China on the Road to Democracy?

A Theoretical Investigation on China's Political Future

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject South Asian Studies, South-Eastern Asian Studies, grade: 1.5, University of Luzern (Politikwissenschaftliches Seminar), language: English, abstract: Democracy is a system of popular government, in which power is retained and exerted by citizens. The democratization process is ascribed to a complex arrangement of social, cultural, economic and political factors. China is not a democracy. As stipulated in the Chinese constitution, the Communist Party of China (CPC) possesses a monopoly on political power. The nation is headed by a paramount leader. Confucianism is the dominant philosophy in China. The question whether it is compatible with democracy has been widely discussed. However, several elements of Confucian ideology can be interpreted in a way that makes it suitable for democratic progress. The first significant experiments with democracy in China were made during the time of the First Republic (1912-1927). There have been a number of democratic movements in China and even within the CPC since then. Nowadays, the citizenry of villages can elect their local leaders, though most of them are CPC members. I believe that China will transform into an 'Asian-style' democracy, once the economic upturn has created a strong middle class that will not accept to be suppressed any longer.