China term 2

guerrilla warfare

A military strategy based on small, highly mobile bands of soldiers (the guerrillas, from the Spanish word for war, guerra) who use hit-and-run tactics like ambushes to attack a better-armed enemy.

mass organizations

Organizations in a communist party?state that represent the interests of a particular social group, such as workers or women, but which are controlled by the communist party.

National Party Congress

The symbolically important meeting, held every five years for about one week, of about 2,100 delegates representatives of the Chinese Communist Party, who endorse policies and the allocation of leadership positions that have been determined beforehand by the party's much smaller ruling bodies.

National People's Congress (NPC)

The legislature of the People's Republic of China. It is under the control of the Chinese Communist Party and is not an independent branch of government.

nomenklatura

A system of personnel selection under which the Communist Party maintains control over the appointment of important officials in all spheres of social, economic, and political life.

People's Liberation Army (PLA)

The combined armed forces of the People's Republic of China, which includes land, sea, air, and strategic missile forces.

Politburo

The committee made up of the top twenty-five leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.

predatory states

A state in which those with political power prey on the people and the nation's resources to enrich themselves rather than using their power to promote national development.

socialism

A system in which the state plays a leading role in organizing the economy, owns most productive resources and property, and actively promotes equality.

socialist democracy

The term used by the Chinese Communist Party to describe the political system of the People's Republic of China. The official view is that this type of system, under the leadership of the Communist Party, provides democracy for the overwhelming majority of people and suppresses (or exercises dictatorship over) only the enemies of the people.

socialist market economy

The term used by the government of China to refer to the country's current economic system that mixes elements of both socialism and capitalism.

Standing Committee

A subgroup of the Politburo, currently with seven members. The most powerful political organization in China.

State Council

The highest organization in the state administration, directed by the premier. It also includes several vice premiers, the heads of government ministries and commissions, and a few other senior officials.

state-owned enterprises (SOEs)

Companies in which a majority of ownership control is held by the government.

totalitarianism

A political system in which the state attempts to exercise total control over all aspects of public and private life, including the economy, culture, education, and social organizations, through an integrated system of ideological, economic, and political control. Totalitarian states rely on extensive coercion, including terror, as a means to exercise power.