China's Political Cleavage
Today, China is known for its rampant corruption and political murkiness. It is difficult to say who the decision-makers of the country truly are. Though the country fancies itself the "People's Republic of China," China is anything but the 'people's,' and the country is hardly a republic, either. Officially, the President is elected by the National People's Congress who represent the people of China. However, the National People's Congress has Communist Party members taking up 2,157 of the available 2,987 seats - 72% of the Congress.
China is unique in the fact that its government maintains a functional One-Party system - namely, the Communist Party. There exist two dynamics regarding the Party. Firstly, there are factions within the Party that compete for power, though these battles are rarely reported. Secondly, people in China are either against or for the party, and the government itself is eager to maintain such a system. This totalitarian style is somewhat stifling due to media control and censorship, including regulation of newspapers, Internet news outlets, and TV news anchors. In many instances, Chinese newspapers have been known to either tone down mistakes on the Party's part or ignore such problems entirely.
This has led to widespread disillusionment among the educated, who feel that there is little to no point participating in the political process as they have so little say.
Interestingly enough, however, the government has demonstrated an increase in pursuit of political corruption. Chinese social media pundits believe that the Party is simply trying to eliminate potential enemies (possibly correctly), though notably, many of the reports of corrupt officials appear on social networks. Social media may very well provide the political outlet educated Chinese need. The widespread dissemination of reports on corruption through social media forces China to remove officials, and though there are suggestions that the Party itself may have helped spread these reports, the Internet remains a potentially powerful tool for those who might seek to battle the Communist Party.
China is unique in the fact that its government maintains a functional One-Party system - namely, the Communist Party. There exist two dynamics regarding the Party. Firstly, there are factions within the Party that compete for power, though these battles are rarely reported. Secondly, people in China are either against or for the party, and the government itself is eager to maintain such a system. This totalitarian style is somewhat stifling due to media control and censorship, including regulation of newspapers, Internet news outlets, and TV news anchors. In many instances, Chinese newspapers have been known to either tone down mistakes on the Party's part or ignore such problems entirely.
This has led to widespread disillusionment among the educated, who feel that there is little to no point participating in the political process as they have so little say.
Interestingly enough, however, the government has demonstrated an increase in pursuit of political corruption. Chinese social media pundits believe that the Party is simply trying to eliminate potential enemies (possibly correctly), though notably, many of the reports of corrupt officials appear on social networks. Social media may very well provide the political outlet educated Chinese need. The widespread dissemination of reports on corruption through social media forces China to remove officials, and though there are suggestions that the Party itself may have helped spread these reports, the Internet remains a potentially powerful tool for those who might seek to battle the Communist Party.
History of China's Political Cleavage
For centuries, China has been under authoritarian rule, with an extremely lengthy period of dynasties. Recent history has continued this trend of authoritarian rule. In 1949, when the Communist Party of China took over, the government, viewed by Western experts, was weak and unstable. The history of political cleavage in China can be traced back to the Cultural Revolution when there was a power struggle between the Mao faction and the Lin faction, and even after Mao’s death, the power struggle still remains as more factions within the party itself are doing what they can to use this power.
With the new leader of China Xi Jinping (see right ) now taking rein of the country, there are signs of conflict between people who may want to push for political reform, and others who want to hold such reform back, suggesting an element of The recent exposure of the Bo XiLai's (see right) scandal has led some experts to believe that political cleavages between different factions within the party, such as the Jiang & Bo faction (as in Jiang Zemin and Bo Xilai) and the Hu & Wen faction (as in Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao), may deepen. |
Getting Into the Communist Party - Demographics
In order to become a member of the party, any Chinese atheist citizen over the age of 18 who is willing to accept and be truly loyal to the Party’s constitution and policies, can apply for Party membership. It is unclear exactly how the Party screens applicants. If statistics do not lie, however, these are the requirements:
Today, the membership in the CCP is a total of 85 million people, making up of approximately 8.5% of the eligible population. With the Party controlling all avenues for public sector advancement, many people join the party only for career benefits. Membership helps students earn jobs and scholarships, and state-owned businesses consider CCP membership a plus. Membership is practically required to become a civil servant.
- You must be at least 18.
- You must be an atheist.
- You must be well-educated (many fresh graduates receive invitations).
- You must not be a foreigner.
- It helps an awful lot to be male. The Party is heavily dominated by males, with female members making up less than a quarter of the total.
- It helps an awful lot to be in the upper-middle class. 71% of the CCP is upper-middle class.
- It helps an awful lot to have been a part of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC). Notably, as of 2009, there are 73 million members to the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), a 91-year old youth recruitment program to the Chinese Communist Party. Half of the members of the Chinese Communist Party were once members of the CYLC. Altogether, the CYLC and CPC's population make up 11.7% of the entire Chinese population.
Today, the membership in the CCP is a total of 85 million people, making up of approximately 8.5% of the eligible population. With the Party controlling all avenues for public sector advancement, many people join the party only for career benefits. Membership helps students earn jobs and scholarships, and state-owned businesses consider CCP membership a plus. Membership is practically required to become a civil servant.