| This thesis analyzes the historical origins, general development, major components, and political consequence of the rise of Chinese political conservatism since late 1980s. Since mid-1970s, communist revolution failed in China and Chinese began to debate how to reorient their modernization model. Competing with Dengism and liberal democracy, political neo-conservatism rose in China in the 1990s. The concept of Chinese political neo-conservatism is only understandable in the context of Chinese politics at the time. It rejected democratization transplanting mainstream of Western political regime. The political neo-conservatism is not well-developed ideology and its arguments come from various thoughts: neo-authoritarianism, statism, nationalism, postmodernism, third way, China exceptionalism, neo-Confucianism, and new leftism. The main political consequence of the rise of political neo-conservatism is to maintain regime stability in post-Deng era. In early 1990s, instability was predicted would-occur at succession moment. Such stability is a counter-case in world politics where so-called third wave democratization was dominant mainstream. Chinese case strongly confirms the role of ideas or ideology in making political regime transition. |
