A Study Of The Ruling Party's Ideological Crisis And The Countermeasures In The Net Age

After the 1990s, the internet technology has witnessed a rapid development and the human society has entered an information age with the internet as its main technological support. The net age is an age of media globalization. The rise and utilization of the internet has not only offered a rare chance for the ruling party to innovate and develop its ideology but also brought about intense impact. This paper, based on the analysis of the basic characteristics, functions of the ruling party's ideology, as well as the basic characteristics and functions of the internet as an information transmission technology, presents a detailed discussion on how to proactively deal with the intense impact by the internet on the ruling party's ideology. This dissertation will be of some instructive value to the enhancement and improvement of the CPC's leadership on the ideological work by means of a better utilization of the internet technology. It also will help maintain and solidify the dominant role of Marxism in China's ideological sphere. This paper consists of an introduction and six chapters. The introduction mainly introduces the current situation of the study of this topic and expounds the focal points, difficult points, points of penetration as well as the research methods employed. Chapter One analyzes the connotations, essential characteristics, basic functions and the functional factors of the formation and development of the ruling party's ideology. The ideology of the ruling party features practicability, continuity, permeability, as well as constructiveness and comprehensiveness. It possesses the functions of defence, mobilization, guidance and social conformity. The formation and development of the ruling party's ideology are influenced not only by the social economic and political conditions, the party's class basis and the party system, but also by the mass media and the system of the media. Chapter Two focuses on the opportunities for and impact on the development of the ruling party's ideology brought about by the internet. As a complete new technology for information transmission and information link, the internet possesses the characteristics of transcending time and space, being fast and convenient, being able to transmit enormous quantities of information and being amazingly interactive. It can be used to send information, look up materials, exchange ideas and carry on ideological education, providing a rare opportunity for the development and innovation of the ruling party's ideology, including the opportunity to enlarge and promote international cultural exchange and cooperation, provide material conditions for the ruling party's ideological innovation and strengthen the coverage and influence of the ideology. Meanwhile, the internet has brought about unprecedented impacts: It has a strong impact on the basic concept, system and means of the media, and under this strong impact, the basic function of the ruling party's ideology has shown a weakened trend, even a state of crisis to some extent. Chapter Three probes into the manifestation and influence of the ruling party's ideological crisis. The criteria for judging the ruling party's ideological crisis are to what extent people believe in the ideology and to what extent the ideology functions. Based on the criteria, we may say that the major manifestation of the ruling party's ideological crisis is the crises of belief, legitimacy, social morality and the crisis of social conformity. Once the ideological crisis appears, it will undoubtedly shake the party's governing status, or even lead to a division and collapse of the party. Chapter Four discusses the innovation of the ruling party's ideological content, which is the fundamental way out in dealing with the ideological crisis. To innovate the ruling party's ideology, the principles of integrating theory with practice, combining inheritance with development and the principle of having both flexibility and openness should all be adhered to. On the basis of an accurate understanding a...