The Path And The Theory: Deng Xiaoping’s Foundation For The Socialism With Chinese Characteristics

Since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China initiated a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and established a system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics under the guidance of Deng Xiaoping. In the process of reform and opening up, China experienced extensive and profound changes: the social productive forces was released and developed; social wealth increased greatly, people’s living standards improved significantly; the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. To sum up, the fundamental reason behind all our achievements and progress is that we have opened up this path and established this system. In the process of creating this path and this system, Deng Xiaoping had made the outstanding contribution to it. This dissertation attempts to analysis the Deng Xiaoping’s foundational role for the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics by researching the process of Deng Xiaoping exploring the socialism with Chinese characteristics, in order to promote the development of this path and this system continuously, and strengthen the confidence of the Party and the people holding high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characterisics.This dissertation consists of three parts:the introduction, the body text and the conclusion.The introduction part describes the theoretical and practical significances of this dissertation. This part summaries the current domestic and international research situation of this topic, and introduces the mainly study ways of this dissertation which includes the study methods, the paper structure, the significant points and the difficult points.The first chapter mainly elaborates the background of Deng Xiaoping exploring socialism with Chinese characteristics. It mainly discusses the international background and domestic background. On one hand, this path and this system were created in the background of the peace and development becoming the themes of the present era. The rapid development of economic globalization, political multi-polarization and the new scientific and technological revolution brought opportunities and challenges to China. The serious setbacks of the socialism movement all over the world provided a valuable experience to China’s socialist construction. On the other hand, the practice of reform and opening up and modernization construction was the practical basis of the path and the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This path based on the Chinese basic conditions on primary stage of socialism and the summary of the errors of the "cultural revolution" and experience and lessons of the 1989 political turbulences.The second chapter mainly remarks on the process of Deng Xiaoping exploring the socialism with Chinese characteristics. This exploration was from "the full consolidation" promoted by Deng Xiaoping in 1975. After that, he criticized the mistake views of "two-whatever" and supported to carry out the "great debate of the truth criterion". This is the ideological preparation for the path and the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This period is the prearrangement. The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of CPC is the real beginning. This congress shifted the focus work of the Party and the state onto economic development successfully. It established the ideological line of emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts and the organizational line with the main content of the democratic centralism. This is the flush stage. At the Twelfth Congress of the Party, Deng Xiaoping first proposed the thought of "constructing the socialism with Chinese characteristics" and designed the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics preliminary. At the same period, he also firstly proposed the questions of "what socialism is and how to build it", which became the thread of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This period is preliminary formation stage. The Thirteenth Congress of Party disserted the theory of the primary stage of socialism for the first time, established the basic line for this stage, summarized the policies for constructing the socialism with Chinese characteristics comprehensively and outlined the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This period is the in-depth development stage. In the Southern Remark in 1992, Deng Xiaoping exposited incisively some new views of the socialist market economy, revealed the nature of socialism scientifically and formed the theories of socialist reform systematically. The key views of Southern Remark are implementing the Party’s basic line of "one center, two basic points", grasping the strategic opportunities in this important period, speeding up the reform and opening up and promoting rapid development of the national economy. The Fourteenth Congress of Party summarized the "Deng Xiaoping Theory of construct the socialism with Chinese characteristics" systematically. Finally, the Fifteenth Congress of Party established Deng Xiaoping Theory as the guidance of the Party formally. Take this as a sign, the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics formed fully.The third chapter mainly focuses the foundation role of Deng Xiaoping for the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This chapter researches this path from five aspects: the basic line, the economic development path, the political development path, culture development path and the path of building the Party. Firstly, Party’s basic line for the primary stage of socialism, which is "one centre, two basic points" is the key of this path. Secondly, in economic, Deng Xiaoping created the socialist market economy theory with Chinese characteristics. Taken this theory as a guide, the Party proposed to establish a socialist market economy, which including the basic economic system in which public ownership is dominant and different economic sectors develop side by side and the system whereby distribution according to work remains the predominant mode and coexists with various other modes. In addition, Deng Xiaoping formulated the economic development strategies. Thirdly, in democracy field, Deng Xiaoping fully affirmed the important role of democracy, and proposed to improve the democratic system, strengthen the socialist legal system, deepen the political restructure and pointed out the guiding ideology of advanceing the great cause of peaceful national reunification. Fourthly, in culture, Deng Xiaoping put forward the concept of socialist spiritual civilization and proved its important strategic status. He clarified the dialectical relationship between the spiritual civilization and the material civilization and guided the Party formulate the guiding thought, the fundamental task and implementation methods of socialist spiritual civilization. Last but not least, in the Party building, Deng Xiaoping proposed to uphold the Party’s leadership by improving the leadership of Party. We should strengthen Party building in ideologically, in organizationally, in work style in order to stay the Party as the firm core of leadership for this cause. At last, we must consolidate the Party’s governace status by strict with its members.The fourth chapter analyses the foundation role of Deng Xiaoping for the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Firstly, Deng Xiaoping inherited the thought of Marxist classical writers about society development and improved these views according to the practices in China. On one respect, Deng Xiaoping inherited the thought of Marx and Engels, which included the socialist development goals, the development stages of future society and opening up thought. On the other respect, Deng Xiaoping inherited and developed the correct thoughts and practical experience of Lenin and Stalin about socialist construction. As well as, he attempted to avoid the lessons of Soviet Union in constructing socialism. Secondly, Deng Xiaoping also inherited and developed the Mao Zedong Thought about socialist construction. This dissertation elaborates the tortuous process of Mao Zedong exploring the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and then assesses the contributions and errors of Mao Zedong scientifically. Thirdly, Deng Xiaoping Theory is the foundation of the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The theories of Deng Xiaoping about the nature of socialism, building the Party and raising the spiritual civilization standard are the theoretical source of the important thought of Three Represents. As well as, the theory of Deng Xiaoping about development is the guide of the Scientific Outlook on Development. Besides that, the construction of socialist modernization leading by Deng Xiaoping becomes the practical basis of the Scientific Outlook on Development. And the last, Deng Xiaoping Theory is the basis of the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics constitute a system of scientific theories including Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development and other major strategic thoughts. Deng Xiaoping is the major founder of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics, because he has proposed the theme and the essence of the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics and has built a profile of this system.The conclusion part concludes the Chinese great achievements on economy, politics, culture, national defense, diplomacy and building the Party since reform and opening up in China, in order to prove the important role of Deng Xiaoping in exploring the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and established the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics. And then, this dissertation analyses the world impacts of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics by guiding of the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics. On one respect, the success of this path provides fresh experiences to the developing countries. It shows that the developing countries should have an independent development road with national characteristics, insist the principle of progressive in reforming and expand the range of opening up. On the other respect, the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics displays the vitality of socialism, holds firm Party’s beliefs to Marxism and socialism all over the world and promotes the development of world socialist movement. The last but not least, the successful of socialism with Chinese characteristics influences the modernization of the world and the development of human civilization. In a word, this path maintains world peace, promotes world development and enriches world development models.