Constitutions PRC & CCP

PRC 1st Constitution

1954

• Founding document

• Modeled on USSR constitution

PRC 2nd Constitution

1975

• Cultural Revolution Era

• Very shortened

  • Only ~30 articles

• Removes presidency

• Limits civilians rights

• Emphasized Class Struggle

PRC 3rd Constitution

1978

• Transitional

• short after Mao’s death

• Restored order but still leftist

PRC 4th Constitution

1982

• Current

• Reform Era Foundation

• Restores presidency

• Establishes rights of citizens

• Priority of economic growth instead of class struggle

PRC 1st Amendment

1988

• Recognized private economy

• Allowed transfer of land use right

PRC 2nd Amendment

1993

• Replaced planned economy → Socialist market economy

PRC 3rd Amendment

1999

• Rule of Law

  • PRC governs according to law

• Deng Xiaoping Theory in constitution

PRC 4th Amendment

2004

• Human Rights added

  • State respects and preserves human rights

• strengthened protections for private property

PRC 5th Amendment

2018

• Xi Era

• Removed term limits for president and vice president

• Established Supervision Commissions as new branch of government to combat corruption

CCP 1th congress

1921

• Establishment of CCP

CCP 7th congress

1945

• Mao Zedong Thought

• The first actual CCP constitution

CCP 12th congress

1982

• Current PRC constitution

• Criticised Cult Rev

  • Forbade Cult of personality

  • Established rules for Collective leadership

CCP 14th congress

1992

• Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

• Deng Xiaoping Theory on market reform in practice

CCP 15th congress

1997

• Deng Xiaoping Theory as base next to marxist leninism and maoist thought

CCP 16th congress

2002

• Jiang Zemin’s Three Represents

  • Allowing private entrepreneurs to join the party

CCP 17th congress

2007

• Hu Jintao’s Scientific Outlook on Development

  • Focus on balanced, sustainable growth.

    • Less economy on steroids, more looking at people

CCP 18th congress

2012

• Ecological Civilization

  • Elevated Hu Jintao’s Scientific Outlook and added Ecological Civilization as core goal

CCP 19th congress

2017

• Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era

  • Putting him as high as Mao and Deng

CCP 20th congress

2022

• Security and Modernization

  • Opposed Taiwan independence more explicit

  • Added Common Prosperity and Chinese Path to modernization

  • Emphasized the Two Safeguards

    • Protecting Xi’s Core

    • Protect Party Authority