Political Analysis On The Political Legitimacy Of The Chinese Communist Party

The Chinese Communist Party (the CCP)was in power of China since 1949,which was one of the most important event in Chinese history since 1900. Acting as a party in power for more than fifty years and wished to wield the regime for a long time ,the CCP's political legitimacy had fundamental significance about the CCP's wielding the regime,achieving the social order,strengthening national strength of China and improving the masses'living standard.The purpose of this thesis was to probe the CCP's political legitimacy in every period, various factors which affect the legitimacy and probable ways that might biring about the development and order of China.This thesis researched the legitimacy in political achievement and ideology mainly. It described the historical facts of the CCP' s legitimacy pursuit , and utilized political science, political sociology and political psychology principles as analytic means to analyze and describe the evolution of the CCP's political legitimacy positively.The legitimacy was a characteristic of political power which was regarded as proper right or accepted willingly by the ruled , and it turned the political power to the legitimate authority. Political legitimacy was obtained through political achievement and ideology mainly.Because the Chinese masses accepted the political logic of "who struggle for the regime and who wield the regime", then the armed struggle victory in 1949 became the first and most important basis of political legitimacy of the CCP, more than this ,the CCP obtained very large legitimacy resource by providing safety ,social order ,equity and economic development . The construction of ideology is a key factor for the CCP's political legitimacy before 1978, but it came to show deviation since 1957 especially in ten years of "cultural revolution" This lead to the masses contradict, disgust against the ultra-"Left" ideology, and this dissipated the CCP's political resource greatly .The economic development became the major basis of the CCP's political legitimacy since 1978, and it showed great success. The construction of ideology became less important but acted as "secondary safeguard".Chinese society have been changing greatly followed the deepening of market -orientated economy and enlarging of Open-policy since the late stage of 1990s.Facing the loss of political legitimacy, the CCP explored the new resource of political legitimacy actively. This included the idea and practice of the rule of law ,the Theory of "Three Representative " to replace the out-of-date ideology and reconstructing the CCP's image of being honest in official duties by strengthening effort of counter-corruption.In the more than fifty years of controlling political power of China,the CCP's political legitimacy is evolving continuously .Before 1978, the CCP's legitimacy pursuit depended on communist ideology mainly, though the economic development was pursued continuously. Since 1978, the economic development was the major means of legitimacy, which will continue. However, accompanying the transition of Chinese society and assimilation of the world, the CCP cannot depend on economic development as main means of pursuit of its political legitimacy unduly, and had to explore new legitimacy resource continuously in order to strengthen its basis of being in power.