Democracy In China

There is a longstanding notion within political science that democracy takes root and thrives where levels of economic development and education are high China however, presents itself as an anomaly if such a notion is true. China is representative of a deviant case within Comparative Politics; the theory states that as a country progresses economically, policies reform and democracy will follow. While they are often considered one of the worlds leading economy, China remains an authoritarian state. The established linkages between democracy and economic growth have more often than not been in support of the claim that democracy does pose a cost in terms of subsequent reductions in growth rate. There still remains a problem however; not only …show more content…
Success for the purpose of this paper will be defined as an increase in the civil society aims set out by the movements. A similarity initiating the events of these social movements was a growing conflict between a developing civil society and an increasingly indeterminate and fragmented state The foundation of the contemporary Democracy Movement in China can be seem as initiating from the Democracy Wall Movement of 1978-1979. It can similarly be seen as the first emergence of civil society and political citizenship since the reign of Mao in China. Their rallying connection was the demand for Democracy. The central aspects of the Democracy Movement were the demands for civil liberties, basic economic rights, as well as a greater degree of personal freedom vis-à-vis state and …show more content…
China 's economy in 1989 was booming and was linked to the world economy. This brought in foreign capital and technology and as a result, China achieved some of the world 's highest rates of growth and standards of living for many Chinese, some doubling in ten years. These changes reduced the power of the state over the economy and over the lives of Chinese citizens. Economic reform was a crucial step toward the reemergence of civil society. Although China was rising in world power, this did not come without economic difficulties which thus contributed to the Democracy Movement. The economic strife’s were most significant among the students and intellectuals largely due to the increasing costs of education and lack of opportunities for participating in the more prosperous economic market sector. The Democracy movement occurred in the midst of economic liberalization and a gradual retreat from the command economy. This was known as the Open Door Policy where China would engage economically with the international community. The market was seen as regulating economic activity. The economic improvements and relaxation of economic restrains created expectations among the citizens. Reforms created an environment of resentment towards the profiteering and corruption among the elites. All such aspects were pivotal to the success of the movement due to China’s connection with the