An Analysis On Chinese Communists’ Power Theory Since The Founding Of P.R.C.

Power is one core issue of political life. The Communist Party of China (CPC) has become governing party, playing a leading role in the whole work of the country, since the founding of the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) in1949. For Chinese Communists, it has been an important proposition that how CPC deals with its power, runs its power and exercises its power so as to consolidate its governing base, improve governing ability, hold the progress of CPC, maintain strong leading core and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics. After profound theoretical considerations on this proposition, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, the best representatives of Chinese Communists in different historical stages after the founding of P.R.C., have formulated rich and special power theories with heritage and development. It is of theoretical and practical significance to investigate and study their theories completely and systematically, and to explore regular recognition about CPC’s running power and exercising power as governing party, so as to guide and speed up socialism with Chinese characteristics.On reviewing the forming and developmental history, subjective and objective basis, and main characters of Chinese Communists’power theories, this paper chooses such basic but important issues as source and essence of power, legitimacy basis of power, distribution of power, restriction and supervision of power to investigate, summarize and analyze. The inherent logic of those issues is where power comes from, how power is legitimated, how power is distributed and how power is balanced. Ancient western and Chinese thinkers proposed a lot of theories on the source and essence of power, but most of their theories were based on the historical idealism and abstract Theory of Human Nature, so they could not reveal social economic source and class essence of power existence and its running. Marxism analyzes and understands power issue from the perspective of historical materialism, With such scientific recognition, Chinese Communists have systematically elaborated the source and essence of power since the founding of P.R.C. To their point of view, in terms of the source of power, they emphasized that power comes from the people; in terms of essence of power, they stressed such essential characters of power as class nature, affinity to the people, responsibility and service."Legitimacy" has become a core concept of modern politics, particularly applied in power evaluation. Legitimacy is the basis and premise of power system existence, its sustainability, stability and development. Chinese Communists have been persistently exploring the legitimacy of political power since the founding of P.R.C. In Mao Zedong Times, legitimacy was mainly built on leader’s individual charm, ideology charm and organization resource obtained in long-term struggle. After Mao Zedong Times, the basis of legitimacy has changed constantly, such as higher requirement for authorities’individual charm along with the development and change of society, stimulated individual interest-driven consciousness by culture secularization, weakened moral basis of governing party by corruption, threat on legitimacy from "rising new class and differentiation of interest group" in reform. Therefore, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao took those changes into consideration in new era to make further and beneficial exploration of power legitimacy. Deng Xiaoping researched legitimacy of power from the aspect of restating the Party’s ideological line, strengthening economic construction, stressing democracy and legislation; Jiang Zemin investigated legitimacy of power from the aspect of boosting economic development, promoting political reform, advancing the rule by law and the rule by moral; Hu Jintao examined legitimacy of power from the aspect of holding the progress of the CPC. To summarize their exploration and thinking, it can be found that the route and long-term action constantly rebuilding legitimacy basis were used, such as reinforcing ideology of legitimacy, improving governing ability, playing the role of political socialization, developing economy, governing for the people, improving system construction, quickening democracy construction.Power distribution means how to divide and assign the work, or power structure. Power distribution pattern has its historical development process. Since the founding of P.R.C., CPC has established three-in-one power pattern of party, country and society. This pattern has its historical necessity and rationality. But it has certain defect, which is characterized by unreasonable national power distribution, leading to insufficient autonomy in society, lack of supervision mechanism and deficient national authority. Since the reform and opening up, Chinese social and political structure has witnessed great change. In social structure, social interest structure has taken placed big change and as medium between political life and economical life, it will have great influence on power structure, for example, gradual recognition of individual power, continuous expansion of civil right, shrink of national power and great progress of legal construction. So, from the viewpoint of modernization, quickening reform of political mechanism and promoting political democracy will benefit the reasonable assignment of national power structure, which will consequently enhance authority of state.Efficient restriction and supervision on power is a key to running power correctly. Once political power and national power, as public power, are converted to objective "alien force", it will cause dissimilation and consequently bring about a series of harm. Power restriction and supervision has its theoretical and practical historical process. On inheriting and developing Marxism’s power restriction and supervision, Chinese Communists have conducted theoretical and practical exploration. Mao Zedong emphasized restricting and supervising power through people, democratic parties, ideal and faith, legal system, news public opinion, and democratic centralism in theory, and through establishing political consultation, commission for disciplinary inspection and people’s congress in practice. Deng Xiaoping stressed restricting and supervising power through legal system, power, decentralization, intra-party democracy in theory and through improving supervision power of people’s representative, strengthening supervision from non-Party personage, re-establishing and developing various supervision organ in practice. Jiang Zemin proposed restricting and supervising power through both legal and moral aspects in theory, and through widening people’s supervision, reasonable deconcentration and perfecting power restriction and supervision in practice. Hu Jintao strengthened restricting and supervising power through moral and honest government culture, constructing punishing and preventing system and integrating supervision subjects together to supervise power, and through improving and perfecting system of opening government affairs and information, standardizing power running system in important fields, and improving administrative law enforcement system in practice. From theoretical and developmental aspect, Chinese Communists have formed basic theoretical patterns and practical route, such as power restricting power, and right, law and moral restricting power.Under the background of governing, reform and opening-up, Chinese Communists face many tests and take a more arduous historical challenge. Chinese Communists, especially the leaders of all levels of power subject, must firmly establish correct power view, improve ideology, strengthen ideological and party spirit cultivation, remember the Party’s fundamental purpose, and enhance the Party’s style construction. Thus, CPC will hold the progress of the party, becoming strong core of leadership for the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics.