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New Zealand

2023-06-26T21:00:35Z

Fernleaf: Updated prime minister, changed "Maori" to Māori"

{{Infobox country
|name=New Zealand
|native_name=Aotearoa
|capital=Te Whanganui-a-Tara
|mode_of_production=[[Capitalism]]|government_type=Monarchy
|leader_title1=King
|leader_name1=Charles III
|leader_title2=Governor General
|leader_name2=Cindy Kiro
|leader_title3=Prime Minister
|leader_name3=Chris Hipkins
|image_map=Aotearoa (orthographic projection).svg
|established_date1=1840 February 6th
|established_event1=Treaty of Waitangi
|image_flag=Flag of Aotearoa.svg
|image_map_size=220px|population_estimate=5,130,381|population_estimate_year=2021|image_coat=Coat of arms of Aotearoa.svg|largest_city=Tāmaki Makaurau|official_languages=Māori, New Zealand Sign Language|recognized_languages=English}}
'''New Zealand''', also known in Māori as '''Aotearoa''', is an island country in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists primarily of 3 islands: Te Ika-a-Māui (The North Island), Te Waipounamu (The South Island), and Rakiura, but in total there are more than 700 islands.<ref>Carl Walrond, 'Natural environment - Geography and geology', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/natural-environment/page-1 (accessed 29 May 2021)</ref>

Despite its geographical position in the southern hemisphere, Aotearoa is part of the [[Global North and South|Global North]] and as such contributes to and benefits from the process of [[imperialism]]. It is a member of the [[Five Eyes]], the [[Commonwealth|British Commonwealth]], the [[OECD]] and of [[ANZUS]]. Aotearoa sent troops to fight for the allies in the two [[world wars]], for the British in the [[Boer Wars]] and the Malayan Emergency, and for the Americans in the [[Korean War]], the [[Gulf War]], and the [[Afghanistan War]].

Communist and socialist parties in Aotearoa include: [[Communist League (New Zealand)]], [[Organisation for Marxist Unity – New Zealand]], [[Socialist Party of Aotearoa]], and the [[Communist Party of Aotearoa]].

==History==

===Māori history ===
[[File:Migration of Austronesian people across the Pacific.png|thumb|Migration of Austronesian people across the Pacific|alt=|left]]
The Austronesians are an ethnic group that originated in the [[Taiwan|Taiwan province]]. They broke off into many groups around the Indian and Pacific oceans, including the Polynesians. The Polynesian people have been in Polynesia for more than 3000 years, but Aotearoa was first discovered some time around 1200 AD by Kupe. Other Polynesians soon migrated to Aotearoa, the descendants of whom are known today as the Māori, which means ordinary.<ref>John Wilson, 'History - Māori arrival and settlement', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/history/page-1 (accessed 13 June 2021)</ref>

Around the year 1500, a group of Māori migrated east to ''Rēkohu'', later becoming known as the Moriori.

The first Europeans to make contact with the Māori people were Abel Tasman and his crew in 1642.

===Colonization===
After contact with European traders, many Māori tribes began selling food and tāonga (treasures) to exchange for Europeans' industrially produced goods (scissors, toothbrushes, mirrors, etc.).

Eventually — with a growing trading population, new settlements, and ongoing inter-tribal conflicts — settlers also began selling muskets to Māori, heightening those inter-tribal conflicts into what would become The Musket Wars (1807-42). Throughout The Musket Wars, the tribes without coastlines (often used to trade through ports) or that simply didn't trade, also didn't end up with muskets, concentrating victories in tribes with good relations to the traders and settlers.

It's estimated that, over the duration of The Musket Wars, between 20,000 and 30,000 Māori were killed, around 20-30% of the estimated Māori population of 1800.<ref>Basil Keane, 'Musket Wars', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/musket-wars</ref> Due to the excessive death, Māori land, labour, and commodities either became hugely devalued or disappeared completely from the market, making it easier and cheaper to settle traders and buy or confiscate land.

The Musket Wars are an example of Divide and Rule, an old imperial tactic that sees large powers (in this case Britain) exacerbate relatively minor conflicts to exhaust any possible united opposition.

The Treaty of Waitangi (or Te Tiriti ō Waitangi) was signed on the 6th of February, 1840, between the British Crown and a collection of Māori tribes. The English language version cedes the sovereignty of all signed tribes to the British Crown, whereas the Māori language version cedes governance ("kawanatanga") while maintaining all sovereignty and independence for Māori. Many tribes interpreted it as the British Crown establishing their own tribe equal to all of theirs, not as a superior one.<ref>Claudia Orange. ''The Story of a Treaty''</ref>

After the Treaty of Waitangi, Aotearoa came under the control of the British.

Aotearoa became a dominion after the 1907 Imperial Conference, where the United Kingdom decided to make many of its colonies into dominions.

Aotearoa lost its dominion status due to the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947, and has since been known as the Realm of New Zealand in official sources.

=== Independence ===
In 1951, New Zealand joined the ANZUS military alliance with [[Australia]] and the [[United States of America|United States]]. In 1985, under Prime Minister [[David Lange]] of the [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]], New Zealand began a nuclear-free policy and prohibited U.S. warships from entering its ports. This policy led to New Zealand being expelled from ANZUS. The [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] created a scandal that targeted Māori politicians [[Koro Wetere]] and [[Tamati Reedy]] and accused them of embezzling money, causing a rift between the Māori and the Labour Party. In 2016, New Zealand allowed U.S. warships back to its shores.<ref>{{News citation|author=Murray Horton|newspaper=[[Covert Action Magazine]]|title=How the CIA Tried to Overthrow New Zealand’s Progressive Labor Government by Stoking White Racial Rage Against the Indigenous Māori Population|date=2021-09-24|url=https://covertactionmagazine.com/2021/09/24/how-the-cia-tried-to-overthrow-new-zealands-progressive-labor-government-by-stoking-white-racial-rage-against-the-indigenous-maori-population/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029000305/https://covertactionmagazine.com/2021/09/24/how-the-cia-tried-to-overthrow-new-zealands-progressive-labor-government-by-stoking-white-racial-rage-against-the-indigenous-maori-population/|archive-date=2021-10-29|retrieved=2022-05-22}}</ref>

== Governance ==
The government of Aotearoa provides some free, or sometimes subsidized, healthcare. However dentistry, optometry and audiology are not usually included. Education is free from primary school (beginning age 5/6) to secondary school (ending age 17/18). The first year of tertiary education is free, but all subsequent years are only slightly subsidized. The banking, energy, infrastructure (including roads, rail and buses), insurance, entertainment and tourist industries are all privatized.

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Imperialist countries]]
[[Category:Global north]]

Fascism

2023-03-28T06:04:40Z

Fernleaf: Rewording and fixing of grammatical errors as article was confusing to read

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1981-052-06A, Albert Speer spricht in Munitionsfabrik.jpg|thumb|The Roman Salute is commonly associated with Nazis and other Fascists.]]
'''Fascism''', usually understood in [[Marxist]] theory as ''[[capitalism]] in decay'',<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG8Bczss228 What "Fascism is capitalism in decay" means]</ref> is a [[Counterrevolution|counter-revolutionary]] [[reactionary]] movement led by finance capital,<ref>{{Citation|author=Georgi Dimitrov|year=1935|title=The fascist offensive and the tasks of the Communist International in the struggle of the working class against fascism|chapter=The class character of fascism|page=|quote=No, fascism is not a power standing above class, nor government of the petty bourgeoisie or the lumpen-proletariat over finance capital. '''Fascism is the power of finance capital itself'''. It is the organization of terrorist vengeance against the working class and the revolutionary section of the peasantry and intelligentsia.|pdf=|city=|publisher=Main Report delivered at the 7th World Congress of the Communist International|isbn=|doi=|lg=|mia=https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/dimitrov/works/1935/08_02.htm|title-url=|chapter-url=|trans-title=|trans-lang=}}</ref><ref>{{News citation|title=Encyclopedia of Marxism|url=https://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/f/a.htm#fascism}}</ref> and a form of [[dictatorship of the bourgeoisie]] which emerged during periods of economic crisis in [[Imperialism|imperialist]] countries.<ref>{{Citation|author=William I. Robinson|year=2019|title=Global capitalist crisis and twenty-first century fascism: beyond the Trump hype|quote=Fascism, whether in its classical 20th-century form or possible variants of 21st-century neo-fascism, is a particular response to capitalist crisis, such as that of the 1930s and the one that began with the financial meltdown of 2008. Global capitalism is facing an organic crisis involving an intractable structural dimension, that of overaccumulation, and a political dimension, that of legitimacy or hegemony that is approaching a general crisis of capitalist rule.|publisher=Science & Society, 83(2), 155–183|doi=10.1521/siso.2019.83.2.155}}</ref> The [[Communist International (1919–1943)|Third International]] described fascism as the "open, terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary, most [[Chauvinism|chauvinistic]], and most imperialist elements of finance capital."<ref>{{Citation|author=[[George Dimitrov]]|year=1935|title=The Fascist Offensive and the Tasks of the Communist International in the Struggle of the Working Class against Fascism|chapter=Fascism and the Working Class|quote=Comrades, fascism in power was correctly described by the Thirteenth Plenum of the Executive Committee of the Communist International as the open terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary, most chauvinistic and most imperialist elements of finance capital.|mia=https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/dimitrov/works/1935/08_02.htm}}</ref>

Fascism usually promotes policies that favour the ever-expanding domination of capital. Its political aspect is marked by pervasive [[anti-communism]], a profound aversion towards [[democracy]], the justification and glorification of [[class society]] through [[class collaboration]], and chauvinistic tendencies, namely ultra-[[nationalism]], [[racism]], [[sexism]], and [[ableism]]. Fascist ideologues usually promote [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]], irrational myths and manipulative distortions of truth to gather support of their popular base.

Throughout history, the fascists promoted policies that caused even more [[exploitation]] of the [[Proletariat|working class]] than capitalism was ever able to, allowing monopolies to take over every aspect of society. So much so that ''The Economist'' magazine introduced the term ''privatization'' in 1936, unseen in political discourse at the time, to describe [[German fascism|Nazi Germany]]'s economic policies.<ref>{{Citation|author=Germà Bel|year=2006|title=Retrospectives: the coining of “privatization” and Germany's National Socialist Party|chapter=|page=|pdf=|city=|publisher=Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20(3), 187–194|isbn=|doi=10.1257/jep.20.3.187|lg=|mia=|title-url=|chapter-url=|trans-title=|trans-lang=|quote=}}</ref> The most well-known historical examples of fascism are [[Greater German Reich|Nazi Germany]] and [[Kingdom of Italy (1922-1943)|Fascist Italy]], but there have been various historical examples of fascism, such as [[Empire of Japan (1931-1947)|Shōwa Japan]], [[Spanish State (1939-1975)|Francoist Spain]] and [[Salzarist Portugal|Salazarist Portugal]].

==History==

===Origins===
The term "fascism" comes from the [[Italian Republic|Italian]] National Fascist Party,<ref group="lower-alpha">Italian: ''Partito Nazionale Fascista''</ref> a party founded by [[Benito Mussolini]] in 1921; whose practices and ideology would later define this [[reactionary]] movement as a whole. Mussolini's fascism was inspired by the cult of [[Roman Empire (27 BCE–395 CE)|Roman civilisation]] who, although they having no concept of fascism and did not care to predict the future two thousand years after their height, provided him with a perfect excuse to call back to the Roman Empire, which stretched far and wide and started in modern-day Italy. Thus, the name fascism was based on the ''fasces'', an axe that is surrounded and bound to a bundle of sticks and was carried by officials (''lictors'') in political and military demonstrations. This was a symbol of power and authority that Mussolini repurposed for fascism.

The origins of fascism as a counter-revolutionary movement, however, can be traced as far as the [[French Republic|French]] far-right [[French Action]],<ref group="lower-alpha">French: ''Action Française''</ref> which was an openly anti-[[Marxism|Marxist]] political organization established in 1899 proposing an "integral nation" for French society through [[class collaboration]].<ref>{{Citation|author=Ernst Nolte|year=1966|title=Three faces of fascism: Action Française, Italian Fascism, National Socialism|chapter=|page=|pdf=|city=New York|publisher=New American Library|isbn=9780451008619|doi=|lg=http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=082DBA3CA0FEE611DCDB8D2CC1DF350C|mia=|title-url=|chapter-url=|trans-title=Der Faschismus in seiner Epoche: Die Action française, Der italienische Faschismus, Der Nationalsozialismus|trans-lang=German}}</ref>

In ''Discourse on colonialism'', [[Aimé Césaire]] exposed the old colonialist mindsets that would later influence fascism and survive after it. This prompted him to write in that same essay that fascism is colonialism applied to the coloniser.<ref>{{Citation|author=Aimé Césaire|year=1950|title=Discourse on colonialism|chapter=|page=36|quote=People are surprised, they become indignant. They say: "How strange! But never mind – it's Nazism, it will pass!" And they wait, and they hope; and they hide the truth from themselves, that it is barbarism, the supreme barbarism, the crowning barbarism that sums up all the daily barbarisms; that it is Nazism, yes, but that before they were its victims, they were its accomplices; that they tolerated that Nazism before it was inflicted on them, that they absolved it, shut their eyes to it, legitimized it, because, until then, it had been applied only to non-European peoples; that they have cultivated that Nazism, that they are responsible for it, and that before engulfing the whole edifice of Western, Christian civilization in its reddened waters, it oozes, seeps, and trickles from every crack.|pdf=https://libcom.org/files/zz_aime_cesaire_robin_d.g._kelley_discourse_on_colbook4me.org_.pdf|city=France|publisher=Réclame|isbn=1583670254|doi=|lg=|mia=|title-url=|chapter-url=|trans-title=Discours sur le colonialisme|trans-lang=|section=}}</ref> A similar observation was made by [[Frantz Fanon]], who wrote: "what is fascism if not colonialism when rooted in a traditionally colonialist country?"<ref>{{Citation|author=Frantz Fanon|year=1961|title=Wretched of the earth|chapter=|section=|page=90|quote=|pdf=|city=|publisher=Grove Press|isbn=9780802150837|doi=|lg=http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=D2A7D155578D59565375286BA995A79D|mia=|title-url=|chapter-url=|trans-title=|trans-lang=}}</ref>

==== Nietzsche ====
Historian and [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist-Leninist]] philosopher [[Domenico Losurdo]] pointed in his work ''Nietzsche, the Aristocratic Rebel'' that [[Nietzsche]], who was an aristocrat, can be associated with a reactionary trend against the rise of the [[Paris commune]] in 1871.<ref>{{Citation|author=Domenico Losurdo|year=2002|title=Nietzsche, the aristocratic rebel|chapter=|section=|page=26|quote=[In The Birth of Tragedy,] Nietzsche’s preoccupation, or rather his anguish, about a danger not remote or hypothetical, but real and impending, is plainly evident. The reference to the Paris Commune is transparent, an event that a great part of the culture of that time experienced as the threatening announcement of a possible imminent end of culture.|pdf=|city=|publisher=|isbn=9789004270954|doi=|lg=http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=1BA09395E9E0D69AB9797AC5DEB89851|mia=|title-url=|chapter-url=|trans-title=|trans-lang=}}</ref> Nietzsche's views were consistently anti-[[Liberalism|liberal]], anti-[[Socialism|socialist]], anti-democratic and even promoted racial hygiene, a tendency which would later inspire fascist movements.<ref>{{Citation|author=Domenico Losurdo|doi=|quote=Even a scholar that moves cautiously on ground alien to him, that of philosophical historiography, and clearly wants to avoid a critical confrontation with the hermeneutics of innocence is forced to acknowledge an essential point regarding Nietzsche interpretations: ‘Much in his work can be interpreted in terms of racial hygiene.’ Other authors are even clearer: with his insistence on the ‘degeneration’ and ‘physiological decline of European humanity’, the philosopher must be placed ‘in the context of the direct preparation of eugenics’. Indeed, in this context, he sadly occupies a privileged position: he represents the ‘turning point’ for the transition from the ‘idea of selection’ to ‘anti-degenerative activism’. The reconstruction of the history behind Hitler’s eugenic and genocidal practices cannot, in this view, ignore Nietzsche, who expressly and peremptorily demanded the ‘suppression of the wretched, the deformed, the degenerate.’|trans-lang=|trans-title=|pdf=|mia=|lg=http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=1BA09395E9E0D69AB9797AC5DEB89851|publisher=|year=2002|city=|isbn=9789004270954|chapter-url=|title-url=|chapter=|page=731|title=Nietzsche, the aristocratic rebel|section=}}</ref>

==== Sorel ====
Georges Sorel (1847–1922) was a French syndicalist that contributed and inspired the rise of [[National Syndicalism]] in Italy and Spain. His most famous works centred around the idea of [[myth]]; which he highlights as "forming the centre of man’s cosmology and world view in all ages".<ref>{{News citation|journalist=Rodrigo Sobota|date=2020-10-15|title=Georges Sorel and the Triumphant Return of the Myth|url=https://www.geopolitica.ru/en/article/georges-sorel-and-triumphant-return-myth}}</ref> In 1909, Sorel began to adopt the idea of Integral Nationalism, publishing an article praising the far-right group [[French Action]] in ''Divenire Sociale''—the leading journal for Italian Syndicalists at the time. It received immense praise by [[French Action]]; being reprinted under the name "Antiparliamentary Socialists”, and in 1910 he joined the group. During this time, he developed further reactionary ideals, leading him to support Catholic Patriotism and further embedding himself in fascist ideology.<ref>{{Citation|author=Zeev Sternhell|year=1994|title=THE BIRTH OF FASCIST IDEOLOGY|chapter=1–3|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzaceavi2ziwuqzadtp7fjcw24uvkoix4wzybsibskpjmfbksjcxwblyg?filename=Zeev%20Sternhell%2C%20Mario%20Sznajder%2C%20Maia%20Asheri%20-%20The%20Birth%20of%20Fascist%20Ideology_%20From%20Cultural%20Rebellion%20to%20Political%20Revolution-Princeton%20University%20Press%20%281994%29.pdf|isbn=0-691-03289-0|lg=http://library.lol/main/10886BD4A08A7180CDA3D8B3BED5ADD1}}</ref> Mussolini looked up highly to Sorel and claimed he was his "foremost teacher".<ref>{{News citation|journalist=James H. Meisel|date=1950-03-01|title=A Premature Fascist? ― Sorel and Mussolini|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/106591295000300102?journalCode=prqa&}}</ref>

===Italian fascism===
The Italian fascist government of 1922 was the first known historical example of large-scale privatizations of state-owned enterprises.<ref>{{Citation|author=Germà Bel|year=2011|title=The first privatization: Selling SOEs and privatizing public monopolies in Fascist Italy (1922-1925)|chapter=|page=|quote=Italy’s first Fascist government applied a large-scale privatization policy between 1922 and 1925. [...] These interventions represent one of the earliest and most decisive privatization episodes in the Western world.|pdf=|city=|publisher=|isbn=|doi=10.1093/cje/beq051|lg=|mia=|title-url=|chapter-url=|trans-title=|trans-lang=}}</ref>

===German fascism===
[[German fascism]] was most known for its [[Genocide|genocidal]], [[Expansionism|expansionist]], [[Imperialism|imperialist]] and [[Colonialism|colonialist]] rule under the [[National-socialist German Workers' Party|Nazi Party]] from 1933 to 1945, culminating in the deaths of at least 30 million people, including 26.6 million Soviet lives.<ref>{{Citation|author=Lieutenant Colonel S.B. Eremenko|year=|title=On the issue of losses of the opposing sides at the Soviet-German front during the Great Patriotic War|chapter=|page=|quote=Today we can state with a certain degree of probability that losses of the Soviet Union amounted to 26.6 million people, including losses of the Armed Forces amounted to 8,668,400 servicemen. The total statistical figure includes not only those killed in action and those who died from wounds and illnesses, but also civilians killed during bombing, artillery shelling and punitive actions, prisoners of war and underground fighters shot and tortured in camps, and those sent away for forced labor in Germany.|pdf=|city=|publisher=Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation|isbn=|doi=|lg=|mia=|title-url=https://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/history/more.htm?id=11359251@cmsArticle|chapter-url=|trans-title=К вопросу о потерях противоборствующих сторон на советско-германском фронте в годы Великой Отечественной войны: правда и вымысел|trans-lang=Russian}}</ref> While the word "Nazi" is short for "National socialist", they were capitalists, the term "socialist" being nothing more than a ploy to gain working-class support. Not only did the German fascists allow the virulent [[exploitation]] of the working people and concentration of capital,<ref>{{Citation|author=Sidney Merlin|year=1943|title=Trends in German economic control since 1933|chapter=|page=207|quote=The party, moreover, facilitates the accumulation of private fortunes and industrial empires by its foremost members and collaborators through "privatization" and other measures, thereby intensifying centralization of economic affairs and government in an increasingly narrow group that may for all practical purposes be termed the national socialist elite.|pdf=|city=|publisher=The Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 57|isbn=|doi=10.2307/1882751|lg=|mia=|title-url=|chapter-url=|trans-title=|trans-lang=}}</ref> they adopted a [[Settler colonialism|settler-colonial]] model coupled with exploitation, colonialism, and mass terror applied to the [[Europe|European continent]].<ref>{{Citation|author=Thomas Kühne|year=2013|title=Colonialism and the Holocaust: continuities, causations, and complexities|chapter=German colonialism and German peculiarities|page=343|quote=Hitler's writings and speeches, public and private, left no doubt that Lebensraum, or living space, was to be gained on the continent rather than overseas. The German equivalent of British India or French Algeria was not Cameroon, Togo or German Southwest Africa but central and east Europe, as some scholars have reminded the advocates of the salt water colonial paradigm.|pdf=|city=|publisher=Journal of Genocide Research, vol. 15|isbn=|doi=10.1080/14623528.2013.821229|lg=|mia=|title-url=|chapter-url=|trans-title=|trans-lang=}}</ref> The ideological justification for colonization of European peoples by Nazis was promoted as ''[[Lebensraum]]'',<ref group="lower-alpha">English: ''Living space''</ref> and was directly influenced by [[United States of America|Statesian]] genocide of Native peoples through ''[[Manifest Destiny]]''.<ref>{{Citation|author=Robert J. Miller|year=2020|title=Nazi Germany's race laws, the United States, and American Indians|chapter=|page=14|quote=Many of the Lebensraum justifications that Hitler and Nazis used directly echoed the justifications given for American Manifest Destiny. (...) National Socialists took on the mantle of noble colonizers who were fighting against ignoble savages. Not surprisingly, scholars recognize that these Nazi ideas on Lebensraum were largely modeled on late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century understandings of American expansion.|pdf=|city=|publisher=|isbn=|doi=|lg=http://librarian.libgen.gs/ads.php?md5=77a60b95047d1913f026368bbf9a3225&downloadname=10.2139/ssrn.3541009|mia=|title-url=|chapter-url=|trans-title=|trans-lang=}}</ref>

The Nazi Party was beaten into dissolution by the [[Soviet Union]] after the Battle of Berlin in May 1945.
===Japanese fascism===
Japanese fascism, also known as Shōwa Statism, was based on a number of [[imperialist]] and [[Ultranationalism|ultranationalist]] political ideas from various Japanese thinkers. Japanese fascism manifested itself in extreme militarism, monarchism, and expansionism in [[Asia]].

=== Portuguese fascism ===
From 1933 to 1974, [[Portugal]] was ruled by the ''Estado Novo'' ("New State"), headed by [[António de Oliveira Salazar]]. Under Salazar's dictatorship, the Portuguese [[working class]] was subjugated to [[reactionary]] [[Christianity|Christian]] doctrine, as well as a "[[Third Positionism|Corporatist]]" economy. The Salazarist regime was also militantly [[imperialist]], repressing calls for independence and self-determination in [[Republic of Angola|Angola]] and [[Republic of Mozambique|Mozambique]]. The Estado Novo would finally fall in 1974, after a military coup. By the end of the 1970s, Portugal had returned to being a bourgeois democracy.<ref>{{Citation|author=Howard J. Wiarda|year=1977|title=Corporatism and Development: The Portuguese Experience|title-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dHFaAAAAIAAJ|publisher=University of Massachusetts Press|isbn=9780870232213|trans-lang=English}}</ref>

Portugal, at the time a Fascist dictatorship, was one of the founding members of the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]].

===Spanish fascism ===
Following the victory of the [[United Front]] in 1936, a fascist revolt led by General Franco and assisted by invading Germany and Italy, tacitly backed by the rest of the allies, broke out. A [[Spanish Civil War|civil war]] lasting three years followed, culminating in the crushing of Republican forces. The regime went on to last three more decades, and it is said that the current "reformed" Spanish state is a continuation of the same regime. Notably, Franco reintroduced the king of Spain in 1956 (whose parent was deposed in 1931), and to this day Spain remains a monarchy.

=== Neo-fascist movements ===
{{Main article|Neo-fascism}}

====2019 coup in Bolivia ====
President [[Evo Morales]] of Bolivia was re-elected to office in October 2019 with 47.08% of the total vote. Soon after, opposing fascists called the results into question, helped by fraudulent reports from the [[Organisation of American States]] (OAS), which led to their paramilitary wing causing violence in the streets. After three weeks, Morales agreed to step down and left the country.

Later, accusations of electoral fraud were completely debunked by the same journals that initially reported on them, trusting the OAS.

The new government, led by [[Jeanine Áñez|Jeanine Añez]], established a military junta in the country so as to dismantle popular support for MAS (Morales' party). They pushed elections back three times, eventually having them take place in November 2020, a full year after the coup. Their efforts failed, as MAS won the presidential election in 2020 with 55% of all votes (under candidate Luis Arce).

Since his election, Arce's government has announced that they would effectively purge the military's leadership, as their treason was pivotal in letting the coup succeed.

==Marxist analysis==

=== Left theory ===
The left wing analysis of fascism largely evolved from the known work of [[Jack London]], ''The Iron Heel.'' Though this book was written before the world was introduced to fascism proper, it outlines much of the perceived likeness of fascism. The analysis sees fascism as a tool and a trick by the bourgeoisie. Proponents of this analysis would see fascism as an intrinsic part of bourgeois society and thereby capitalist hegemony.

This analysis is archaic in modern Marxist perceptions of fascism, as it is not critical and cannot meaningfully differentiate between reactionary liberal capitalism and fascism. Examples may include the [[Amadeo Bordiga|Amadeo Bordiga's]] statement at the fifth congress of the communist international in 1924, in which he said:<blockquote>Fascism, fundamentally, merely repeats the old game of the bourgeoise left parties, i.e. it appeals to the proletariat for civil peace. It attempts to achieve this aim by forming trade unions of industrial and agricultural workers, which it then leads into practical collaboration with the employers' organisations.<ref>{{Citation|author=Duncan Hallas|year=1985|title=The Comintern|title-url=https://www.marxists.org/archive/hallas/works/1985/comintern/}}</ref></blockquote>

=== Right theory ===
Whilst the left theory of fascism sees it as an elite movement, a hammer with which the bourgeois retaliates upon the organised working class, the right theory instead proposes fascism as a mass movement, not a force propagated or controlled by the ruling class. It sees fascism as separate from capitalist institutions, and as a revolutionary movement hostile to them.

However this also undermines and misunderstands the nature of fascism as it does not explain why the capitalist class would integrate and accept fascism, nor does it explain why they would not fight fascism with tooth and nail if it was indeed a threat to their supremacy.
=== Dialectical analysis ===
The dialectical theory of fascism, concocted by [[Leon Trotsky]], combines both of these theories so as to explain the phenomenon. According to the dialectical theory, fascism is both a part of capitalist society as a tool to the ruling class, but equally a mass movement with popular support. As capitalism declines and falls into crisis, reactionary movements find ground while workers organise through desperation to have revolutionary conditions be set in place.

The class which has contributed the most in terms of memberships in fascist parties is the petit-bourgeoisie, a class which, although having also suffered hardship during economic crisis, did not direct their anger towards the capitalist system but was instead characterised by its racist, anti-working class, and undialectical reactionary ideology.

This analysis states that fascism inherently is contradictory; while it is a mass movement cultivated by the decline of capitalism, is not anti-capitalist, as the petit-bourgeoisie do not want to destroy the ruling class but instead become part of the ruling class. It is a reactionary movement which inevitably only benefits the current ruling class, made from a movement of non-bourgeoisie. Therefore, there is a contradiction between fascism as an ideology and the movement which supports it. To stave off this contradiction, fascism must always divert and distract itself from its own contradictions by using shifting blame on racial, indigenous, and religious minorities, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, communists, or whoever happens to be a convenient scapegoat. However it cannot sustain itself for very long; since it is an antagonistic contradiction, it will always break itself apart, as has been seen historically.

== See also ==

* [[Neoliberalism]]
* [[German Reich (1933–1945)|Greater German Reich]]
* [[Far-right politics]]
* [[Genocide]]

==References==
<references />

===Notes===
<references group="lower-alpha" />
[[Category:Political ideology]]
[[Category:Fascism]]
[[Category:Extremism]]
[[Category:Right-wing ideologies]]
[[Category:Anti-communism]]

People's Republic of China

2023-02-03T04:18:50Z

Fernleaf: Reverted changes, misread source!

{{Infobox country
| name = People's Republic of China
| native_name = 中华人民共和国 Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó
| image_coat = National Emblem of the People's Republic of China.svg
| image_flag = Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
| symbol_type = National Emblem
| image_map = Orthographic map of China.svg
| map_width = 220px
| capital = [[Beijing]]
| largest_city = Chongqing
| government_type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Marxist-Leninist]] people's republic
| established_event1 = Unification of China by Qin Shi Huang
| established_date1 = 221 BCE
| established_event2 = Founding of the Yuan Dynasty
| established_date2 = 1271 November 5
| population_estimate = 1,463,140,000
| population_estimate_year = 2020
|labour_force=784 million<ref name="statista">Statista. ''[https://www.statista.com/statistics/251380/number-of-employed-persons-in-china/#:~:text=The%20labor%20force%20of%20China,were%20working%20in%20rural%20areas.]''</ref>|unemployment=5.5%|labour_force_participation=48.07%|labour_occupation=53.3% services 39.4% industry 7.3% agriculture<ref name="investopedia">Investopedia. ''[https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/103114/chinas-gdp-examined-servicesector-surge.asp#:~:text=The%20industry%20sector%2C%20which%20includes,reflecting%20the%20growth%20of%20services.]''</ref>| leader_title1 = President and [[General Secretary of the People's Republic of China|General Secretary]]
| leader_name1 = [[Xi Jinping]]
| leader_title3 = [[Premier of the People's Republic of China|Premier]]
| leader_name3 = [[Li Keqiang]]
| leader_title2 = Vice President
| leader_name2 = [[Wang Qishan]]
|established_date3=1949 October 1|established_event3=Establishment of the People's Republic of China|mode_of_production=[[Socialism]]}}
'''China''', officially the '''People's Republic of China''' ('''PRC'''), is a [[Socialism|socialist]] country in [[East Asia]].<ref>{{Web citation|title=Western experts should understand China’s building of socialism from China’s perspective|url=https://socialistchina.org/2022/01/16/western-experts-should-understand-chinas-building-of-socialism-from-chinas-perspective/|newspaper=[[Friends of Socialist China]]|date=2022-01-16}}</ref> It is the world's most populous country with a population of around 1.4 billion in 2019. It is led by the [[Communist Party of China]] (CPC).

The Chinese constitution states that the PRC "is a [[socialist state]] under the [[people's democratic dictatorship]] led by the [[Proletariat|working class]] and based on the alliance of workers and [[Peasantry|peasants]]" and that the state organs "apply the principle of [[democratic centralism]]."<ref name=":0">Constitution of the People's Republic of China ([https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/China_2018.pdf?lang=en PDF in English])</ref> Over 95% of the Chinese population supports its government.<ref name=":8">{{Web citation|author=Nia Frome|newspaper=[[Red Sails]]|title=China Has Billionaires|date=2021-04-05|url=https://redsails.org/china-has-billionaires/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129030202/https://redsails.org/china-has-billionaires/|archive-date=2022-11-29|retrieved=2022-12-06}}</ref>

The People's Republic of China is one of only five [[Socialism|socialist]] states in the world today (alongside [[Republic of Cuba|Cuba]], [[Lao People's Democratic Republic|Laos]], [[Democratic People's Republic of Korea|People's Korea]] and [[Socialist Republic of Vietnam|Vietnam]]). Over the last few years it has emerged as the world's leading economic power, and as a result has been subjected to near-constant demonization from [[Bourgeois media|Western media]] and propaganda outlets.<ref>{{Citation|title-url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/10/06/unfavorable-views-of-china-reach-historic-highs-in-many-countries/|title=Unfavorable views of China reach historic highs in many countries|year=2020|author=Laura Silver, Kat Devlin and Christine Huang|publisher=Pew Research Center|pdf=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/10/PG_2020.10.06_Global-Views-China_FINAL.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Web citation|title=Categorically Debunking the Claim that China is Imperialist|author=Rainer Shea|newspaper=[[Orinoco Tribune]]|url=https://orinocotribune.com/catagorically-debunking-the-claim-that-china-is-imperialist/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128110445/https://orinocotribune.com/catagorically-debunking-the-claim-that-china-is-imperialist/|archive-date=2021-11-28}}</ref>

== History ==
In accordance with [[historical materialism]], Chinese history can be divided into [[Primitive communism|primitive]], [[Slavery|slave]], and [[Feudalism|feudal]] eras. Modern Chinese historians do not, however, use the terms "capitalist era" or "socialist era." This is because the capitalist period of Chinese history fits into the broader New-Democratic Revolution period (1919–1949). The socialist era, which began in 1956, is likewise not considered an era of Chinese history but instead is considered part of the People's Republic period (1949–).<ref name=":1">Bai Shouyi (2008). ''An outline history of China.'' Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. ISBN 9787119052960</ref>

=== Early history ===

==== Antiquity ====
China's recorded history goes back more than 3,200 years. Before the unification of China under the [[Qin dynasty (221 BCE–206 BCE)|Qin]] and [[Han dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE)|Han]] dynasties, a class of warriors controlled the land and collected tribute. Most economic activity was self-sufficient but there was some high-value trade organized by royal courts. Literate administrative officials were awarded with land grants that became hereditary property. The monarch retained ultimate ownership of all land.<ref name=":7">{{News citation|author=Ken Hammond|newspaper=[[Liberation School]]|title=Beyond the sprouts of capitalism: China’s early capitalist development and contemporary socialist project|date=2021-09-13|url=https://www.liberationschool.org/beyond-the-sprouts-of-capitalism-understanding-chinas-contemporary-socialist-project/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428004222/https://www.liberationschool.org/beyond-the-sprouts-of-capitalism-understanding-chinas-contemporary-socialist-project/|archive-date=2022-04-28|retrieved=2022-07-25}}</ref>

==== Imperial China ====
China transitioned from slavery to feudalism under the [[Zhou dynasty (1046 BCE–256 BCE)|Zhou]] and Qin dynasties, when government officials built up large land holdings. Under feudalism, almost all land was owned by the emperor, nobility, and landlords. Peasants had to give half or more of their crop to the landowners and landlords could abuse or kill peasants at will. Small landholders who farmed land distributed to them by the emperor also existed in this period. Exchange did not have an important role in the economy during this period.<ref>{{Citation|author=Mao Zedong|year=1939|title=The Chinese Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party|chapter=Chinese Society|section=The Old Feudal Society|mia=https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-2/mswv2_23.htm}}</ref> The number and location of markets were restricted and they were strictly controlled by the emperor.

In imperial China, government officials were recruited based on recommendations from serving officials, allowing aristocratic families to stay in power for generations. The Han dynasty collapsed in 220 CE and China was reunified under the [[Sui dynasty (581–618)|Sui]] and [[Tang dynasty (618–907)|Tang]] dynasties. The An Lushan rebellion from 755 to 763 weakened the Tang dynasty and reduced restrictions on markets. Peasants attacked estates and burned papers documenting the status of aristocrats. In 907, the Tang dynasty collapsed and several small states fought for power until the Zhao brothers established the [[Song dynasty (960–1279)|Song dynasty]] in 960.

Under the Song dynasty, a landed gentry emerged that outnumbered the nobility working for the emperor. Markets expanded and connected China to global trade networks. In the 12th century, the Jurchen invaded northern China and established their own dynasty, while the Song continued to rule in the south. The [[Great Mongol Nation (1206–1368)|Mongol Empire]] invaded China in the 13th century and established the Mongol-led [[Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)|Yuan dynasty]]. The Mongols engaged in international trade, but their anti-commercial policies reduced domestic commerce.

The Yuan dynasty was overthrown in 1368 after being weakened by disease and rebellions and the [[Ming dynasty (1368–1644)|Ming dynasty]] was founded. The first Ming emperor opposed the merchants and promoted a society based on agriculture and self-sufficiency. In 1644, the Manchus overthrew the Ming dynasty and established the [[Qing dynasty (1636–1912)|Qing dynasty]]. In 1793, the [[Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1801)|British]] sent a diplomatic mission to China to establish trade relations. The Qianlong emperor agreed to open a port for the British at Guangzhou but refused to give them access to all of China's ports.<ref name=":7" />

===Semi-colonial and semi-feudal society (1840–1949)===
The era of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society was divided into two parts: The Old Democratic Revolution, which began with the [[First Opium War]] in 1840 and ended with the May 4th Movement in 1919, and the New Democratic Revolution, which lasted until the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. This 109-year period is also know as the "century of humiliation".<ref name=":1" />

==== Old Democratic Revolution period (1840–1919) ====
[[File:Battle of Sanyuanli.png|thumb|Depiction of Chinese and [[British]] forces fighting in the First Opium War]]
The Old Democratic Revolution was a period of establishing western "democracy" and dismantling feudalism, which is where it gets its name from. Rather than being a revolutionary movement by the people of China, it was a revolutionary change caused by the invasion and occupation of China by western powers. It began with the First Opium War when the feudal [[Qing dynasty]] tried to restrict the drug trade of opium in China. The United Kingdom, and later the United States of America, responded by declaring war on China.<ref name=":1" />

The conditions during this occupation were terrible. Notably in the British settlement of Shanghai, signboards were hung up outside parks prohibiting Chinese and dogs inside. The occupying powers forced local Chinese to carry them from place to place, and they also engaged in foot-binding.<ref name=":1" />

==== New Democratic Revolution period (1919–1949) ====
The New Democratic Revolution was a revolution by the people of China against the weak Qing dynasty and the occupying Western powers. It is known as a democratic revolution because it still accepted the basic ideology of Western [[capitalism]], but it was different in that it rejected [[colonialism]] and was fought by the people themselves. This revolution successfully brought down the Qing dynasty and established the [[Republic of China]], but this state was even weaker than the Qing dynasty and most of the country was now ruled by warlords.<ref name=":1" />

At that time, China was one of the poorest societies in the world, plagued by starvation and feudal oppression. The vast majority of the population was engaged in subsistence agriculture, and a survey on the causes of death conducted in 1929-31 revealed that more than half of all deaths were caused by infectious diseases.<ref name=":2">David Hipgrave (2011). [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3484775/ ''Communicable disease control in China: From Mao to now'']. Journal of Global Health.</ref> Famines were widespread and severe periods of hunger were lived by many Chinese peasants. During this period, China also suffered from illiteracy and high inequality. Estimates from this period suggest that, landlords and rich peasants taken together typically owned upward of half the land even though their share in the population typically did not exceed 10 percent. Poor peasants and agricultural labourers who owned little to no land formed the majority of the population.<ref name=":3">Robin Burgess (2005). ''Mao's legacy: Access to land and hunger in Modern China''. The London School of Economics and Political Science. ([http://econ.lse.ac.uk/staff/rburgess/wp/land3.pdf PDF link])</ref>

Educational standards during this period were terrible, if not inexistent. In 1949, more than 80 per cent of China's population was illiterate. Enrollment rates in primary and middle schools were abysmal: 20 and 6 per cent, respectively.<ref name=":4">Kimberly Singer Babiarz, Karen Eggleston, Grant Miller & Qiong Zhang (2015). [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4331212/ An exploration of China's mortality decline under Mao: A provincial analysis, 1950–80]. </ref> In addition, women's rights were highly curtailed and patriarchal norms were widespread, and this culture kept growing as [[Kuomintang]] rule took root in the Taiwan province.<ref>{{Citation|title=Women under Kuomintang rule: Variations on the feminine mystique|author=Norma Diamond|year=1975|doi=10.1177/009770047500100101|publisher=University of Michigan}}</ref>

In 1925, the [[Empire of Japan]] and the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|U.K.]] sent troops to assist warlords in northern China. In 1926, the Northern Expeditionary Army of the CPC and Kuomintang defeated the warlords in Hebei province. On 1927 March 27, workers established a commune in [[Shanghai]], which was crushed by [[Chiang Kai-shek]] when the Kuomintang turned against the CPC. At this point, the CPC organized an uprising of 30,000 led by [[Zhou Enlai]] and [[Zhu De]] against the nationalist forces. In October 1927, Mao was sent to [[Hunan]] and organized the first revolutionary base in the Jinggang Mountains. Zhu De joined Mao's forces and they repelled three attacks from the Kuomintang between 1928 and 1931. The [[Chinese Red Army]] soon grew to 100,000 people.<ref name=":6">{{Web citation|newspaper=Banned Thought|title=Remembering the Chinese Revolution|url=https://www.bannedthought.net/India/PeoplesMarch/PM1999-2006/publications/50%20years/part1.htm|retrieved=2022-05-14}}</ref>

On 1931 September 18, Japanese forces attacked the northeastern city of [[Shenyang]]. The Kuomintang's army withdrew from the area and did not resist the Japanese. In 1932, a nationalist army of 500,000 was defeated by the Red Army. In October 1933, Chiang Kai-shek mustered a force of a million troops, forcing the CPC and Red Army to flee west to [[Zunyi]] in the [[Long March]]. At the party conference in Zunyi in 1935, Mao's military line was established and [[Opportunism|opportunists]] were removed from power. By the end of the Long March, the Red Army's forces had dropped from 300,000 to 30,000.<ref name=":6" />

===First Generation (1949–1976)===
[[File:Build a new China poster.png|thumb|250x250px|"Build a new China and make a great effort to forge ahead'''.'''"]]
The first generation of leadership covers the extent of time that [[Zhou Enlai]] was the premier of the PRC. Mao Zedong was extremely influential in Chinese politics at this time, but he held the office Chairman of the PRC for only 9 years. For the rest of this 27 year long period, Mao Zedong was the General Secretary of the CPC. This generation was mainly characterized by Mao Zedong's political theory now known as [[Mao Zedong Thought]].<ref>''The historic contribution made by the first generation of the party's central collective leadership to the creation of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era'' (Chinese: [http://dangshi.people.com.cn/n/2013/1128/c85037-23683646.html 党的第一代中央领导集体为新时期开创中国特色社会主义所作的历史性贡献])</ref>

The first generation marks the founding of the People's Republic of China, an event captured on film.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvgLUGRhuwU Mao Zedong 毛泽东 declares the Peoples' Republic of China 1949]. YouTube. Retrieved 27 May 2021.</ref> The newly victorious socialist government promoted remarkable changes in Chinese society: establishing land reform, providing equal rights for women, seeing through campaigns for disease prevention and decreasing infant mortality.<ref name=":2" /> During this period, China's growth in life expectancy ranks as among the most rapid sustained increases in documented global history,<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Citation|title=Health system in China|author=David Hipgrave, Yan Mu|year=2018|doi=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8715-3_42}}</ref> mainly because of the socialist government's radical commitment to the elimination of poverty and to improving living conditions of the people; an effort which has brought the elimination of widespread hunger, illiteracy, and ill health, remarkable reduction in chronic undernourishment and child mortality, and a dramatic expansion of longevity.<ref name=":5">Amartya Kumar Sen (2006). ''Perspectives on the Economic and Human Development of India and China''. Universitätsverlag Göttingen. ISBN: 978-3-938616-63-5</ref> Systematic efforts to vaccinate the population against polio, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, scarlet fever, cholera and other diseases were rapid and reputedly successful, virtually eradicating smallpox within the span of only three years.<ref name=":4" />

The land reforms led to the destruction of feudal [[relations of production]] in agriculture, leading to virtually universal access to land and a dramatic reduction in poverty and hunger.<ref name=":3" /> Education also improved dramatically in this period. During the 1950s, investments in primary and secondary school infrastructure increased considerably, and dramatic increases in attendance followed. Primary school enrollment rates rose to 80% by 1958 and to 97% by 1975, and secondary school rates increased to 46% by 1977.<ref name=":4" />

Even though China achieved many positive changes in society, the first generation has experienced problems in their governance, most notably during the [[Great Leap Forward]], which was a colossal failure, contributing to the Great Chinese Famine, which had major long-term effects on health and economic development in China, leading to reduced population height, and having a negative impact on labor supply and earnings of famine survivors.<ref>{{Citation|title=The long-term health and economic consequences of the 1959-1961 famine in China|year=2007|author=Yuyu Chen, Li-An Zhou|publisher=Journal of Health Economics|doi=10.1016/j.jhealeco.2006.12.006}}</ref> Another campaign, the [[Cultural Revolution|Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution]] resulted in overzealous local cadres taking the situation out of control, destroying sites of heritage and recklessly denouncing people in their community.{{Helper}}

===Second Generation (1976–1992)===
The second generation of leadership covers the extent of time that [[Deng Xiaoping]] was influential in Chinese politics. Deng Xiaoping only held two positions of power during this time: Chair of the Central Military Commission of the PRC for 4 years, and Chair of the Central Military Commission of the CPC for 8 years. For the rest of this 16 year long period, Deng Xiaoping held no positions of power but was still considered the most influential figure in Chinese politics. This generation was mainly characterized by the development of [[Socialism with Chinese Characteristics|Socialism with Chinese characteristics]].<ref>''The whole process of the formation of the central collective leadership with Deng Xiaoping as the core''. (Chinese: [http://dangshi.people.com.cn/n/2013/0608/c85037-21793779.html 邓小平为核心的中央领导集体形成始末])</ref>

The reform programs introduced in this period produced impressive results. The Chinese economy saw a rapid expansion in both investment and consumption, rapid rises in both productivity and the wage rate, and rapid increases in job creation, which provided the necessary material conditions for broader social development, including the reconstruction of a publicly-funded healthcare system and acceleration of the process of urbanization.<ref>{{Citation|title=State-owned enterprises in Chinese economic transformation: Institutional functionality and credibility in alternative perspectives|year=2020|author=Dic Lo|publisher=Journal of Economic Issues|doi=10.1080/00213624.2020.1791579}}</ref>

===Third Generation (1992–2002) ===
The third generation of leadership covers the extent of time that [[Jiang Zemin]] was president of the PRC.<ref>''The top priority of the third generation of collective leadership''.(Chinese: [http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/33839/34943/34944/34947/2617549.html 第三代领导集体的当务之急])</ref> It was mainly characterized by Jiang Zemin's political theory known as the [[Three Represents]].<ref>''What is the scientific meaning of "Three Represents"?'' (Chinese:[http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64156/64157/4418474.html “三个代表”的科学含义是什么？])</ref>

The Three Represents theory refers to the following:

#Representing the development trend of China’s advanced productive forces.
#Representing the orientation of China's advanced culture.
#Representing the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people.

=== Fourth Generation (2002–2012)===
The fourth generation of leadership covers the extent of time when [[Hu Jintao]] was the president of the PRC and [[Wen Jiabo]] was premier. It was mainly characterized by Hu Jintao's political theory known as the [[scientific outlook on development]].

===Fifth Generation (2012–present)===
The fifth generation of leadership covers the extent of time that Xi Jinping has been the president of the PRC, and that Li Keqiang has been the premier.<ref>''The fifth generation of collective leadership in China'' (Chinese: [https://www.cqwcsy.com/news/55559/ 中国第五代领导集体])</ref> A key component of Xi's leadership is his administration's ongoing crackdown and cleaning out of CIA and other [[Capital|capitalist]] orgs penetration of the CPC and wider Chinese society. <ref>''China Used Stolen Data To Expose CIA Operatives In Africa And Europe'' [https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/12/21/china-stolen-us-data-exposed-cia-operatives-spy-networks/]</ref>

The biggest project of the fifth generation of leadership has been the [[Belt and Road Initiative]]. Other endeavors made during this generation include the Chinese Space Station, the Two Centennial Goals, and Green Development.

The main political contribution made during the fifth generation has been [[Xi Jinping Thought]] but other contributions have been made such as the [[Core Socialist Values]] and the [[Chinese Dream]].

== Administrative divisions==
[[File:China_administrative_regions.svg|thumb|alt=|Map of China with its administrative divisions at a province-level.]]
China has 34 province-level divisions: 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities directly under the Central Government, and 2 special administrative region.<ref>Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China [https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ljzg_665465/zgjk_665467/3572_665469/t1140993.shtml Administrative Division System]</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!Seat of Government
!Area (100,000 km2)
!Population (100,000)
|-
|Beijing Municipality
|Beijing
|0.168
|125.7
|-
|Tianjin Municipality
|Tianjin
|0.113
|95.9
|-
|Hebei Province
|Shijiazhuang
|1.900
| 661.4
|-
|Shanxi Province
|Taiyuan
|1.560
|320.4
|-
|[[Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region]]
|Hohhot
|11.830
|236.2
|-
|Liaoning Province
|Shenyang
|1.457
|417.1
|-
|Jilin Province
|Changchun
|1.870
| 265.8
|-
|Heilongjiang Province
|Harbin
|4.690
|379.2
|-
|Shanghai Municipality
|Shanghai
|0.062
|147.4
|-
|Jiangsu Province
|Nanjing
|1.026
|721.3
|-
|Zhejiang Province
|Hangzhou
|1.018
|447.5
|-
|Anhui Province
|Hefei
|1.390
|623.7
|-
|Fujian Province
|Fuzhou
|1.200
|331.6
|-
|Jiangxi Province
|Nanchang
|1.666
|423.1
|-
|Shandong Province
|Jinan
|1.530
|888.3
|-
|Henan Province
|Zhengzhou
|1.670
|938.7
|-
|Hubei Province
|Wuhan
|1.874
|593.8
|-
|Hunan Province
|Changsha
|2.100
|653.2
|-
|Guangdong Province
|Guangzhou
|1.860
|727.0
|-
|[[Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region|Guangxi Autonomous Region]]
|Nanning
|2.363
|471.3
|-
|Hainan Province
|Haikou
|0.340
|76.2
|-
|Chongqing Municipality
|Chongqing
|0.820
|307.5
|-
|Sichuan Province
|Chengdu
|4.880
|855.0
|-
|Guizhou Province
|Guiyang
|1.700
|371.0
|-
|Yunnan Province
|Kunming
|3.940
|419.2
|-
|[[Tibet Autonomous Region]]
|Lhasa
|12.200
|25.6
|-
|Shaanxi Province
|Xi'an
|2.050
|361.8
|-
|Gansu Province
|Lanzhou
|4.500
|254.3
|-
|Qinghai Province
|Xining
|7.200
|51.0
|-
|[[Ningxia Autonomous Region]]
|Yinchuan
|0.664
|54.3
|-
|[[Xinjiang Autonomous Region]]
|Urumqi
|16.000
|177.4
|-
|[[Hong Kong Special Administrative Region]]
|Hong Kong
|0.01092
|68.4
|-
|[[Macao Special Administrative Region]]
|Macao
|0.00024
|4.3
|-
|[[Taiwan Province]]
|Taipei (occupied by [[United States imperialism|US imperialists]])
|0.360
|217.4
|}

==Economy==
While this section is under development, here are a few sources for us to take a look:<ref>Sam-Kee Cheng (2020). ''Primitive socialist accumulation in China: An alternative view on the anomalies of Chinese “capitalism”.'' {{Doi|10.1177/0486613419888298}}</ref>

China operates what they call [[Socialism with Chinese Characteristics]] often referred to as Market Socialism by Chinese leaders. In this system, China maintains state ownership of large industries and those that they deem vital to China's security while facilitating a market driven development of medium and small enterprises. Firms that would otherwise be monopolies in China are ran as what is called a State Owned Enterprise (SOE). SOE's often participate in markets and sometimes function much like a private firm with the key difference being China controls strategic resources such as rare earth minerals as well as silicon chips, which are both valuable to high-technology industries.<ref>https://youtu.be/jlShNCKx8rw</ref> The employess of the SOEs are also able to join worker councils, which grant them limited democratic control over their workplace.<ref>https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/china-and-russia-have-workers-councils-but-not-chattanooga/</ref><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/d1u77y/workers_councils_in_china/</ref>

As of May, 2022. The People's Republic of China has a youth unemployment rate of nearly 20%, and an overall unemployment rate that is higher than the [[Statesian]] unemployment rate.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=Trading Economics|title=China Unemployment Rate|date=2022|url=https://tradingeconomics.com/china/unemployment-rate|retrieved=2022-7-9}}</ref>This is high in comparison to the economy of, for example, the [[USSR]], which generally had stable employment opportunities for young workers, and also had an unemployment rate of about 1%.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=1991 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK|title=Soviet Union Economy - 1991|date=1991|url=https://www.theodora.com/wfb1991/soviet_union/soviet_union_economy.html|retrieved=2022-7-9}}</ref>

Although GDP growth was at its peak in the 1960s, China experiences consistent GDP growth, and China outpaces the US in terms of GDP growth.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=macrotrends|title=China GDP Growth Rate 1961-2022|date=2022|url=https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/CHN/china/gdp-growth-rate|retrieved=2022-12-06}}</ref>

=== Mode of production ===
Currently China is in the primary stage of [[socialism]]. This is a stage which is expected to last until the 100th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, and this stage is intended to develop the [[productive forces]] of China to the point where socialism is superior in terms of productivity in contrast to the capitalist mode of production.<ref>{{Citation|author=Deng Xiaoping|year=1987|title=To Uphold Socialism We Must Eliminate Poverty|title-url=https://dengxiaopingworks.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/to-uphold-socialism-we-must-eliminate-poverty/|mia=https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/deng-xiaoping/1987/133.htm}}</ref>

==Governance==

=== Healthcare===
In the Mao period, China built one of the developing world's most robust public healthcare systems, based on rural primary care, barefoot doctors, and regular mass campaigns, known as "patriotic health campaigns." Since the beginning of the reform period, China's healthcare system has gone through a number of phases. After an unfortunate period of regression and privatization, China has spent the last decade making rapid progress towards a new universal healthcare system. A 2020 study in the ''British Medical Journal (BMJ)'' summarizes many of the goals and programs of China's recent health reforms:<blockquote>Priority was given to expanding the scope and health service package of the basic insurance coverage, improving provider payment mechanisms, as well as increasing the financing level, fiscal subsidies and reimbursement rates. [...] The government has increased investment in primary care, with initiatives that include strengthening the infrastructure of primary healthcare (PHC) facilities, expanding human resources for primary care through incentives and supporting projects, establishing a general practitioner system and improving the capacity of PHC personnel through training and education, such as general practice training and continuous medical education programmes. [...] The ‘equalization of basic public health services’ policy implemented the national BPHS programme and the crucial public health service (CPHS) programme. [...] This policy seeks to achieve universal availability and promote a more equitable provision of basic health services to all urban and rural citizens.<ref>Wenjuan Tao, Zhi Zeng, et al. ''Towards universal health coverage: lessons from 10 years of healthcare reform in China.'' BMJ Global Health. {{Doi|10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002086}}</ref></blockquote>The study goes on to note that China has made significant progress towards meeting its reform goals, and building a developed and equitable universal healthcare system:<blockquote>During the past 10 years since the latest round of healthcare reform, China made steady progress in achieving the reform goals and UHC [i.e. universal health coverage].</blockquote>Another paper, also from the ''BMJ,'' summarizes the recent improvements in China's health outcomes, as well as access to, and cost of, healthcare:<blockquote>The results include the following: out-of-pocket expenditures as a percentage of current health expenditures in China have dropped dramatically from 60.13% in 2000 to 35.91% in 2016; the health insurance coverage of the total population jumped from 22.1% in 2003 to 95.1% in 2013; the average life expectancy increased from 72.0 to 76.4, maternal mortality dropped from 59 to 29 per 100 000 live births, the under-5 mortality rate dropped from 36.8 to 9.3 per 1000 live births, and neonatal mortality dropped from 21.4 to 4.7 per 1000 live births between 2000 and 2017; and so on.<ref>Wenjuan Tao, Zhi Zeng, et al. ''Towards universal health coverage: achievements and challenges of 10 years of healthcare reform in China.'' BMJ Global Health. {{Doi|10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002087}}</ref></blockquote>In short, while China's healthcare system is not perfect, it is certainly moving in the right direction. As with many other aspects of China's socialist construction, this provides a model for other developing nations; according to the aforementioned ''BMJ'' study:<blockquote>The lessons learnt from China could help other nations improve UHC in sustainable and adaptive ways, including continued political support, increased health financing and a strong PHC system as basis. The experience of the rapid development of UHC in China can provide a valuable mode for countries (mainly LMICs) planning their own path further on in the UHC journey.</blockquote>This is another benefit of China's rise to prominence on the world stage. China demonstrates to the world that it is possible for a desperately poor country to rise from poverty, develop its economy, and meet the needs of its people.

===Democracy and popular opinion===
Polls conducted by Western researchers have consistently found that the Chinese people have a high level of support for their government, and for the Communist Party. A 2020 analysis by the China Data Lab (based at UC San Diego) found that support for the government has been increasing as of late.<ref>Lei Guang, Margaret Roberts, Yiqing Xu and Jiannan Zhao (2020). ''[http://chinadatalab.ucsd.edu/viz-blog/pandemic-sees-increase-in-chinese-support-for-regime-decrease-in-views-towards-us/ Pandemic sees Increase in Chinese support for regime, decrease in views towards the U.S.]'' China Data Lab.</ref> Similar results were found in a 2016 survey done by Harvard University's Ash Center:<blockquote>The survey team found that compared to public opinion patterns in the U.S., in China there was very high satisfaction with the central government. In 2016, the last year the survey was conducted, 95.5 percent of respondents were either “relatively satisfied” or “highly satisfied” with Beijing. In contrast to these findings, Gallup reported in January of this year that their latest polling on U.S. citizen satisfaction with the American federal government revealed only 38 percent of respondents were satisfied with the federal government.<ref>Dan Harsha (2020). ''[https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/07/long-term-survey-reveals-chinese-government-satisfaction/ Taking China’s pulse].'' The Harvard Gazette.</ref></blockquote>It is worth noting that the Chinese people are significantly less satisfied with local government than they are with the central government. Still, these results disprove the common notion that the Chinese people are ruled by an iron fisted regime that they do not want. Indeed, one official from the Ash Center noted that their findings "run counter to the general idea that these people are marginalized and disfavored by policies." As he states:<blockquote>We tend to forget that for many in China, and in their lived experience of the past four decades, each day was better than the next.</blockquote>In addition, most Chinese people are satisfied with the level of democracy in the PRC. A 2018 study in the ''International Political Science Review'' notes that "surveys suggest that the majority of Chinese people feel satisfied with the level of democracy in China." However, the study notes that "people who hold liberal democratic values" are more likely to be dissatisfied with the state of democracy in China. By contrast, those who hold a "substantive" view of democracy (i.e. one based on the idea that the state should focus on providing for the material needs of the people) are more satisfied.<ref>Yida Zhai (2018). ''Popular conceptions of democracy and democratic satisfaction in China''. International Political Science Review. {{Doi|10.1177/0192512118757128}}</ref>

While the Chinese government contains authoritarian elements, it also has elements of genuine democracy. An example of this may be found in the National People's Congress, China's primary legislative body. While Western media has typically labeled the NPC as a simple rubberstamping body for the Central Committee, the facts indicate that this is not entirely true. A 2016 study in the ''Journal of Legislative Studies'' found that the NPC "is no longer a minimal or ‘rubber-stamp’ legislature," noting that "the NPC does play an important role in the whole political system, especially in legislation, though the NPC has typically been under the control of China's Communist Party."<ref>{{Citation|title=Is the label ‘minimal legislature’ still appropriate? The role of the National People's Congress in China's political system|year=2016|author=Wenbo Chen|publisher=The Journal of Legislative Studies|doi=10.1080/13572334.2015.1134909}}</ref>

Many of the other claims surrounding authoritarianism in China are highly overblown, to say the least. For instance, an [https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/11/16/chinas-orwellian-social-credit-score-isnt-real/ article] in ''Foreign Policy'' (the most orthodox of liberal policy journals) notes that the Chinese [[Social Credit System|social credit system]] was massively exaggerated and distorted in Western media. An [https://www.wired.com/story/china-social-credit-score-system/ article] in the publication ''Wired'' discusses how many of these overblown perceptions came to be. None of this is to suggest that China is a perfect democracy, with zero flaws; it certainly has issues relating to transparency, treatment of prisoners, etc. That being said, it is far from the [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] nightmare that [[Imperialism|imperialist]] media generally depicts it as being.

===Public ownership===
Contrary to the popular perception that China's growth has been the result of a transition to capitalism, the evidence shows that public ownership continues to play a key growth-driving role in the PRC's economy. According to the aforementioned 2020 study in the ''Review of Radical Political Economics'', "strategic industries, which Lenin called 'the commanding heights of economy,' are still state-owned and have played a very important role in China’s economic development."<ref>{{Citation|title=Primitive Socialist Accumulation in China: An Alternative View on the Anomalies of Chinese “Capitalism”|volume=52|year=2020|page=693–715|series=Review of Radical Political Economics|author=Sam-Kee Cheng|publisher=SAGE Publishing|doi=10.1177/0486613419888298}}</ref> The author notes that "after decades of market reform, China’s state sector, rather than disappearing or being marginalized, has become a leader in strategic sectors and the driver of its investment-led growth." To learn more, we would recommend the book ''The Basic Economic System of China'', which goes into this issue in much more depth.<ref>{{Citation|isbn=978-981-13-6895-0|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=07DE5CA4B3F3C14139975D1A9D668FC8|author=Changhong Pei, Chunxue Yang, Xinming Yang|year=2019|title=The Basic Economic System of China.|publisher=Springer Singapore|series=China Governance System Research Series|doi=10.1007/978-981-13-6895-0}}</ref>

===Growth and poverty reduction===
According to a 2019 report from Philip Alston (UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights):<blockquote>China’s achievements in alleviating extreme poverty in recent years, and in meeting highly ambitious targets for improving social well-being, have been extraordinary. [...] Over the past three decades, and with particular speed in recent years, China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. This is a staggering achievement and is a credit to those responsible.<ref>{{Web citation|title=End-of-mission statement on China, by Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights|date=2016-9-23|author=Professor Philip Alston|newspaper=UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)|title-url=https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20402}}</ref></blockquote>Similarly, a 2020 study in the ''China Economic Review'' notes that income growth has been "widely shared nationwide," resulting in "substantial, ongoing rural poverty reduction" throughout the country. A major milestone was reached with the recent announcement (acknowledged in Western media outlets, such as CNN) that the last poverty-stricken counties in China have been delisted, "leaving no county in a state of absolute poverty countrywide."<ref>{{Citation|title=The long-term evolution of national income inequality and rural poverty in China|year=2020|author=Chuliang Luo, Shi Li, Terry Sicular|publisher=China Economic Review|doi=10.1016/j.chieco.2020.101465|lg=https://libgen.rs/scimag/10.1016%2Fj.chieco.2020.101465}}</ref>

Malnutrition has continued to decline massively in China over the last several decades. According to the University of Oxford's Our World in Data project, China now has a lower rate of death from malnutrition than the United States,<ref>Our World in Data. ''[https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/malnutrition-death-rates?tab=chart&country=CHN~USA Death rate from malnutrition, 1990 to 2017].''</ref> as well as a lower rate of extreme poverty, despite having a significantly lower GDP-per-capita.<ref>Our World in Data. ''[https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-living-in-extreme-poverty?tab=chart&time=1990..latest&country=CHN~USA&region=World Share of the population living in extreme poverty, 1990 to 2016]''</ref>

Economic growth has also increased dramatically. According to a study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, "reforms yielded a significant growth and structural transformation differential. GDP growth is 4.2 percentage points higher and the share of the labor force in agriculture is 23.9 percentage points lower compared with the continuation of the pre-1978 policies."<ref>{{Citation|title=The Economy of People’s Republic of China from 1953|year=2015|author=Anton Cheremukhin, Mikhail Golosov, Sergei Guriev, Aleh Tsyvinski|publisher=National Bureau of Economic Research|doi=10.3386/w21397}}</ref>

=== Foreign relations ===
In 2021, China signed a 25-year cooperation agreement with the [[Islamic Republic of Iran]].<ref name=":8" />

== Criticism==

===Bourgeois influence in trade unions===
The main [[trade union]] federation in China, the [[All-China Federation of Trade Unions]] (ACFTU), up until 2011 historically attended to the interests of capital.<ref>{{Citation|author=Ruixue Bai|year=2011|title=The role of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions: implications for Chinese workers today|page=23|quote=Despite apparent reforms, many enterprise unions remain heavily dominated or controlled by management. An additional potential problem is that even where the direct election of a worker to the position of union chair has taken place, the worker has then become a cadre, removed from the position of an ordinary worker, and begun to enjoy the beneﬁts, for instance a ﬂat and a car, and same status of a deputy director. There is thus still a distance between the elected chair and the workers.|doi=10.1111/j.1743-4580.2010.00318.x|series=Journal of Labor and Society|volume=14, no. 1}}</ref> In 2006, Wal-Mart decided to allow workers to unionize in China. The company's spokesman declared that "The [ACFTU] is fundamentally different from unions in the West... The union has made it clear that its goal is to work with employers, not promote confrontation."<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=China Daily|title=Wal-Mart to allow workers to join unions in China|date=2008-08-11|url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-08/11/content_662901.htm}}</ref>

==Debunking myths==

=== "Imperialism" and the Belt and Road Initiative===
China is often accused of being an "imperialist" state, due primarily to its investments in [[Africa]], as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. These critics ignore the actual views of the African people themselves, who overwhelmingly approve of China's role in their economic development.<ref>{{Web citation|title=Africans approve of China, says Afrobarometer|publisher=Deutsche Welle|date=2016|url=https://www.dw.com/en/africans-approve-of-china-says-afrobarometer/a-36214106}}</ref> In addition, the extent of Chinese involvement in Africa is smaller than often believed; according to a 2019 paper from the Center for Economic Policy Research, "China’s influence in Africa is much smaller than is generally believed, though its engagement on the continent is increasing. Chinese investment in Africa, while less extensive than often assumed, has the potential to generate jobs and development on the continent."<ref>{{Citation|title=Chinese investment in Africa: How much do we know?|author=Deborah Brautigam, Xinshen Diao, Margaret McMillan, Jed Silver|publisher=Private Enterprise Development in Low Income Countries|title-url=https://pedl.cepr.org/publications/chinese-investment-africa-how-much-do-we-know-0|series=Policy Insight Series|pdf=https://pedl.cepr.org/sites/default/files/PEDL%20Policy%20Insights%20Series%20-%20No.3_0.pdf}}</ref>

A 2018 study in the ''Review of Development Finance'' also found that Chinese investment in Africa raises incomes in the African nations that receive the investment, in a similar way to foreign investments by other nations. The author state that these results "suggest that the win-win deal China claims when investing in Africa may hold, and Chinese investment contributes to growth in Africa. Put differently, Chinese investment is mutually beneficial for both China and Africa."<ref>{{Citation|title=On the importance of Chinese investment in Africa.|year=2018|author=Ficawoyi Donou-Adonsou, Sokchea Lim|publisher=Review of Development Finance|doi=10.1016/j.rdf.2018.05.003}}</ref>

Despite the Western media accusing China of "debt trap diplomacy," China gives loans at low interest rates and often allows countries to restructure or even never repay loans, unlike the [[Neocolonialism|neocolonial]] [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]].<ref name=":9">{{Web citation|author=Amanda Yee|newspaper=[[Liberation News]]|title=Why Chinese ‘debt trap diplomacy’ is a lie|date=2022-12-19|url=https://www.liberationnews.org/why-chinese-debt-trap-diplomacy-is-a-lie/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220062314/https://www.liberationnews.org/why-chinese-debt-trap-diplomacy-is-a-lie/|archive-date=2022-12-20|retrieved=2022-12-23}}</ref> China has forgiven tens of billions of dollars of debt held by African countries.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Shang Guan Jie Wen|newspaper=China and the New World|title=China Forgives Tens of Billions of Dollars in Debt for Africa|date=2022-02-23|url=https://chinaandthenewworld.wordpress.com/2022/02/23/china-forgives-debt-in-africa-in-massive-amounts/|archive-url=https://web.archiRemove.org/web/20220223061528/https://chinaandthenewworld.wordpress.com/2022/02/23/china-forgives-debt-in-africa-in-massive-amounts/|archive-date=2022-02-23|retrieved=2022-05-10}}</ref> It has also forgiven 23 interest-free loans to 17 different countries.<ref name=":9" />

The economist [[Yanis Varoufakis]] discussed the topic in a recent lecture given at the Cambridge forum. He helpfully debunks a number of myths on the matter.

===Abandoning of Marxism===
[[File:Marx_poster_in_Beijing.jpg|thumb|A poster in Beijing that reads "Never forget our roots. Marxism was here in China's early days"|alt=]]
In 2020, Xi Jinping gave a speech to the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, in which he made clear the continued importance that the CPC places on Marxist political economy. To quote:<blockquote>Marxist political economy is an important component of Marxism, and required learning for our efforts to uphold and develop Marxism. [...] There are people who believe Marxist political economy and ''Das Kapital'' are obsolete, but this is an arbitrary and erroneous judgment. Setting aside more distant events and looking at just the period since the global financial crisis, we can see that many capitalist countries have remained in an economic slump, with serious unemployment problems, intensifying polarization, and deepening social divides. The facts tell us that the contradictions between the socialization of production and the private possession of the means of production still exist, but they are manifested in ways and show characteristics that are somewhat different.<ref>{{Citation|title=Opening up new frontiers for Marxist political economy in contemporary China|year=2015|author=Xi Jinping|publisher=Qiushi Journal|title-url=https://en.qstheory.cn/2020-11/08/c_560906.htm|trans-lang=Chinese}}</ref></blockquote>He goes on to list a number of principles guiding the implementation of Marxist political economy in the PRC:<blockquote>First, we must uphold a people-centered approach to development. Development is for the people; this is the fundamental position of Marxist political economy. [...] Second, we must uphold the new development philosophy. Third, we must uphold and improve our basic socialist economic system. According to Marxist political economy, ownership of the means of production is the core of the relations of production, and this determines a society's fundamental nature and the orientation of its development. Since reform and opening up... we have stressed the importance of continuing to make public ownership the mainstay while allowing ownership of other forms to develop side by side, and made it clear that both the public and non-public sectors are important components of the socialist market economy as well as crucial foundations for our nation's economic and social development. [...] Fourth, we must uphold and improve our basic socialist distribution system. [...] Fifth, we must uphold reforms to develop the socialist market economy. [...] Sixth, we must uphold the fundamental national policy of opening up.</blockquote>From this, it should be quite clear that Marxism (specifically Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought) retains a dominant role in the People's Republic of China, serving as the guiding ideology of the Communist Party.

=== LGBT rights===
''See also: [[LGBT rights and issues in AES countries#People's Republic of China]]''

[[LGBT+|Same-sex relationships]] are legal in China, although same-sex marriage and adoption are not currently legal. Same-sex couple married overseas can be named as each other’s “legal guardians”, a status considered fairly similar to a civil union.<ref>Phoebe Zhang (2021-12-21). [https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3114633/lgbtq-people-china-picture-mixed-global-report-finds "For LGBTQ people in China the picture is mixed, global report finds, with some legal protections but barriers to freedom of expression"] ''South China Morning Post''.</ref> Transgender individuals are legally allowed to receive healthcare and may legally change their gender marker after receiving sexual reassignment surgery. In recent years, transgender treatment facilities have become more available in China, including the opening of a clinic for the treatment of transgender minors in 2021, with both psychological help and hormone treatment available.<ref>Zhang Wanqing and Li Jiaru. (2021-11-08) [https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008904/chinas-first-clinic-for-trans-youth-a-good-step%2C-advocates-say- "China’s First Clinic for Trans Youth a ‘Good Step,’ Advocates Say."] Sixth Tone.</ref>

Professor Li Yinhe of the Institute of Sociology under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was quoted in a [[China Global Television Network|CGTN]] article as saying that the biggest challenge for the LGBT community in China is not anything imposed by law, but rather family pressure stemming from the "deep-rooted culture" that places high priority on family values and especially an emphasis on carrying on the family line.<ref>[https://news.cgtn.com/news/3163444d7a677a6333566d54/index.html "LGBT in China: Changes and Challenges"] (22-Jan-2018). ''CGTN''.</ref>

According to a 2020 report published in BMC Public Health, "For member of the Chinese LGBT community, the greatest source of pressure to conform to societal norms of sexuality and identity comes from family members—particularly parents." The report also found that "a higher level of economic development in provinces was associated with a decrease in discrimination, and we identified that every 100 thousand RMB increase in per capita GDP lead to a 6.4% decrease in discriminatory events perpetrated by heterosexuals" and that "The prevalence of this discrimination is associated with the economic development of the province in which it occurs."<ref>Wang, Yuanyuan, Zhishan Hu, Ke Peng, Joanne Rechdan, Yuan Yang, Lijuan Wu, Ying Xin, et al. [https://d-nb.info/1214031323/34 “Mapping out a Spectrum of the Chinese Public’s Discrimination toward the LGBT Community: Results from a National Survey.”] ''BMC Public Health'' 20, no. 1 (May 12, 2020). <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08834-y</nowiki>. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221010062927/https://d-nb.info/1214031323/34 Archived] 2022-10-10.</ref>

The 2021 short documentary film "A Day of Trans" (Chinese: 跨越性别的一天) explores the lived experiences of four Chinese transgender individuals across three generations, exploring their professional career paths, community involvement, social barriers, and their unique approaches to life as transgender individuals across the generations. It is directed by Yennefer Fang, a Chinese transgender independent filmmaker. It follows Liu Peilin, who was born in 1956, and started identify as a woman in her 40s. It also follows Mr. C, a 35-year-old transgender man, who became the public face in the fight for job equality in China in 2016 and who won a court case against his employer for discrimination for his gender identity. Finally, it follows two transgender artists who grew up during China's rapid economic growth. Fang said that she tries to observe the status of transgender people from an internal perspective and tries to dispel misconceptions through the documentary, including the perception that "transgenderism" is a contemporary, white, or bourgeois term.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY1L1p29vuc "A Day of Trans 跨越性别的一天".] Yennefer Fang, Yennefer Fang Studios. YouTube. [https://web.archive.org/web/20211128114433/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY1L1p29vuc Archived] 2021-11-28.</ref><ref>Ji Yuqiao. [https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202111/1239389.shtml “New Documentary ‘a Day of Trans’ Explores Experiences of Three Generations of Chinese Transgender Persons."] Global Times. November 19, 2021. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220927204956/https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202111/1239389.shtml Archived] 2022-09-17.</ref>

==References==

<references />
[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Marxist-Leninist states]]
[[Category:People's Republic of China]]
[[Category:Targets of bourgeois media]]
[[Category:Countries targeted by imperialist aggression]]
[[Category:Asian countries]]

People's Republic of China

2023-02-03T04:12:53Z

Fernleaf: India has just recently taken over China in terms of population

{{Infobox country
| name = People's Republic of China
| native_name = 中华人民共和国 Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó
| image_coat = National Emblem of the People's Republic of China.svg
| image_flag = Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
| symbol_type = National Emblem
| image_map = Orthographic map of China.svg
| map_width = 220px
| capital = [[Beijing]]
| largest_city = Chongqing
| government_type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Marxist-Leninist]] people's republic
| established_event1 = Unification of China by Qin Shi Huang
| established_date1 = 221 BCE
| established_event2 = Founding of the Yuan Dynasty
| established_date2 = 1271 November 5
| population_estimate = 1,463,140,000
| population_estimate_year = 2020
|labour_force=784 million<ref name="statista">Statista. ''[https://www.statista.com/statistics/251380/number-of-employed-persons-in-china/#:~:text=The%20labor%20force%20of%20China,were%20working%20in%20rural%20areas.]''</ref>|unemployment=5.5%|labour_force_participation=48.07%|labour_occupation=53.3% services 39.4% industry 7.3% agriculture<ref name="investopedia">Investopedia. ''[https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/103114/chinas-gdp-examined-servicesector-surge.asp#:~:text=The%20industry%20sector%2C%20which%20includes,reflecting%20the%20growth%20of%20services.]''</ref>| leader_title1 = President and [[General Secretary of the People's Republic of China|General Secretary]]
| leader_name1 = [[Xi Jinping]]
| leader_title3 = [[Premier of the People's Republic of China|Premier]]
| leader_name3 = [[Li Keqiang]]
| leader_title2 = Vice President
| leader_name2 = [[Wang Qishan]]
|established_date3=1949 October 1|established_event3=Establishment of the People's Republic of China|mode_of_production=[[Socialism]]}}
'''China''', officially the '''People's Republic of China''' ('''PRC'''), is a [[Socialism|socialist]] country in [[East Asia]].<ref>{{Web citation|title=Western experts should understand China’s building of socialism from China’s perspective|url=https://socialistchina.org/2022/01/16/western-experts-should-understand-chinas-building-of-socialism-from-chinas-perspective/|newspaper=[[Friends of Socialist China]]|date=2022-01-16}}</ref> It is the world's second most populous country, just after [[India]], with a population of around 1.4 billion in 2019. It is led by the [[Communist Party of China]] (CPC).

The Chinese constitution states that the PRC "is a [[socialist state]] under the [[people's democratic dictatorship]] led by the [[Proletariat|working class]] and based on the alliance of workers and [[Peasantry|peasants]]" and that the state organs "apply the principle of [[democratic centralism]]."<ref name=":0">Constitution of the People's Republic of China ([https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/China_2018.pdf?lang=en PDF in English])</ref> Over 95% of the Chinese population supports its government.<ref name=":8">{{Web citation|author=Nia Frome|newspaper=[[Red Sails]]|title=China Has Billionaires|date=2021-04-05|url=https://redsails.org/china-has-billionaires/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129030202/https://redsails.org/china-has-billionaires/|archive-date=2022-11-29|retrieved=2022-12-06}}</ref>

The People's Republic of China is one of only five [[Socialism|socialist]] states in the world today (alongside [[Republic of Cuba|Cuba]], [[Lao People's Democratic Republic|Laos]], [[Democratic People's Republic of Korea|People's Korea]] and [[Socialist Republic of Vietnam|Vietnam]]). Over the last few years it has emerged as the world's leading economic power, and as a result has been subjected to near-constant demonization from [[Bourgeois media|Western media]] and propaganda outlets.<ref>{{Citation|title-url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/10/06/unfavorable-views-of-china-reach-historic-highs-in-many-countries/|title=Unfavorable views of China reach historic highs in many countries|year=2020|author=Laura Silver, Kat Devlin and Christine Huang|publisher=Pew Research Center|pdf=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/10/PG_2020.10.06_Global-Views-China_FINAL.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Web citation|title=Categorically Debunking the Claim that China is Imperialist|author=Rainer Shea|newspaper=[[Orinoco Tribune]]|url=https://orinocotribune.com/catagorically-debunking-the-claim-that-china-is-imperialist/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128110445/https://orinocotribune.com/catagorically-debunking-the-claim-that-china-is-imperialist/|archive-date=2021-11-28}}</ref>

== History ==
In accordance with [[historical materialism]], Chinese history can be divided into [[Primitive communism|primitive]], [[Slavery|slave]], and [[Feudalism|feudal]] eras. Modern Chinese historians do not, however, use the terms "capitalist era" or "socialist era." This is because the capitalist period of Chinese history fits into the broader New-Democratic Revolution period (1919–1949). The socialist era, which began in 1956, is likewise not considered an era of Chinese history but instead is considered part of the People's Republic period (1949–).<ref name=":1">Bai Shouyi (2008). ''An outline history of China.'' Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. ISBN 9787119052960</ref>

=== Early history ===

==== Antiquity ====
China's recorded history goes back more than 3,200 years. Before the unification of China under the [[Qin dynasty (221 BCE–206 BCE)|Qin]] and [[Han dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE)|Han]] dynasties, a class of warriors controlled the land and collected tribute. Most economic activity was self-sufficient but there was some high-value trade organized by royal courts. Literate administrative officials were awarded with land grants that became hereditary property. The monarch retained ultimate ownership of all land.<ref name=":7">{{News citation|author=Ken Hammond|newspaper=[[Liberation School]]|title=Beyond the sprouts of capitalism: China’s early capitalist development and contemporary socialist project|date=2021-09-13|url=https://www.liberationschool.org/beyond-the-sprouts-of-capitalism-understanding-chinas-contemporary-socialist-project/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428004222/https://www.liberationschool.org/beyond-the-sprouts-of-capitalism-understanding-chinas-contemporary-socialist-project/|archive-date=2022-04-28|retrieved=2022-07-25}}</ref>

==== Imperial China ====
China transitioned from slavery to feudalism under the [[Zhou dynasty (1046 BCE–256 BCE)|Zhou]] and Qin dynasties, when government officials built up large land holdings. Under feudalism, almost all land was owned by the emperor, nobility, and landlords. Peasants had to give half or more of their crop to the landowners and landlords could abuse or kill peasants at will. Small landholders who farmed land distributed to them by the emperor also existed in this period. Exchange did not have an important role in the economy during this period.<ref>{{Citation|author=Mao Zedong|year=1939|title=The Chinese Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party|chapter=Chinese Society|section=The Old Feudal Society|mia=https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-2/mswv2_23.htm}}</ref> The number and location of markets were restricted and they were strictly controlled by the emperor.

In imperial China, government officials were recruited based on recommendations from serving officials, allowing aristocratic families to stay in power for generations. The Han dynasty collapsed in 220 CE and China was reunified under the [[Sui dynasty (581–618)|Sui]] and [[Tang dynasty (618–907)|Tang]] dynasties. The An Lushan rebellion from 755 to 763 weakened the Tang dynasty and reduced restrictions on markets. Peasants attacked estates and burned papers documenting the status of aristocrats. In 907, the Tang dynasty collapsed and several small states fought for power until the Zhao brothers established the [[Song dynasty (960–1279)|Song dynasty]] in 960.

Under the Song dynasty, a landed gentry emerged that outnumbered the nobility working for the emperor. Markets expanded and connected China to global trade networks. In the 12th century, the Jurchen invaded northern China and established their own dynasty, while the Song continued to rule in the south. The [[Great Mongol Nation (1206–1368)|Mongol Empire]] invaded China in the 13th century and established the Mongol-led [[Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)|Yuan dynasty]]. The Mongols engaged in international trade, but their anti-commercial policies reduced domestic commerce.

The Yuan dynasty was overthrown in 1368 after being weakened by disease and rebellions and the [[Ming dynasty (1368–1644)|Ming dynasty]] was founded. The first Ming emperor opposed the merchants and promoted a society based on agriculture and self-sufficiency. In 1644, the Manchus overthrew the Ming dynasty and established the [[Qing dynasty (1636–1912)|Qing dynasty]]. In 1793, the [[Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1801)|British]] sent a diplomatic mission to China to establish trade relations. The Qianlong emperor agreed to open a port for the British at Guangzhou but refused to give them access to all of China's ports.<ref name=":7" />

===Semi-colonial and semi-feudal society (1840–1949)===
The era of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society was divided into two parts: The Old Democratic Revolution, which began with the [[First Opium War]] in 1840 and ended with the May 4th Movement in 1919, and the New Democratic Revolution, which lasted until the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. This 109-year period is also know as the "century of humiliation".<ref name=":1" />

==== Old Democratic Revolution period (1840–1919) ====
[[File:Battle of Sanyuanli.png|thumb|Depiction of Chinese and [[British]] forces fighting in the First Opium War]]
The Old Democratic Revolution was a period of establishing western "democracy" and dismantling feudalism, which is where it gets its name from. Rather than being a revolutionary movement by the people of China, it was a revolutionary change caused by the invasion and occupation of China by western powers. It began with the First Opium War when the feudal [[Qing dynasty]] tried to restrict the drug trade of opium in China. The United Kingdom, and later the United States of America, responded by declaring war on China.<ref name=":1" />

The conditions during this occupation were terrible. Notably in the British settlement of Shanghai, signboards were hung up outside parks prohibiting Chinese and dogs inside. The occupying powers forced local Chinese to carry them from place to place, and they also engaged in foot-binding.<ref name=":1" />

==== New Democratic Revolution period (1919–1949) ====
The New Democratic Revolution was a revolution by the people of China against the weak Qing dynasty and the occupying Western powers. It is known as a democratic revolution because it still accepted the basic ideology of Western [[capitalism]], but it was different in that it rejected [[colonialism]] and was fought by the people themselves. This revolution successfully brought down the Qing dynasty and established the [[Republic of China]], but this state was even weaker than the Qing dynasty and most of the country was now ruled by warlords.<ref name=":1" />

At that time, China was one of the poorest societies in the world, plagued by starvation and feudal oppression. The vast majority of the population was engaged in subsistence agriculture, and a survey on the causes of death conducted in 1929-31 revealed that more than half of all deaths were caused by infectious diseases.<ref name=":2">David Hipgrave (2011). [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3484775/ ''Communicable disease control in China: From Mao to now'']. Journal of Global Health.</ref> Famines were widespread and severe periods of hunger were lived by many Chinese peasants. During this period, China also suffered from illiteracy and high inequality. Estimates from this period suggest that, landlords and rich peasants taken together typically owned upward of half the land even though their share in the population typically did not exceed 10 percent. Poor peasants and agricultural labourers who owned little to no land formed the majority of the population.<ref name=":3">Robin Burgess (2005). ''Mao's legacy: Access to land and hunger in Modern China''. The London School of Economics and Political Science. ([http://econ.lse.ac.uk/staff/rburgess/wp/land3.pdf PDF link])</ref>

Educational standards during this period were terrible, if not inexistent. In 1949, more than 80 per cent of China's population was illiterate. Enrollment rates in primary and middle schools were abysmal: 20 and 6 per cent, respectively.<ref name=":4">Kimberly Singer Babiarz, Karen Eggleston, Grant Miller & Qiong Zhang (2015). [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4331212/ An exploration of China's mortality decline under Mao: A provincial analysis, 1950–80]. </ref> In addition, women's rights were highly curtailed and patriarchal norms were widespread, and this culture kept growing as [[Kuomintang]] rule took root in the Taiwan province.<ref>{{Citation|title=Women under Kuomintang rule: Variations on the feminine mystique|author=Norma Diamond|year=1975|doi=10.1177/009770047500100101|publisher=University of Michigan}}</ref>

In 1925, the [[Empire of Japan]] and the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|U.K.]] sent troops to assist warlords in northern China. In 1926, the Northern Expeditionary Army of the CPC and Kuomintang defeated the warlords in Hebei province. On 1927 March 27, workers established a commune in [[Shanghai]], which was crushed by [[Chiang Kai-shek]] when the Kuomintang turned against the CPC. At this point, the CPC organized an uprising of 30,000 led by [[Zhou Enlai]] and [[Zhu De]] against the nationalist forces. In October 1927, Mao was sent to [[Hunan]] and organized the first revolutionary base in the Jinggang Mountains. Zhu De joined Mao's forces and they repelled three attacks from the Kuomintang between 1928 and 1931. The [[Chinese Red Army]] soon grew to 100,000 people.<ref name=":6">{{Web citation|newspaper=Banned Thought|title=Remembering the Chinese Revolution|url=https://www.bannedthought.net/India/PeoplesMarch/PM1999-2006/publications/50%20years/part1.htm|retrieved=2022-05-14}}</ref>

On 1931 September 18, Japanese forces attacked the northeastern city of [[Shenyang]]. The Kuomintang's army withdrew from the area and did not resist the Japanese. In 1932, a nationalist army of 500,000 was defeated by the Red Army. In October 1933, Chiang Kai-shek mustered a force of a million troops, forcing the CPC and Red Army to flee west to [[Zunyi]] in the [[Long March]]. At the party conference in Zunyi in 1935, Mao's military line was established and [[Opportunism|opportunists]] were removed from power. By the end of the Long March, the Red Army's forces had dropped from 300,000 to 30,000.<ref name=":6" />

===First Generation (1949–1976)===
[[File:Build a new China poster.png|thumb|250x250px|"Build a new China and make a great effort to forge ahead'''.'''"]]
The first generation of leadership covers the extent of time that [[Zhou Enlai]] was the premier of the PRC. Mao Zedong was extremely influential in Chinese politics at this time, but he held the office Chairman of the PRC for only 9 years. For the rest of this 27 year long period, Mao Zedong was the General Secretary of the CPC. This generation was mainly characterized by Mao Zedong's political theory now known as [[Mao Zedong Thought]].<ref>''The historic contribution made by the first generation of the party's central collective leadership to the creation of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era'' (Chinese: [http://dangshi.people.com.cn/n/2013/1128/c85037-23683646.html 党的第一代中央领导集体为新时期开创中国特色社会主义所作的历史性贡献])</ref>

The first generation marks the founding of the People's Republic of China, an event captured on film.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvgLUGRhuwU Mao Zedong 毛泽东 declares the Peoples' Republic of China 1949]. YouTube. Retrieved 27 May 2021.</ref> The newly victorious socialist government promoted remarkable changes in Chinese society: establishing land reform, providing equal rights for women, seeing through campaigns for disease prevention and decreasing infant mortality.<ref name=":2" /> During this period, China's growth in life expectancy ranks as among the most rapid sustained increases in documented global history,<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Citation|title=Health system in China|author=David Hipgrave, Yan Mu|year=2018|doi=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8715-3_42}}</ref> mainly because of the socialist government's radical commitment to the elimination of poverty and to improving living conditions of the people; an effort which has brought the elimination of widespread hunger, illiteracy, and ill health, remarkable reduction in chronic undernourishment and child mortality, and a dramatic expansion of longevity.<ref name=":5">Amartya Kumar Sen (2006). ''Perspectives on the Economic and Human Development of India and China''. Universitätsverlag Göttingen. ISBN: 978-3-938616-63-5</ref> Systematic efforts to vaccinate the population against polio, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, scarlet fever, cholera and other diseases were rapid and reputedly successful, virtually eradicating smallpox within the span of only three years.<ref name=":4" />

The land reforms led to the destruction of feudal [[relations of production]] in agriculture, leading to virtually universal access to land and a dramatic reduction in poverty and hunger.<ref name=":3" /> Education also improved dramatically in this period. During the 1950s, investments in primary and secondary school infrastructure increased considerably, and dramatic increases in attendance followed. Primary school enrollment rates rose to 80% by 1958 and to 97% by 1975, and secondary school rates increased to 46% by 1977.<ref name=":4" />

Even though China achieved many positive changes in society, the first generation has experienced problems in their governance, most notably during the [[Great Leap Forward]], which was a colossal failure, contributing to the Great Chinese Famine, which had major long-term effects on health and economic development in China, leading to reduced population height, and having a negative impact on labor supply and earnings of famine survivors.<ref>{{Citation|title=The long-term health and economic consequences of the 1959-1961 famine in China|year=2007|author=Yuyu Chen, Li-An Zhou|publisher=Journal of Health Economics|doi=10.1016/j.jhealeco.2006.12.006}}</ref> Another campaign, the [[Cultural Revolution|Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution]] resulted in overzealous local cadres taking the situation out of control, destroying sites of heritage and recklessly denouncing people in their community.{{Helper}}

===Second Generation (1976–1992)===
The second generation of leadership covers the extent of time that [[Deng Xiaoping]] was influential in Chinese politics. Deng Xiaoping only held two positions of power during this time: Chair of the Central Military Commission of the PRC for 4 years, and Chair of the Central Military Commission of the CPC for 8 years. For the rest of this 16 year long period, Deng Xiaoping held no positions of power but was still considered the most influential figure in Chinese politics. This generation was mainly characterized by the development of [[Socialism with Chinese Characteristics|Socialism with Chinese characteristics]].<ref>''The whole process of the formation of the central collective leadership with Deng Xiaoping as the core''. (Chinese: [http://dangshi.people.com.cn/n/2013/0608/c85037-21793779.html 邓小平为核心的中央领导集体形成始末])</ref>

The reform programs introduced in this period produced impressive results. The Chinese economy saw a rapid expansion in both investment and consumption, rapid rises in both productivity and the wage rate, and rapid increases in job creation, which provided the necessary material conditions for broader social development, including the reconstruction of a publicly-funded healthcare system and acceleration of the process of urbanization.<ref>{{Citation|title=State-owned enterprises in Chinese economic transformation: Institutional functionality and credibility in alternative perspectives|year=2020|author=Dic Lo|publisher=Journal of Economic Issues|doi=10.1080/00213624.2020.1791579}}</ref>

===Third Generation (1992–2002) ===
The third generation of leadership covers the extent of time that [[Jiang Zemin]] was president of the PRC.<ref>''The top priority of the third generation of collective leadership''.(Chinese: [http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/33839/34943/34944/34947/2617549.html 第三代领导集体的当务之急])</ref> It was mainly characterized by Jiang Zemin's political theory known as the [[Three Represents]].<ref>''What is the scientific meaning of "Three Represents"?'' (Chinese:[http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64156/64157/4418474.html “三个代表”的科学含义是什么？])</ref>

The Three Represents theory refers to the following:

#Representing the development trend of China’s advanced productive forces.
#Representing the orientation of China's advanced culture.
#Representing the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people.

=== Fourth Generation (2002–2012)===
The fourth generation of leadership covers the extent of time when [[Hu Jintao]] was the president of the PRC and [[Wen Jiabo]] was premier. It was mainly characterized by Hu Jintao's political theory known as the [[scientific outlook on development]].

===Fifth Generation (2012–present)===
The fifth generation of leadership covers the extent of time that Xi Jinping has been the president of the PRC, and that Li Keqiang has been the premier.<ref>''The fifth generation of collective leadership in China'' (Chinese: [https://www.cqwcsy.com/news/55559/ 中国第五代领导集体])</ref> A key component of Xi's leadership is his administration's ongoing crackdown and cleaning out of CIA and other [[Capital|capitalist]] orgs penetration of the CPC and wider Chinese society. <ref>''China Used Stolen Data To Expose CIA Operatives In Africa And Europe'' [https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/12/21/china-stolen-us-data-exposed-cia-operatives-spy-networks/]</ref>

The biggest project of the fifth generation of leadership has been the [[Belt and Road Initiative]]. Other endeavors made during this generation include the Chinese Space Station, the Two Centennial Goals, and Green Development.

The main political contribution made during the fifth generation has been [[Xi Jinping Thought]] but other contributions have been made such as the [[Core Socialist Values]] and the [[Chinese Dream]].

== Administrative divisions==
[[File:China_administrative_regions.svg|thumb|alt=|Map of China with its administrative divisions at a province-level.]]
China has 34 province-level divisions: 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities directly under the Central Government, and 2 special administrative region.<ref>Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China [https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ljzg_665465/zgjk_665467/3572_665469/t1140993.shtml Administrative Division System]</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!Seat of Government
!Area (100,000 km2)
!Population (100,000)
|-
|Beijing Municipality
|Beijing
|0.168
|125.7
|-
|Tianjin Municipality
|Tianjin
|0.113
|95.9
|-
|Hebei Province
|Shijiazhuang
|1.900
| 661.4
|-
|Shanxi Province
|Taiyuan
|1.560
|320.4
|-
|[[Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region]]
|Hohhot
|11.830
|236.2
|-
|Liaoning Province
|Shenyang
|1.457
|417.1
|-
|Jilin Province
|Changchun
|1.870
| 265.8
|-
|Heilongjiang Province
|Harbin
|4.690
|379.2
|-
|Shanghai Municipality
|Shanghai
|0.062
|147.4
|-
|Jiangsu Province
|Nanjing
|1.026
|721.3
|-
|Zhejiang Province
|Hangzhou
|1.018
|447.5
|-
|Anhui Province
|Hefei
|1.390
|623.7
|-
|Fujian Province
|Fuzhou
|1.200
|331.6
|-
|Jiangxi Province
|Nanchang
|1.666
|423.1
|-
|Shandong Province
|Jinan
|1.530
|888.3
|-
|Henan Province
|Zhengzhou
|1.670
|938.7
|-
|Hubei Province
|Wuhan
|1.874
|593.8
|-
|Hunan Province
|Changsha
|2.100
|653.2
|-
|Guangdong Province
|Guangzhou
|1.860
|727.0
|-
|[[Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region|Guangxi Autonomous Region]]
|Nanning
|2.363
|471.3
|-
|Hainan Province
|Haikou
|0.340
|76.2
|-
|Chongqing Municipality
|Chongqing
|0.820
|307.5
|-
|Sichuan Province
|Chengdu
|4.880
|855.0
|-
|Guizhou Province
|Guiyang
|1.700
|371.0
|-
|Yunnan Province
|Kunming
|3.940
|419.2
|-
|[[Tibet Autonomous Region]]
|Lhasa
|12.200
|25.6
|-
|Shaanxi Province
|Xi'an
|2.050
|361.8
|-
|Gansu Province
|Lanzhou
|4.500
|254.3
|-
|Qinghai Province
|Xining
|7.200
|51.0
|-
|[[Ningxia Autonomous Region]]
|Yinchuan
|0.664
|54.3
|-
|[[Xinjiang Autonomous Region]]
|Urumqi
|16.000
|177.4
|-
|[[Hong Kong Special Administrative Region]]
|Hong Kong
|0.01092
|68.4
|-
|[[Macao Special Administrative Region]]
|Macao
|0.00024
|4.3
|-
|[[Taiwan Province]]
|Taipei (occupied by [[United States imperialism|US imperialists]])
|0.360
|217.4
|}

==Economy==
While this section is under development, here are a few sources for us to take a look:<ref>Sam-Kee Cheng (2020). ''Primitive socialist accumulation in China: An alternative view on the anomalies of Chinese “capitalism”.'' {{Doi|10.1177/0486613419888298}}</ref>

China operates what they call [[Socialism with Chinese Characteristics]] often referred to as Market Socialism by Chinese leaders. In this system, China maintains state ownership of large industries and those that they deem vital to China's security while facilitating a market driven development of medium and small enterprises. Firms that would otherwise be monopolies in China are ran as what is called a State Owned Enterprise (SOE). SOE's often participate in markets and sometimes function much like a private firm with the key difference being China controls strategic resources such as rare earth minerals as well as silicon chips, which are both valuable to high-technology industries.<ref>https://youtu.be/jlShNCKx8rw</ref> The employess of the SOEs are also able to join worker councils, which grant them limited democratic control over their workplace.<ref>https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/china-and-russia-have-workers-councils-but-not-chattanooga/</ref><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/d1u77y/workers_councils_in_china/</ref>

As of May, 2022. The People's Republic of China has a youth unemployment rate of nearly 20%, and an overall unemployment rate that is higher than the [[Statesian]] unemployment rate.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=Trading Economics|title=China Unemployment Rate|date=2022|url=https://tradingeconomics.com/china/unemployment-rate|retrieved=2022-7-9}}</ref>This is high in comparison to the economy of, for example, the [[USSR]], which generally had stable employment opportunities for young workers, and also had an unemployment rate of about 1%.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=1991 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK|title=Soviet Union Economy - 1991|date=1991|url=https://www.theodora.com/wfb1991/soviet_union/soviet_union_economy.html|retrieved=2022-7-9}}</ref>

Although GDP growth was at its peak in the 1960s, China experiences consistent GDP growth, and China outpaces the US in terms of GDP growth.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=macrotrends|title=China GDP Growth Rate 1961-2022|date=2022|url=https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/CHN/china/gdp-growth-rate|retrieved=2022-12-06}}</ref>

=== Mode of production ===
Currently China is in the primary stage of [[socialism]]. This is a stage which is expected to last until the 100th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, and this stage is intended to develop the [[productive forces]] of China to the point where socialism is superior in terms of productivity in contrast to the capitalist mode of production.<ref>{{Citation|author=Deng Xiaoping|year=1987|title=To Uphold Socialism We Must Eliminate Poverty|title-url=https://dengxiaopingworks.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/to-uphold-socialism-we-must-eliminate-poverty/|mia=https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/deng-xiaoping/1987/133.htm}}</ref>

==Governance==

=== Healthcare===
In the Mao period, China built one of the developing world's most robust public healthcare systems, based on rural primary care, barefoot doctors, and regular mass campaigns, known as "patriotic health campaigns." Since the beginning of the reform period, China's healthcare system has gone through a number of phases. After an unfortunate period of regression and privatization, China has spent the last decade making rapid progress towards a new universal healthcare system. A 2020 study in the ''British Medical Journal (BMJ)'' summarizes many of the goals and programs of China's recent health reforms:<blockquote>Priority was given to expanding the scope and health service package of the basic insurance coverage, improving provider payment mechanisms, as well as increasing the financing level, fiscal subsidies and reimbursement rates. [...] The government has increased investment in primary care, with initiatives that include strengthening the infrastructure of primary healthcare (PHC) facilities, expanding human resources for primary care through incentives and supporting projects, establishing a general practitioner system and improving the capacity of PHC personnel through training and education, such as general practice training and continuous medical education programmes. [...] The ‘equalization of basic public health services’ policy implemented the national BPHS programme and the crucial public health service (CPHS) programme. [...] This policy seeks to achieve universal availability and promote a more equitable provision of basic health services to all urban and rural citizens.<ref>Wenjuan Tao, Zhi Zeng, et al. ''Towards universal health coverage: lessons from 10 years of healthcare reform in China.'' BMJ Global Health. {{Doi|10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002086}}</ref></blockquote>The study goes on to note that China has made significant progress towards meeting its reform goals, and building a developed and equitable universal healthcare system:<blockquote>During the past 10 years since the latest round of healthcare reform, China made steady progress in achieving the reform goals and UHC [i.e. universal health coverage].</blockquote>Another paper, also from the ''BMJ,'' summarizes the recent improvements in China's health outcomes, as well as access to, and cost of, healthcare:<blockquote>The results include the following: out-of-pocket expenditures as a percentage of current health expenditures in China have dropped dramatically from 60.13% in 2000 to 35.91% in 2016; the health insurance coverage of the total population jumped from 22.1% in 2003 to 95.1% in 2013; the average life expectancy increased from 72.0 to 76.4, maternal mortality dropped from 59 to 29 per 100 000 live births, the under-5 mortality rate dropped from 36.8 to 9.3 per 1000 live births, and neonatal mortality dropped from 21.4 to 4.7 per 1000 live births between 2000 and 2017; and so on.<ref>Wenjuan Tao, Zhi Zeng, et al. ''Towards universal health coverage: achievements and challenges of 10 years of healthcare reform in China.'' BMJ Global Health. {{Doi|10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002087}}</ref></blockquote>In short, while China's healthcare system is not perfect, it is certainly moving in the right direction. As with many other aspects of China's socialist construction, this provides a model for other developing nations; according to the aforementioned ''BMJ'' study:<blockquote>The lessons learnt from China could help other nations improve UHC in sustainable and adaptive ways, including continued political support, increased health financing and a strong PHC system as basis. The experience of the rapid development of UHC in China can provide a valuable mode for countries (mainly LMICs) planning their own path further on in the UHC journey.</blockquote>This is another benefit of China's rise to prominence on the world stage. China demonstrates to the world that it is possible for a desperately poor country to rise from poverty, develop its economy, and meet the needs of its people.

===Democracy and popular opinion===
Polls conducted by Western researchers have consistently found that the Chinese people have a high level of support for their government, and for the Communist Party. A 2020 analysis by the China Data Lab (based at UC San Diego) found that support for the government has been increasing as of late.<ref>Lei Guang, Margaret Roberts, Yiqing Xu and Jiannan Zhao (2020). ''[http://chinadatalab.ucsd.edu/viz-blog/pandemic-sees-increase-in-chinese-support-for-regime-decrease-in-views-towards-us/ Pandemic sees Increase in Chinese support for regime, decrease in views towards the U.S.]'' China Data Lab.</ref> Similar results were found in a 2016 survey done by Harvard University's Ash Center:<blockquote>The survey team found that compared to public opinion patterns in the U.S., in China there was very high satisfaction with the central government. In 2016, the last year the survey was conducted, 95.5 percent of respondents were either “relatively satisfied” or “highly satisfied” with Beijing. In contrast to these findings, Gallup reported in January of this year that their latest polling on U.S. citizen satisfaction with the American federal government revealed only 38 percent of respondents were satisfied with the federal government.<ref>Dan Harsha (2020). ''[https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/07/long-term-survey-reveals-chinese-government-satisfaction/ Taking China’s pulse].'' The Harvard Gazette.</ref></blockquote>It is worth noting that the Chinese people are significantly less satisfied with local government than they are with the central government. Still, these results disprove the common notion that the Chinese people are ruled by an iron fisted regime that they do not want. Indeed, one official from the Ash Center noted that their findings "run counter to the general idea that these people are marginalized and disfavored by policies." As he states:<blockquote>We tend to forget that for many in China, and in their lived experience of the past four decades, each day was better than the next.</blockquote>In addition, most Chinese people are satisfied with the level of democracy in the PRC. A 2018 study in the ''International Political Science Review'' notes that "surveys suggest that the majority of Chinese people feel satisfied with the level of democracy in China." However, the study notes that "people who hold liberal democratic values" are more likely to be dissatisfied with the state of democracy in China. By contrast, those who hold a "substantive" view of democracy (i.e. one based on the idea that the state should focus on providing for the material needs of the people) are more satisfied.<ref>Yida Zhai (2018). ''Popular conceptions of democracy and democratic satisfaction in China''. International Political Science Review. {{Doi|10.1177/0192512118757128}}</ref>

While the Chinese government contains authoritarian elements, it also has elements of genuine democracy. An example of this may be found in the National People's Congress, China's primary legislative body. While Western media has typically labeled the NPC as a simple rubberstamping body for the Central Committee, the facts indicate that this is not entirely true. A 2016 study in the ''Journal of Legislative Studies'' found that the NPC "is no longer a minimal or ‘rubber-stamp’ legislature," noting that "the NPC does play an important role in the whole political system, especially in legislation, though the NPC has typically been under the control of China's Communist Party."<ref>{{Citation|title=Is the label ‘minimal legislature’ still appropriate? The role of the National People's Congress in China's political system|year=2016|author=Wenbo Chen|publisher=The Journal of Legislative Studies|doi=10.1080/13572334.2015.1134909}}</ref>

Many of the other claims surrounding authoritarianism in China are highly overblown, to say the least. For instance, an [https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/11/16/chinas-orwellian-social-credit-score-isnt-real/ article] in ''Foreign Policy'' (the most orthodox of liberal policy journals) notes that the Chinese [[Social Credit System|social credit system]] was massively exaggerated and distorted in Western media. An [https://www.wired.com/story/china-social-credit-score-system/ article] in the publication ''Wired'' discusses how many of these overblown perceptions came to be. None of this is to suggest that China is a perfect democracy, with zero flaws; it certainly has issues relating to transparency, treatment of prisoners, etc. That being said, it is far from the [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] nightmare that [[Imperialism|imperialist]] media generally depicts it as being.

===Public ownership===
Contrary to the popular perception that China's growth has been the result of a transition to capitalism, the evidence shows that public ownership continues to play a key growth-driving role in the PRC's economy. According to the aforementioned 2020 study in the ''Review of Radical Political Economics'', "strategic industries, which Lenin called 'the commanding heights of economy,' are still state-owned and have played a very important role in China’s economic development."<ref>{{Citation|title=Primitive Socialist Accumulation in China: An Alternative View on the Anomalies of Chinese “Capitalism”|volume=52|year=2020|page=693–715|series=Review of Radical Political Economics|author=Sam-Kee Cheng|publisher=SAGE Publishing|doi=10.1177/0486613419888298}}</ref> The author notes that "after decades of market reform, China’s state sector, rather than disappearing or being marginalized, has become a leader in strategic sectors and the driver of its investment-led growth." To learn more, we would recommend the book ''The Basic Economic System of China'', which goes into this issue in much more depth.<ref>{{Citation|isbn=978-981-13-6895-0|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=07DE5CA4B3F3C14139975D1A9D668FC8|author=Changhong Pei, Chunxue Yang, Xinming Yang|year=2019|title=The Basic Economic System of China.|publisher=Springer Singapore|series=China Governance System Research Series|doi=10.1007/978-981-13-6895-0}}</ref>

===Growth and poverty reduction===
According to a 2019 report from Philip Alston (UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights):<blockquote>China’s achievements in alleviating extreme poverty in recent years, and in meeting highly ambitious targets for improving social well-being, have been extraordinary. [...] Over the past three decades, and with particular speed in recent years, China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. This is a staggering achievement and is a credit to those responsible.<ref>{{Web citation|title=End-of-mission statement on China, by Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights|date=2016-9-23|author=Professor Philip Alston|newspaper=UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)|title-url=https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20402}}</ref></blockquote>Similarly, a 2020 study in the ''China Economic Review'' notes that income growth has been "widely shared nationwide," resulting in "substantial, ongoing rural poverty reduction" throughout the country. A major milestone was reached with the recent announcement (acknowledged in Western media outlets, such as CNN) that the last poverty-stricken counties in China have been delisted, "leaving no county in a state of absolute poverty countrywide."<ref>{{Citation|title=The long-term evolution of national income inequality and rural poverty in China|year=2020|author=Chuliang Luo, Shi Li, Terry Sicular|publisher=China Economic Review|doi=10.1016/j.chieco.2020.101465|lg=https://libgen.rs/scimag/10.1016%2Fj.chieco.2020.101465}}</ref>

Malnutrition has continued to decline massively in China over the last several decades. According to the University of Oxford's Our World in Data project, China now has a lower rate of death from malnutrition than the United States,<ref>Our World in Data. ''[https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/malnutrition-death-rates?tab=chart&country=CHN~USA Death rate from malnutrition, 1990 to 2017].''</ref> as well as a lower rate of extreme poverty, despite having a significantly lower GDP-per-capita.<ref>Our World in Data. ''[https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-living-in-extreme-poverty?tab=chart&time=1990..latest&country=CHN~USA&region=World Share of the population living in extreme poverty, 1990 to 2016]''</ref>

Economic growth has also increased dramatically. According to a study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, "reforms yielded a significant growth and structural transformation differential. GDP growth is 4.2 percentage points higher and the share of the labor force in agriculture is 23.9 percentage points lower compared with the continuation of the pre-1978 policies."<ref>{{Citation|title=The Economy of People’s Republic of China from 1953|year=2015|author=Anton Cheremukhin, Mikhail Golosov, Sergei Guriev, Aleh Tsyvinski|publisher=National Bureau of Economic Research|doi=10.3386/w21397}}</ref>

=== Foreign relations ===
In 2021, China signed a 25-year cooperation agreement with the [[Islamic Republic of Iran]].<ref name=":8" />

== Criticism==

===Bourgeois influence in trade unions===
The main [[trade union]] federation in China, the [[All-China Federation of Trade Unions]] (ACFTU), up until 2011 historically attended to the interests of capital.<ref>{{Citation|author=Ruixue Bai|year=2011|title=The role of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions: implications for Chinese workers today|page=23|quote=Despite apparent reforms, many enterprise unions remain heavily dominated or controlled by management. An additional potential problem is that even where the direct election of a worker to the position of union chair has taken place, the worker has then become a cadre, removed from the position of an ordinary worker, and begun to enjoy the beneﬁts, for instance a ﬂat and a car, and same status of a deputy director. There is thus still a distance between the elected chair and the workers.|doi=10.1111/j.1743-4580.2010.00318.x|series=Journal of Labor and Society|volume=14, no. 1}}</ref> In 2006, Wal-Mart decided to allow workers to unionize in China. The company's spokesman declared that "The [ACFTU] is fundamentally different from unions in the West... The union has made it clear that its goal is to work with employers, not promote confrontation."<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=China Daily|title=Wal-Mart to allow workers to join unions in China|date=2008-08-11|url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-08/11/content_662901.htm}}</ref>

==Debunking myths==

=== "Imperialism" and the Belt and Road Initiative===
China is often accused of being an "imperialist" state, due primarily to its investments in [[Africa]], as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. These critics ignore the actual views of the African people themselves, who overwhelmingly approve of China's role in their economic development.<ref>{{Web citation|title=Africans approve of China, says Afrobarometer|publisher=Deutsche Welle|date=2016|url=https://www.dw.com/en/africans-approve-of-china-says-afrobarometer/a-36214106}}</ref> In addition, the extent of Chinese involvement in Africa is smaller than often believed; according to a 2019 paper from the Center for Economic Policy Research, "China’s influence in Africa is much smaller than is generally believed, though its engagement on the continent is increasing. Chinese investment in Africa, while less extensive than often assumed, has the potential to generate jobs and development on the continent."<ref>{{Citation|title=Chinese investment in Africa: How much do we know?|author=Deborah Brautigam, Xinshen Diao, Margaret McMillan, Jed Silver|publisher=Private Enterprise Development in Low Income Countries|title-url=https://pedl.cepr.org/publications/chinese-investment-africa-how-much-do-we-know-0|series=Policy Insight Series|pdf=https://pedl.cepr.org/sites/default/files/PEDL%20Policy%20Insights%20Series%20-%20No.3_0.pdf}}</ref>

A 2018 study in the ''Review of Development Finance'' also found that Chinese investment in Africa raises incomes in the African nations that receive the investment, in a similar way to foreign investments by other nations. The author state that these results "suggest that the win-win deal China claims when investing in Africa may hold, and Chinese investment contributes to growth in Africa. Put differently, Chinese investment is mutually beneficial for both China and Africa."<ref>{{Citation|title=On the importance of Chinese investment in Africa.|year=2018|author=Ficawoyi Donou-Adonsou, Sokchea Lim|publisher=Review of Development Finance|doi=10.1016/j.rdf.2018.05.003}}</ref>

Despite the Western media accusing China of "debt trap diplomacy," China gives loans at low interest rates and often allows countries to restructure or even never repay loans, unlike the [[Neocolonialism|neocolonial]] [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]].<ref name=":9">{{Web citation|author=Amanda Yee|newspaper=[[Liberation News]]|title=Why Chinese ‘debt trap diplomacy’ is a lie|date=2022-12-19|url=https://www.liberationnews.org/why-chinese-debt-trap-diplomacy-is-a-lie/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220062314/https://www.liberationnews.org/why-chinese-debt-trap-diplomacy-is-a-lie/|archive-date=2022-12-20|retrieved=2022-12-23}}</ref> China has forgiven tens of billions of dollars of debt held by African countries.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Shang Guan Jie Wen|newspaper=China and the New World|title=China Forgives Tens of Billions of Dollars in Debt for Africa|date=2022-02-23|url=https://chinaandthenewworld.wordpress.com/2022/02/23/china-forgives-debt-in-africa-in-massive-amounts/|archive-url=https://web.archiRemove.org/web/20220223061528/https://chinaandthenewworld.wordpress.com/2022/02/23/china-forgives-debt-in-africa-in-massive-amounts/|archive-date=2022-02-23|retrieved=2022-05-10}}</ref> It has also forgiven 23 interest-free loans to 17 different countries.<ref name=":9" />

The economist [[Yanis Varoufakis]] discussed the topic in a recent lecture given at the Cambridge forum. He helpfully debunks a number of myths on the matter.

===Abandoning of Marxism===
[[File:Marx_poster_in_Beijing.jpg|thumb|A poster in Beijing that reads "Never forget our roots. Marxism was here in China's early days"|alt=]]
In 2020, Xi Jinping gave a speech to the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, in which he made clear the continued importance that the CPC places on Marxist political economy. To quote:<blockquote>Marxist political economy is an important component of Marxism, and required learning for our efforts to uphold and develop Marxism. [...] There are people who believe Marxist political economy and ''Das Kapital'' are obsolete, but this is an arbitrary and erroneous judgment. Setting aside more distant events and looking at just the period since the global financial crisis, we can see that many capitalist countries have remained in an economic slump, with serious unemployment problems, intensifying polarization, and deepening social divides. The facts tell us that the contradictions between the socialization of production and the private possession of the means of production still exist, but they are manifested in ways and show characteristics that are somewhat different.<ref>{{Citation|title=Opening up new frontiers for Marxist political economy in contemporary China|year=2015|author=Xi Jinping|publisher=Qiushi Journal|title-url=https://en.qstheory.cn/2020-11/08/c_560906.htm|trans-lang=Chinese}}</ref></blockquote>He goes on to list a number of principles guiding the implementation of Marxist political economy in the PRC:<blockquote>First, we must uphold a people-centered approach to development. Development is for the people; this is the fundamental position of Marxist political economy. [...] Second, we must uphold the new development philosophy. Third, we must uphold and improve our basic socialist economic system. According to Marxist political economy, ownership of the means of production is the core of the relations of production, and this determines a society's fundamental nature and the orientation of its development. Since reform and opening up... we have stressed the importance of continuing to make public ownership the mainstay while allowing ownership of other forms to develop side by side, and made it clear that both the public and non-public sectors are important components of the socialist market economy as well as crucial foundations for our nation's economic and social development. [...] Fourth, we must uphold and improve our basic socialist distribution system. [...] Fifth, we must uphold reforms to develop the socialist market economy. [...] Sixth, we must uphold the fundamental national policy of opening up.</blockquote>From this, it should be quite clear that Marxism (specifically Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought) retains a dominant role in the People's Republic of China, serving as the guiding ideology of the Communist Party.

=== LGBT rights===
''See also: [[LGBT rights and issues in AES countries#People's Republic of China]]''

[[LGBT+|Same-sex relationships]] are legal in China, although same-sex marriage and adoption are not currently legal. Same-sex couple married overseas can be named as each other’s “legal guardians”, a status considered fairly similar to a civil union.<ref>Phoebe Zhang (2021-12-21). [https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3114633/lgbtq-people-china-picture-mixed-global-report-finds "For LGBTQ people in China the picture is mixed, global report finds, with some legal protections but barriers to freedom of expression"] ''South China Morning Post''.</ref> Transgender individuals are legally allowed to receive healthcare and may legally change their gender marker after receiving sexual reassignment surgery. In recent years, transgender treatment facilities have become more available in China, including the opening of a clinic for the treatment of transgender minors in 2021, with both psychological help and hormone treatment available.<ref>Zhang Wanqing and Li Jiaru. (2021-11-08) [https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008904/chinas-first-clinic-for-trans-youth-a-good-step%2C-advocates-say- "China’s First Clinic for Trans Youth a ‘Good Step,’ Advocates Say."] Sixth Tone.</ref>

Professor Li Yinhe of the Institute of Sociology under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was quoted in a [[China Global Television Network|CGTN]] article as saying that the biggest challenge for the LGBT community in China is not anything imposed by law, but rather family pressure stemming from the "deep-rooted culture" that places high priority on family values and especially an emphasis on carrying on the family line.<ref>[https://news.cgtn.com/news/3163444d7a677a6333566d54/index.html "LGBT in China: Changes and Challenges"] (22-Jan-2018). ''CGTN''.</ref>

According to a 2020 report published in BMC Public Health, "For member of the Chinese LGBT community, the greatest source of pressure to conform to societal norms of sexuality and identity comes from family members—particularly parents." The report also found that "a higher level of economic development in provinces was associated with a decrease in discrimination, and we identified that every 100 thousand RMB increase in per capita GDP lead to a 6.4% decrease in discriminatory events perpetrated by heterosexuals" and that "The prevalence of this discrimination is associated with the economic development of the province in which it occurs."<ref>Wang, Yuanyuan, Zhishan Hu, Ke Peng, Joanne Rechdan, Yuan Yang, Lijuan Wu, Ying Xin, et al. [https://d-nb.info/1214031323/34 “Mapping out a Spectrum of the Chinese Public’s Discrimination toward the LGBT Community: Results from a National Survey.”] ''BMC Public Health'' 20, no. 1 (May 12, 2020). <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08834-y</nowiki>. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221010062927/https://d-nb.info/1214031323/34 Archived] 2022-10-10.</ref>

The 2021 short documentary film "A Day of Trans" (Chinese: 跨越性别的一天) explores the lived experiences of four Chinese transgender individuals across three generations, exploring their professional career paths, community involvement, social barriers, and their unique approaches to life as transgender individuals across the generations. It is directed by Yennefer Fang, a Chinese transgender independent filmmaker. It follows Liu Peilin, who was born in 1956, and started identify as a woman in her 40s. It also follows Mr. C, a 35-year-old transgender man, who became the public face in the fight for job equality in China in 2016 and who won a court case against his employer for discrimination for his gender identity. Finally, it follows two transgender artists who grew up during China's rapid economic growth. Fang said that she tries to observe the status of transgender people from an internal perspective and tries to dispel misconceptions through the documentary, including the perception that "transgenderism" is a contemporary, white, or bourgeois term.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY1L1p29vuc "A Day of Trans 跨越性别的一天".] Yennefer Fang, Yennefer Fang Studios. YouTube. [https://web.archive.org/web/20211128114433/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY1L1p29vuc Archived] 2021-11-28.</ref><ref>Ji Yuqiao. [https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202111/1239389.shtml “New Documentary ‘a Day of Trans’ Explores Experiences of Three Generations of Chinese Transgender Persons."] Global Times. November 19, 2021. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220927204956/https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202111/1239389.shtml Archived] 2022-09-17.</ref>

==References==

<references />
[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Marxist-Leninist states]]
[[Category:People's Republic of China]]
[[Category:Targets of bourgeois media]]
[[Category:Countries targeted by imperialist aggression]]
[[Category:Asian countries]]

New Zealand

2023-01-27T08:55:34Z

Fernleaf: /* Governance */Original content was inaccurate. Aotearoa provides a great deal of free or subsidised healthcare, and secondary school usually finishes when the student is 17 or 18.

{{Infobox country
|name=New Zealand
|native_name=Aotearoa
|capital=Te Whanganui-a-Tara
|mode_of_production=[[Capitalism]]|government_type=Monarchy
|leader_title1=Queen
|leader_name1=Elizabeth II
|leader_title2=Governor General
|leader_name2=Cindy Kiro
|leader_title3=Prime Minister
|leader_name3=Jacinda Ardern
|image_map=Aotearoa (orthographic projection).svg
|established_date1=1840 February 6th
|established_event1=Treaty of Waitangi
|image_flag=Flag of Aotearoa.svg
|image_map_size=220px|population_estimate=5,130,381|population_estimate_year=2021|image_coat=Coat of arms of Aotearoa.svg|largest_city=Tāmaki Makaurau|official_languages=Māori, New Zealand Sign Language|recognized_languages=English}}
'''New Zealand''', also known in Maori as '''Aotearoa''', is an island country in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists primarily of 3 islands: Te Ika-a-Māui (The North Island), Te Waipounamu (The South Island), and Rakiura, but in total there are more than 700 islands.<ref>Carl Walrond, 'Natural environment - Geography and geology', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/natural-environment/page-1 (accessed 29 May 2021)</ref>

Despite its geographical position in the southern hemisphere, Aotearoa is part of the [[Global North and South|Global North]] and as such contributes to and benefits from the process of [[imperialism]]. It is a member of the [[Five Eyes]], the [[Commonwealth|British Commonwealth]], the [[OECD]] and of [[ANZUS]]. Aotearoa sent troops to fight for the allies in the two [[world wars]], for the British in the [[Boer Wars]] and the Malayan Emergency, and for the Americans in the [[Korean War]], the [[Gulf War]], and the [[Afghanistan War]].

Communist and socialist parties in Aotearoa include: [[Communist League (New Zealand)]], [[Organisation for Marxist Unity – New Zealand]], [[Socialist Party of Aotearoa]], and the [[Communist Party of Aotearoa]].
==History==

===Māori history ===
[[File:Migration of Austronesian people across the Pacific.png|thumb|Migration of Austronesian people across the Pacific|alt=|left]]
The Austronesians are an ethnic group that originated in the [[Taiwan|Taiwan province]]. They broke off into many groups around the Indian and Pacific oceans, including the Polynesians. The Polynesian people have been in Polynesia for more than 3000 years, but Aotearoa was first discovered some time around 1200 AD by Kupe. Other Polynesians soon migrated to Aotearoa, the descendants of whom are known today as the Māori, which means ordinary.<ref>John Wilson, 'History - Māori arrival and settlement', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/history/page-1 (accessed 13 June 2021)</ref>

Around the year 1500, a group of Māori migrated east to ''Rēkohu'', later becoming known as the Moriori.

The first Europeans to make contact with the Māori people were Abel Tasman and his crew in 1642.

===Colonization===
After contact with European traders, many Māori tribes began selling food and tāonga (treasures) to exchange for Europeans' industrially produced goods (scissors, toothbrushes, mirrors, etc.).

Eventually — with a growing trading population, new settlements, and ongoing inter-tribal conflicts — settlers also began selling muskets to Māori, heightening those inter-tribal conflicts into what would become The Musket Wars (1807-42). Throughout The Musket Wars, the tribes without coastlines (often used to trade through ports) or that simply didn't trade, also didn't end up with muskets, concentrating victories in tribes with good relations to the traders and settlers.

It's estimated that, over the duration of The Musket Wars, between 20,000 and 30,000 Māori were killed, around 20-30% of the estimated Māori population of 1800.<ref>Basil Keane, 'Musket Wars', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/musket-wars</ref> Due to the excessive death, Māori land, labour, and commodities either became hugely devalued or disappeared completely from the market, making it easier and cheaper to settle traders and buy or confiscate land.

The Musket Wars are an example of Divide and Rule, an old imperial tactic that sees large powers (in this case Britain) exacerbate relatively minor conflicts to exhaust any possible united opposition.

The Treaty of Waitangi (or Te Tiriti ō Waitangi) was signed on the 6th of February, 1840, between the British Crown and a collection of Māori tribes. The English language version cedes the sovereignty of all signed tribes to the British Crown, whereas the Māori language version cedes governance ("kawanatanga") while maintaining all sovereignty and independence for Māori. Many tribes interpreted it as the British Crown establishing their own tribe equal to all of theirs, not as a superior one.<ref>Claudia Orange. ''The Story of a Treaty''</ref>

After the Treaty of Waitangi, Aotearoa came under the control of the British.

Aotearoa became a dominion after the 1907 Imperial Conference, where the United Kingdom decided to make many of its colonies into dominions.

Aotearoa lost its dominion status due to the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947, and has since been known as the Realm of New Zealand in official sources.

=== Independence ===
In 1951, New Zealand joined the ANZUS military alliance with [[Australia]] and the [[United States of America|United States]]. In 1985, under Prime Minister [[David Lange]] of the [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]], New Zealand began a nuclear-free policy and prohibited U.S. warships from entering its ports. This policy led to New Zealand being expelled from ANZUS. The [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] created a scandal that targeted Māori politicians [[Koro Wetere]] and [[Tamati Reedy]] and accused them of embezzling money, causing a rift between the Māori and the Labour Party. In 2016, New Zealand allowed U.S. warships back to its shores.<ref>{{News citation|author=Murray Horton|newspaper=[[Covert Action Magazine]]|title=How the CIA Tried to Overthrow New Zealand’s Progressive Labor Government by Stoking White Racial Rage Against the Indigenous Māori Population|date=2021-09-24|url=https://covertactionmagazine.com/2021/09/24/how-the-cia-tried-to-overthrow-new-zealands-progressive-labor-government-by-stoking-white-racial-rage-against-the-indigenous-maori-population/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029000305/https://covertactionmagazine.com/2021/09/24/how-the-cia-tried-to-overthrow-new-zealands-progressive-labor-government-by-stoking-white-racial-rage-against-the-indigenous-maori-population/|archive-date=2021-10-29|retrieved=2022-05-22}}</ref>

== Governance ==
The government of Aotearoa provides some free, or sometimes subsidized, healthcare. However dentistry, optometry and audiology are not usually included. Education is free from primary school (beginning age 5/6) to secondary school (ending age 17/18). The first year of tertiary education is free, but all subsequent years are only slightly subsidized. The banking, energy, infrastructure (including roads, rail and buses), insurance, entertainment and tourist industries are all privatized.

==References==
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[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Imperialist countries]]
[[Category:Global north]]