Research On Zhou Enlai’s Ideology And Practice Of Social Management In The Early Days Of Our Country’s Foundation(1949-1956)

In the early days of our country’s foundation, our society is undergoing a new and profound social change. Accompanied by the changes of the relations of social classes and the realignment of the relations of people’s interest, a variety of social problems had emerged. Facing the mess which is left by the old society, the following questions like how to effectively coordinate all aspects of social relations and build a good social order and realize people’s desire of being their own masters all propose new requirements and challenges to the new-born people’s regime. As one of the main leaders of the party and the state as well as one of the important members of the first generation collective leadership, Zhou Enlai was the first prime minister after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. He was regarded as the chief steward of new China by revolutionaries of the old generations. In the early days of our country’s foundation, facing very complicated social situation, he led people make a comprehensive governance and transformation to the traditional society. During the social management practice, he paid attention to actively coordinate all kinds of social relations, resolve complex social contradictions, meet people’s needs and form some basic management philosophy of "upholding the people’s subjectivity","serving the people","paying attention to the comprehensive coordination","stressing the similarities while reserving differences", and "pursuing the social order of equality", and the above all reflect Zhou Enlai’s superb art of management and his unique management style.Through the ways of combing theory and reality together, documents and materials and summary, this paper makes a systematic inspection on theoretical basis, practical characteristics, value orientation, realization path and ultimate aim and these are all originated from Zhou Enlai’s idea of social management in the early days of our country’s foundation. This paper can help us correctly analyze the logic and historical starting point of the thinking formation of new China social management, fully understand the special contribution to new China social management made by Zhou Enlai, and at the same time, this paper provides a useful reference and inspiration to improve and innovate the social management in the new era. The paper is divided into five parts.The introduction part includes the reason of choosing this topic, the research significance, the review and thinking of its academic history, the definition of its basic concept, the innovative ideas and the inadequacies.The second part describes the formation and development of Zhou Enlai social management thinking during the early days of out country’s formation. As the first chapter of the thesis, this part mainly makes a research on the theoretical origin, the reality basis, and its development thread. The theoretical origin part is mainly discussed through these following three aspects:"harmony and cooperation" thought in Chinese traditional culture; Western Modern democratic thought enlightenment; Marxism sociological thought. The reality basis is analyzed through three levels: basic management experience formed in the CPC’s partial ruling period; experience conclusion to the traditional social transformation in the early days of our country’s formation; the lesson learned from Soviet social management mode. The development thread is summarized from three stages:the formation of thought, its establishment, and its continuous development.The third part talks about the core value of Zhou Enlai social management thought in the early days of our country’s formation. This section is the Chapter two of this thesis, and focuses on that "management for the people" is the basic kernel of Zhou Enlai social management thought. This part emphasizes "management for the people" is the cornerstone of forming Zhou Enlai social management thought and it is the scientific grasping of Marxist masses concept. It requires to respect people,close to the people during the management practice and strive to realize and maintain the fundamental interests of overwhelming majority of the people.The fourth part mainly discusses the achieve path, practice characteristics and ultimate goal of Zhou Enlai social management thought in the early days of our country’s formation. This part concludes from Chapter three to Chapter five and it is the main body of the thesis. Chapter three describes the achieve path of Zhou Enlai social management thought. This paper proposes that Zhou Enlai emphases on the diversification of the main body of the social management during the practice of social management, and stresses the need to involve all levels of people to participate; emphases on the adherence to the dominant role of the government in the social management, and stresses that service should be the core concept of government management; emphases on the adherence to the integrated and coordinated management rule and multi-pronged management ways and approaches. The fourth chapter discusses the practice characteristics of Zhou Enlai social management thought:under the premise of adhering to serving people’s livelihood, clearing the feudal legacy during the social management practice in the early days of country’s foundation and purifying the social environment; carrying out the relief and strengthening the social cohesion; advocating the "new democracy" in order to promote social progress. The fifth chapter describes the ultimate goal of Zhou Enlai social management thought. Zhou Enlai stresses to continuously meet people’s social needs through effective social management and promote social equality and justice and the overall development, and eventually achieve people’s happiness.The fifth part is the conclusion part of the thesis and it mainly focuses on the historical status and its contemporary enlightenment of Zhou Enlai social management thought in the early days of our country’s foundation. This paper firstly describes Zhou Enlai’s contribution to Marxist social management, meanwhile, it analyzes some profound revelation on social management innovation of new era of Zhou Enlai’s social management thought, for example, social management should correctly deal with the relationship between state power and social rights and stimulate the vitality of social development; and it should put people’s livelihood as the foothold of social management work and constantly promote the overall coordinated development of the economic society; and it should advocate an active, robust management philosophy and promote the modernization of social management; and it should properly coordinate the interests of every corner of the society, and continuously promote the social harmony and justice.