Three Views of Chinese Communism

The Evolution of Chinese Communism from Mao Tse-Tung through Today

From: Are Bad Guys Ever Good?, 2009

History Standards: 10.9.4

Analyze the Chinese Civil War, the rise of Mao Tse-tung, and the subsequent political
and economic upheavals in China (e.g., the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural
Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square uprising).

CCSS Standards: Reading, Grades 9-10

2.Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide
an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
5. Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation
or analysis.
6. Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or
similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective
accounts.

Guiding Question:
How has Chinas political economy changed over time and stayed the same?

What do you think China of the 21st century will look like?

Will it resemble a more traditional, dictatorial communist regime or will leaders

embrace a more democratic, economically progressive regime in this global economy?
Or something else?

Overview of Lesson:

This lesson is comprised of three sources from different point in the 20 th century. After
each source, there are several discussion questions, suitable for partners, small groups,
or whole class discussion. They could also be used as writing prompts. After reviewing
all three sources (with necessary scaffolding at the teachers discretion), students should
be able to address the Guiding Questions orally or in writing.
 Three Views of Chinese Communism
Viewpoint 1
Background

The Constitution of China states that only under the guidance of the Chinese Communist party
will China develop and become strong. Only a small percentage of the population is believed to
possess the qualifications to be party members and thus play a guiding role in China's
development.

Quotations from Chairman Mao on Being a Communist in China

At no time and in no circumstances should a Communist place his personal interests

first; he should subordinate them to the interests of the nation and of the masses.
Hence, selfishness, slacking, corruption, seeking the limelight, and so on, are most
contemptible, while selflessness, working with all one's energy, whole-hearted devotion
to public duty, and quiet hard work will command respect.
"The Role of the Chinese Communist Party in the National War," October
1938.

Communists should set an example in being practical as well as far-sighted. For only by
being practical can they fulfill the appointed tasks, and only far-sightedness can prevent
them from losing their bearings in the march forward.
"The Role of the Chinese Communist Party in the National War," October
1938.

Communists should be the most far-sighted, the most self-sacrificing, the most resolute,
and the least prejudiced in sizing up situations, and should rely on the majority of the
masses and win their support.
"The Tasks of the Chinese Communist Party in the Period of Resistance to
Japan," May 3, 1937.

Taken from: The Little Red Book: Quotations From Chairman Mao. Beijing Foreign
Languages Press, 1972.

How to be a Good Communist, by Liu Shaoqi

A good Communist Party member is one who combines the great and lofty ideals of
Communism with practical work and the spirit of searching for the truth from concrete
facts.

What is the most fundamental and common duty of us Communist Party members? As
everybody knows, it is to establish Communism, to transform the present world into a
Communist world. Is a Communist world good or not? We all know that it is very good.
In such a world there will be no exploiters, oppressors, landlords, capitalists,
imperialists, or fascists. There will be no oppressed and exploited people, no darkness,
ignorance, backwardness, etc. In such a society all human beings will become unselfish
and intelligent Communists with a high level of culture and technique. The spirit of
mutual assistance and mutual love will prevail among mankind. There will be no such
irrational things as mutual deception, mutual antagonism, mutual slaughter and war,
etc. Such a society will, of course, be the best, the most beautiful, and the most advanced
society in the history of mankind. Who will say that such a society is not good?

At all times and on all questions, a Communist Party member should take into account
the interests of the Party as a whole, and place the Party's interests above his personal
problems and interests. It is the highest principle of our Party members that the Party's
interests are supreme.

A Communist Party member should possess all the greatest and noblest virtues of
mankind. He should also possess the strict and clear-cut standpoint of the Party and of
the proletariat (that is, Party spirit and class character). Our ethics are great precisely
because they are the ethics of Communism and of the proletariat. Such ethics are not
built upon the backward basis of safeguarding the interest of individuals or a small
number of exploiters. They are built, on the contrary, upon the progressive basis of the
interests of the proletariat, of the ultimate emancipation of mankind as a whole, of
saving the world from destruction and of building a happy and beautiful Communist
world.

Discussion Questions:
What type of sources are these two excerpts, primary or secondary? How do you
know?

List some of the qualities Mao Zedong and Liu Shaoqi thought were important for
Communist Party members to have.

List some of the qualities Communists see as negative.

What is the general viewpoint or feeling about the Communist party that is
expressed in these excerpts?
 Viewpoint 2
Background

In 1978, Deng Xiaoping began efforts to reform China and called on people to boost their
incomes through involvement in economic activities on the side, saying that making money is
not all bad. The motto "To Get Rich is Glorious" became popular because getting rich would
help raise a person's standard of living, contribute to the overall development of China, and
provide the population with greater incentives to work hard. Deng argued that if people had
the freedom to produce what they wanted and to sell their surpluses, China would develop
faster and more efficiently. It was not clear, however, how Deng's reforms could be reconciled
with the ideological basis of "being a good party member."

Deng Xiaoping: The Economic Reformer

Born in 1904, Deng was one of the first generation of Chinese Communist Party leaders.
He held prominent positions in the government in the 1950s and 1960s, but he was
removed from office and imprisoned during the years of the Cultural Revolution, 1966-
76. His family was persecuted. Deng Xiaoping reemerged as China's paramount leader
shortly after the death of Mao in 1976.

Deng Xiaoping's goal in 1976 was to set China back on the course of economic
development that had been badly interrupted during the final years of Mao's leadership.
Deng's rallying cry became the "Four Modernizations," articulated by Zhou Enlai in
1975, which entailed the development of industry, agriculture, defense, and science and
technology. He set the course of reform by dismantling the communes set up under Mao
and replaced them with the Household Responsibility System (HRS), within which each
household must be held accountable to the state for only what it agrees to produce, and
is free to keep surplus output for private use. In addition to this program, which was an
incentive for households to produce more, Deng encouraged farmers to engage in
private entrepreneurship and sideline businesses in order to supplement their incomes.

Deng Xiaoping said that "practice is the sole criterion of truth," and believed that only
by experimenting with alternative forms of production and entrepreneurial activity
would China find the best path for economic development. Thus began China's
experiments with capitalist methods of production. As Deng said, "it does not matter if a
cat is black or white so long as it catches the mouse;" it no longer matters if an economic
policy is capitalist or socialist, in other words, as long as it results in economic growth.

Deng also wanted to set up an arrangement whereby leadership succession would take
place according to legal guidelines rather than personality struggles. In general, he
hoped to establish a social and political order governed by "rule by law, not by man."
Even after he had retired from his formal positions, Deng encouraged his aging
comrades to follow this example. Deng's commitment to replacing the aging leaders
suffered a setback, however. When faced with demands for political reforms by students
and citizens throughout China in 1989, Deng ordered the military to move in and clear
Tiananmen Square, where they were demonstrating for greater freedom of speech and
press, and greater accountability on the party of government. Pro-reform leaders like
Zhao Ziyang were removed from office and many of the retired leaders, many of whom
did not support Zhao's reform effort, returned to power after June 4, 1989.

Economically, China has entered a very difficult period characterized by unemployment

and general uncertainty.

Composed by Catherine H. Keyser

Discussion Questions:

What type of source is this, primary or secondary? How do you know?

Describe the economic changes made to Chinese Communism under the

leadership of Deng Xiaoping.

Did the author of this excerpt see these changes as positive or negative? In your
answer, explain the authors perspective.

Describe Deng Xiaopings leadership style.

o What was his stance on granting more democratic rights to Chinese

citizens?

o How did he react to those who challenged his authority?

o Was his style similar to Maos? Explain your answer.

 Viewpoint 3

Photo #1 - Shanghai Waterfront Photo #2 - Shanghai Starbucks

Discussion Questions:

What type of sources are these, primary or secondary? How do you know?

Describe what you see in photo #1:

Describe what you see in photo #2:

Do these images reflect the ideas from Viewpoint 1 or Viewpoint 2 more? Explain
your answer.

Do these images reflect Chinese Communism? Can you have both communism
and capitalism working together to meet one goal?