Mao's China and Beyond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mao's China and Beyond - Essay Example At any point when a nation and its people are faced with times of change, such evolution can be hectic as it moves forward to approach whatever issues, would need to be handled. Each national party and their leader(s), along with the citizenry themselves, would have unique interpretations of what should and shouldn't be there.These changes can and often times do, take many shapes. Such as, resulting issues over social welfare, economic standing, along with the resulting political unrest that transpires alongside everything else. For the citizens of China, they would encounter ramifications of their own, as a result of the advancement of the Communist movement. Over time, the influence of the movement would be determined. According to Maoism, "Deliberate organizing of mass military and economic power was deemed necessary to defend the revolutionary threat, while centralization kept corruption under supervision," ("Communism", p.15). This in itself would appear to be a positive step, b ut only time would tell how much. Any nation, or civilization, possesses cultural structures, for which they would be proud of. The structures that would be set to distinguish themselves from one another and in the process, would act as a unifier for the general masses. From the social standpoint, "As with the New Culture movement, Mao believed that all vestiges of Chinese traditional culture needed to be overturned. These included hsiao, or filial piety, Confucianism, monarchism, ancestor worship, religion, and the authority of elders," (Hooker, p.2). The movement of Mao's ideology, would further be translated politically as well. In viewing the political philosophy set forth, it would appear as if a contradiction in meaning. When most view proposed democracy, they view it in terms similar, if not exact, to the present US structure of government. In essence of this, "Mao himself referred to "New Democracy" as "democratic centralism"," (Hooker, p.3). With every revolution, comes the hope of a new beginning and the progression from old ideas, to new and what may be seen as better ones. The problem would potentially be that, "Democratic centralism essence a dictatorship- "a dictatorship of all revolutionary classes," in Mao's words- power would be concentrated in the hands of a few in order to guarantee that all class interests are represented," (Hooker, p.3). In further study, it would be discovered that part of Mao's policy, would be making both the financial institutions and general industry more on a national scale. Also there would be re-allocation of land coming from the wealthier owners and going to those who would have been at the very bottom of the economic class system. After Mao assumed his power hold in 1949, he re-named the previously mentioned principle of democratic thinking that he saw as being new, to something called the People's Democratic Dictatorship. While the general idea would further go on to make mention of the strength of the people's convictions and what they wanted to be handled by the ruling government, it would still place power within one central force. Question: What was the historical context of the Hundred Flowers