Democracy Postponed: Chinese Learning from the Soviet Collapse
This article analyses the significance of Chinese learning from the Soviet collapse with reference to prospects for direct, semi-competitive elections to the National People’s Congress. It shows that the decay of the system of soviets, which is a euphemism for the emasculation of the powers of popular assemblies and the empty ritual of elections without choice, is widely perceived as a reason for the Soviet collapse. However, there is a lack of clarity about the functions which the system of soviets, or in China people’s congresses, ought to fulfil, with legitimating, legislative, and supervisory functions receiving different emphases, and there is entrenched disagreement about how far China should depart from the traditional Leninist model. Although Gorbachev’s reforms are seen as misconceived, in the longer term there may be little alternative to the introduction of direct, semi-competitive elections if the rhetoric of “socialist democracy” is to have any credibility.
Year of publication: |
2008
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Authors: | Munro, Neil |
Published in: |
Journal of Current Chinese Affairs - China aktuell. - German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA), ISSN 0341-6631. - Vol. 37.2008, 4, p. 31-63
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Publisher: |
German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) |
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