China's Identity With The Socialist Countries (1956-1979)

From 1956 to 1979,the world has experienced the climax period of Socialism Revolution.Many countries took the way of socialism at this time.As a major country in the Socialist Camp,China's diplomatic goal was ‘Proletarian World Revolution'.To those new ‘socialism countries' such as Cuba,Chile,Laos and some socialist African countries,China express active recognition and support.But in 1962,after General Ne Win seized power form a civilian government in Burma,proclaiming that they would pursue the road of Socialism,China's attitude was negative.In other words,China didn't recognize Burma's Socialism as true.Why China treated Burma so different? What kind of development model did China think is “True Socialism”?The perspective of Nation Identity from Constructivism may help in explaining that puzzle.For Constructivism,national identity can explain the general foreign behavior of a nation,including their attitudes toward other countries,their foreign decision,their action and reaction to global affairs and diplomatic commitments,.According to Alexander Wendt's classification of Nation Identity,as collective identity,a ‘Socialist Country' requires both self-admission and recognition from ‘the other'.While criticizing the Soviet Union as ‘Revisionism',China defined itself as ‘Real Socialist Country'.As for Socialism proclaimed by other countries,China had its own standard of Real Socialist Country.If Burma,Cuba,Chile and the Socialist African countries want to enter China's ‘Real Socialism Group',their development model should in accordance with China's standard.So,from 1956 to 1979,China's standard of recognition for ‘Socialist Country' becomes the research goal of the thesis.By comparing Burma,Cuba,Chile,Laos and the ‘socialist' African countries' Socialism,the thesis tries to find the‘ego'and the ‘other'of China's identity,so that China's standard of Socialism from 1956 to 1979 will be known by comparison analysis.From 1956 to 1979,China criticized Soviet Union as ‘Revisionism'.In such circumstance,China highlighted class struggle in Socialism.And to those countries who proclaimed to take socialist road,China thought: In guiding ideology,no matter what kind of ethnic thought the country own,it should take Marxism as the guide in core;In leading force and class nature of the state power,although the name of the political party who led revolutions in different countries are varied,they should keep the class nature of proletariat,and maintain the goal of class struggle;In the attitudes toward Sino-Soviet Conflict,as long as it didn't stand too much in the SU side,claiming that SU's ‘Revisionism' was right,China wouldn't take it as an element for de-recognition for its Socialism;finally,in economic development model,China thought socialism should take people's well being as the goal and the socialist public ownership reform cannot be too radical so that it accommodated the country's features and condition of development.On the basis of this standard,the thesis concludes that China's foreign policy from 1956 to 1979 was influenced by national identity.First,China made clear distinction between Socialist and non-Socialist countries;Second,it paid close attention to the changing situations in ‘Socialism Circle',and actively output the correct socialist ideology;third,for the Socialist countries that China recognized,it gave them great assistance and support,so that they can carry out socialist construction;Finally,China tried to establish a positive image in the third world,and maintained close official and private exchanges with socialism countries.