AP Comparative Government & Politics - China Flashcards

Flashcards for AP Comparative Government & Politics - China

One-Party Dominant Authoritarianism

The political system in China under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with relative economic freedom for the urban middle class.

Han People

The dominant ethnicity in China, making up over 90 percent of the population.

Confucianism

A philosophy that emphasizes adherence to social hierarchy and the suppression of individual ambition in the name of social harmony.

Ethnocentrism

The belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture. In China, the idea of Chinese cultural superiority is sometimes still expressed today in the context of China’s rise to superpower status.

Maoism

The political ideology associated with Mao Zedong, emphasizing centralism, mass line, struggle, activism, collectivism, and egalitarianism.

Deng Xiaoping

Successor to Mao Zedong, known for his pragmatic approach and economic reforms that embraced the globalized market economy.

Patron-Clientism (Guanxi)

Political system where a political actor's ability to achieve a political goal, is based on personal connections to those in power.

Mandate of Heaven

The concept in dynastic China that rulers were chosen by ancestors to guide the destiny of the Empire based on their wisdom.

Kuomintang (KMT)

A political movement founded by Chiang Kai-Shek in opposition to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

Led by Mao Zedong, they opposed the Kuomintang (KMT) leading to the Revolution of 1949. Mao declared the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

The Long March

The retreat of Mao's forces from 1934 to 1936, building support for the CCP among the peasantry through a propaganda war.

Centralism and Mass Line

The concept that the state would be run by an inner revolutionary elite while maintaining connection to the people, summarizing in the phrase, 'To the masses- from the masses - to the masses.'

Collectivism

Maoist value that prioritizes the good of the community over the good of the individual.

Egalitarianism

Maoist principle that rejected old hierarchies and sought to abolish class distinctions.

Hundred Flowers Campaign

A brief period in 1956-1957 when Mao encouraged open expression of opinions, later followed by a crackdown on dissent.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's program to transition China to a utopian socialist economy through rapid collectivization and industrialization, which resulted in a major famine.

The Cultural Revolution

Mao's campaign aimed at purging 'bourgeois' elements from Chinese society and the CCP.

Gang of Four

A group of radical Maoists, including Mao's wife Jiang Qing, who led the faction supporting the Cultural Revolution.

Four Modernizations

Deng Xiaoping's program to modernize China in agriculture, industry, national defense, and science and technology.

Town-Village Enterprises (TVEs)

Enterprises created by Deng that allowed peasants to decide for themselves if they would continue farming collectively or individually, and peasants were free to keep profits they earned from the sale of their produce.

Special Economic Zones (SEZs)

Areas in China created by Deng Xiaoping, to encourage foreign investment with no tariffs.

Democracy Wall Movement

A movement in Beijing in 1978 where activists expressed desires to modernize China with democracy.

Tiananmen Square

A location know for pro-democracy protests in April 1989, by students from Beijing’s elite universities demanding civil liberties and democratic reform which led to a the Party cracking down with a military assault on the Square.

Han Chinese

The dominant ethnicity in China, with over 90 percent of the population.

Hukou System

Birthplace registration in China, limits the internal migration of rural workers to urban areas because an urban hukou is needed to access education and health services

Charismatic Legitimacy

Type of legitimacy Mao Zedong had as leader of the Chinese Revolution in 1949, meaning that he enjoyed unparalleled support, an almost religious-like zeal from his followers.

Falun Gong (or Falun Dafa)

A pseudo-religious group that was harshly persecuted by the state for demonstrating their ability to group and organize millions of Chinese practitioners without state support.

Mass Group Incidents

The government's term for protests in China, which have risen significantly but often target local corruption or environmental damage.

Nomenklatura

A system in China where members at higher levels of leadership designate which lower-level members they would like to promote.

State Corporatism

A system that describes China's interest group system, where interest groups can influence the state only if they submit to the CCP’s authority.

National People's Congress (NPC)

The legislative body in China, theoretically the top of the 'power chain' but practically rubber-stamping decisions made by Party leadership.

The Premier

The head of government for the People’s Republic. He oversees the State Council, which is the gathering of thirty-five ministers and governors who direct the bureaucracy of the Chinese state.

The Bureaucracy

A hierarchical structure mirroring the geographical organization of the Communist Party. They treat their position of authority as a personal fiefdom for bribe-taking and corrupt deals with local businesses.

People’s Liberation Army (PLA)

Commanded at the top by the Central Military Commission, which is chaired by the general secretary and president of China, currently Xi Jinping, but also includes top generals who serve concurrently in the Politburo of the CCP.