The Plight Of Four Clean-ups Movement

In this paper, with SiQing Movement archive of the Fangshan District of Beijing,the author not only describes the indispensable factors in this political movement,including the objects, the subjects, the mobilization resources, the mobilizationtechniques, but also uses the approach of interest groups politics to analyze thephenomenon of "Divergence" in the movement. Namely, SiQing Movement TaskForce, grassroots cadres of the People’s Commune, ordinary people in People’sCommune and their organizational forms "Poor Peasant Associations" are viewed asthe three interest groups that are involved in the movement. By analyzing theirrespective roles, interests and power behaviors, the author points out that it is theinteraction of these three groups’ power behaviors that shapes the phenomenon of"Divergence". Specifically speaking, the following four specific aspects embody andresult in the phenomenon of "Divergence", the dilemma of SiQing Movement in otherwords. The first aspect is the contradiction between carrying out this politicalmovement and developing production. The second is the validity and invalidity ofMass movement. The third aspect is the conflict between the poor peasantsassociations and the Grass-roots party organizations of CPC and the ManagementCommittees of People’s communes. The last aspect is the worryings of the Task Force.Finally, in addition to the brief suggestions with regard to the ways and means ofpolitical mobilization in contemporary China, the author also analyzes the politicalmovement, which is a temporary operating mode of the public authority, and pointsout that the poor internal functioning of the bureaucracy is an important reason forcarrying out political movements. The author thinks that only by deepening thereform of the political system,including to form the healthy functioning of theinternal mechanisms of the state apparatus, to establish and improve theinstitutionalized ways and channels social forces acting on the state apparatus, thedependence on political movements can be eased.