China First 17 Terms Autonomous regions: Make up more than 60 percent of Chinas territory and have a long history

of resistance to the Chinese government. The Chinese constitution grants autonomous areas the right of self-government in matters such as cultural affairs, but their autonomy is limited. Significance: Five autonomous regions: Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Tibet and Xinjiang. Cadres: People in positions of authority who are paid by the government or party. Their careers depend on party loyalty and ideological purity. Significance: Lower level positions in the bureaucracy. Around 30 million cadres around China see that the leaders policies are carried out everywhere. Central Committee: Consists of 340 members that meet together annually for a week, and they carry on the business of the National Party Congress between sessions. Their size and infrequent meetings limit their policymaking powers. Significance: Part of the Chinese Communist Party and from their midst the Politburo and Standing Committee are chosen. Central Military Commission: The way the military is represented in the government. Significance: Deng Xiaoping has been a leader and the military has never threatened to dominate the party because of this representation. Chiang Kai-shek: Founded the Nationalist Party (Guomindang) and pursued Maos army across China which became known as the Long March. Eventually, he had to turn his attention to the invading Japanese and after the war ended, Maos and Chiangs armies met in civil war. Chiang fled to Taiwan and Mao became leader. Significance: The Peoples Republic of China was born from civil war between the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and the Communists under Mao Zedong. Collectivism: The belief that the good of the community is valued above that of the individual. Significance: Belief that suited peasant- based communities that have existed throughout Chinese history, but scholars have often been drawn to individualism. Chinese Communist Party (CCP): Bases its claim to legitimacy not on the expressed will of the people, but on the representation of the historical best interest of all the people. Belief in democratic centralism and is organized hierarchically, with the supreme leader on top. Significance: The party has a separate constitution from the governments and is still at the heart of Chinese political system. It is divided into three central bodies: National Party Congress, Central Committee, and Politburo/ Standing Committee. Largest political party in the world.

Confucianism: A philosophy created by the Chinese philosopher Confucius that emphasized the importance of order and harmony. Alongside that it also supported the idea of having citizens submit to the emperor's power if he was a good ruler towards his people (or in other words hold the Mandate of Heaven). Significance: Confucianism still serves as a major influence in Chinese society today and in some cases has caused some conflicts since it contradicts some ideologies set in place in Communist China. For example, it contradicts the communist ideology of having everyone as equal since Confucianism emphasizes the idea of respecting inequalities.

The Cultural Revolution: Between 1960 and 1966, Mao allowed two of his faithful followers (Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping) to implement market-oriented policies that revived the economy because he felt unhappy that China had not reached true egalitarianism. The main goal was to purify the party and the country through radical transformation. The ethic struggle, mass line, collectivism, egalitarianism, and unstinting service to society were the important principles. Significance: A primary goal was to remove all vestiges of the old China and its hierarchical bureaucracy and emphasis on inequality. Danwei: Chinese word meaning social units usually based on a persons place of work. Significance: In urban areas, this is how people are divided into interest groups in order to have some influence in the political process. People depend on these units for their jobs, incomes, promotions, medical care, housing, daycare centers, and recreational facilities. Decentralization: Devolution of power to subnational governments. Significance: As China has moved away from a command economy to a market economy, centralization has become a problem, causing a move towards decentralization. Democratic Centralism: A communist belief that there should be a small group of leaders who rule for the good of the people. Significance: In a way this was similar to the previous Confucian idea of the Mandate of Heaven, or the ruler's responsibility to the people. It has served as a source of legitimacy for some time in the current communist regime in China although now citizens with democratic ideals are starting to question it. Deng Xiaoping Theory: A series of economic reforms carried out by Deng Xiaoping, based on Zhou Enlais Four Modernizations, which gradually infused capitalism into Chinese society while still retaining state control. Significance: These reforms have brought on problems such as unemployment and inequality, inefficiency of the state sector, pollution, and lapses in product safety.

Dual role: Vertical supervision of the next higher level of government and horizontal supervision of the Communist Party at their own level. Significance: How the relationship between the party and the government is controlled. Dynastic cycles: Until 19th century, explained the patterns of political and economic change in China. A dynasty would seize power, grow stronger, and then decline. During its decline, other families would challenge the dynasty and a new one would emerge claiming they had the mandate of heaven. Significance: Violent, radical, and chaotic change during the first half of the 20th century is what led to communism. Egalitarianism: The doctrine of the equality of mankind and the desirability of political and economic and social equality. Significance: This was the main tenet during Mao Zedongs rule.