| Since the foundation of People's Republic of China in1949, the new-born regime opened a new chapter in Chinese history. This regime of people ended the long-time harsh exigencies of the war and made the country basically united and independent. Throughout many humiliations and vagrant suffers in Chinese modern history, achievements of the new regime had undoubtedly inspired people's rapturous supports and identification. Especially when comparing with latter Qing Dynasty and Republican period, there would arose much more easily of a positive and wonderful expectation on the new Regime in people minds-the history turned over a new page.Analyzing from the theoretical perspective of political legitimacy, the new-born regime undoubtedly laid a sound foundation-it seems that they had no need to do further work on strengthen the political legitimacy. However, as a necessity in political lives of human being, it's essential for any regime to constantly deepen the identification of political legitimacy. Although it seemed having a stable legitimacy background in primary time of the New China, it also had both objective and subjective inducements on constructing and strengthening the legitimacy of the new regime.On objective aspect, problems as confrontation of Socialism and Capitalism, disunity of Taiwan, banditry, severe economic situation laid beyond the rulers. On the subject aspect, after cleaning up the ideological and mental influence caused by feudalism, imperialism and bureaucrat-capitalism, Marxism-Leninism, Maoism need to find its way to emphasize its leading role in the New China.Political legitimacy is not innate. The process to build political legitimacy that is, the political legalization process. The concept of political legalization is an intensive study based on Weber's concept of political legitimacy. Weber's analysis of the concept of political legitimacy is partition by static typology of political legitimacy based on analysis of the political phenomenon of people voluntary compliance on political authority. This partition is built on top of the position of cultural relativism which dispelled the value questioning. However, the concept of political legalization means the process of demonstrating the political legitimate, which is dynamic. Value and symbols for the legitimacy argument is the political legitimacy resources.David Easton had a systematic analysis of political legitimacy resources, focusing on exploring to build political legitimacy ideologically and politically. Lipset combined effectiveness and the concept of legitimacy closely. On the basis of the analysis of the two, this essay establishes a framework of analysis, which divided political legitimacy resources into three major aspects:ideology, political structure and governing effectiveness.After the founding of New China, there emerged a unique political phenomenon-frequent political movements. In primary time of the New China, national political movements happened every year, which had a profound impact on Chinese society at all levels. This essay takes political movements as a full use of political legitimacy resources-ideology, political structure, governing effectiveness-and as an act of building political legitimacy, and selects political movements during t1949-1956as the objects of analysis.The reason of choosing this period, either from the dividing of the Chinese contemporary history or the stage of development of political movements after foundation of the New China, the duration of1949to1956is with more obvious stage characteristics.A much more significant reason of choosing this stage of political movements as the object of study is that, according to assumptions and analysis in this essay, this phase of the political movement had a positive effect on building political legitimacy. However, since the way of political movement of legitimacy building will also cause the lack of democratic basis, personal worship breeding, difficult to safeguard the rule of law and human rights and such other problems, it's therefore worthy of reflection.Political movements after1956, such as the Expansion of the Anti-Rightist Campaign, the Great Leap Forward Movement and the10years of Cultural Revolution had a prominent negative effect on Chinese society. Political movements during1949-1956were positive on building political legitimacy but also deserved reflection. This inner tension for academic research is of value and significance in studying.Political movements with different contents during1949-1956also had different emphases on the use of the legitimacy of resources. Ideologically, highlight the theme of the new trend of the new society, eliminate the presence of different ideas, criticize U.S. imperialism to consolidate the absolute dominant position of Marxism-Leninism and Maoism through anti-drug movement, the Marriage Law implementing movement, the intellectuals thought reform movement, the movement to resist U.S. agression and aid Korea, to realize demonstration of political legitimacy in term of ideology.In term of political structure, re-shape the Party members and cadres and Party organization, construct political legitimacy by fully use of charisma in political movements through Three-Anti Movement and Party Rectification Movement. On governing effectiveness, the people's new regime also has a strong demand for the pursuit of higher governing performance. This essay will explore how to construct political legitimacy of the new-born regime on governing effectiveness through the analysis of the Land Reform Movement and Capitalist Industry and Commerce Reform Movement.Demonstration of political legitimacy includes two aspects:rights to rule and obligations to obey. Built political legitimacy by means of political movements met the needs of demonstrating the rights and obligations. It's the inherent characteristics of the political movement makes them the inevitable choices to build up political legitimacy at1950's. In that certain historical background, political movements did play a role on building and enhancing political legitimacy. However, this way of act is also worthy of deep reflection.Rousseau's theory of Popular Sovereignty is the premise of legitimacy on modern politics. Great Democracy without the premise and basis of Popular Sovereignty cannot sustain a solid and long-term political legitimacy. Democracy is not only a political value. Basing on the concept of democracy, system securities as in constitutional system can be born. And the concept can be assured empirically through means of political elections in the reality of political life. Also, only on basis of democracy, can the political legitimacy be cumulated and enhanced through legitimate use of ideology, political structure, governing performance and other resources.Weber's concept of political legitimacy was based on empiricism, and divided political legitimacy typologically from the nature, but lack the value questioning of the political phenomenon of voluntary compliance. This defect of Weber appeared to be particularly significant for the recognization of legality on modern politics. Since modern politics is built on the basic premise of Popular Sovereignty, when democracy plays absence, the use of ideology, political structure, governing effectiveness and other legitimate resources in political movements will not build a solid and long-term political legitimacy. |
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