Overview of 50 years of the People’s Republic of China: Some progress, but big problem remain. 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