A Study On The Ethnic Policies Adopted In Shanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area During The Anti-Japanese War

As a unified multi-ethnic country formed gradually and historically, the issue of ethnic groups in China has always been closely related to the national social stability and economic development. The China’s Communist Party has been keeping attaching importance to the issue of ethnic groups, which was clearly put at a high political level since its foundation. Early in1937when the Anti-Japan War broke out, the CPC has already proposed that we should form an Anti-Japanese United Front, which is that all the forces nationwide could be unified to fight against the Japanese Invaders.The Anti-Japanese War is a victorious turning-point for the Chinese people in the China Anti-Japanese war, due to which, the CPC succeeded in the exploring the practice of her ethnic policies in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area and further provided with an "innovative model" for drafting the ethnic policies after the foundation of the New China.The dissertation focuses on the ethnic policies in the Shaanxi-Kansu-Ningxia Border Area in the Anti-Japanese War. The paper aims to expound the connotation and characteristics of the policies and analyze the exploratory and innovative efforts made on the ethnic issue in that region through a comparatively comprehensive and profound research. Finally, it summarizes the impact and enlightenment of implementation of the ethnic policies at the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area on the present ethnic theories and practice.The thesis mainly falls into the following four chapters. Chapter1presents the historical evolution and the ethnic overview of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area, as well as introduces the important role the Area played in the Anti-Japanese War. Chapter2analyzes the history and background of ethnic policy formed in Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area in the Anti-Japanese War period. In such a period, under the specific historical background---the formation and development of Chinese Communist Party’s "ethnic views" and the ethnic policies has gone into a new historical era, the ethnic policies in the Area has been gradually and finally formed. Chapter3illustrates the ethnic views and policies in the Area during the Anti-Japanese War period. Cooperated with Kuomintang-communist to fight against the war together, the Communist Party of China has achieved a transformation of the ethnic views, which are the formation of the Chinese ethnic view and the definition of its connotation meaning. This not only embodies the ethnic platform and policy of the Communist Party of China but also provides the premise of the formation of ethnic policy in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area. Chapter4endeavors to discuss the practice of the ethnic policies in Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area during the Anti-Japanese War. Chapter5deals with the specific practices included safeguarding the political rights of ethnic minorities, giving great support to their economic growth, respecting their religious faith, social customs and habits, assisting them to build social organizations and forces, and so on. Thanks to these proactive and successful practices, enthusiasm to fight against the War was aroused and the Anti-Japanese National United Front was effectively consolidated.The dissertation holds the view that it is of great practical significance on the exploratory and innovative efforts made on the ethnic policies at the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area during the Anti-Japanese War, which also was an important time for the formation of the guiding principles of the ethnic policies for the CPC. As a combination of the Principle of Marxist Ethnology and the China’s ethnic reality, the ethnic policies adopted in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area was innovative and practical. Its successful exploration and practice provided a new mode for drafting the ethnic policies for the New China.