Deductive essays. Deductive essay example.

Democracy is a familiar and cherished word for Americans. The Western liberal democracy has a fundamental idea that the individual is supreme, the human rights are of utmost importance, the wellbeing and ideals of majority individuals are essential for the whole nation. But democracy does not represent the same idea to all people all over the world. It’s meaning changes each time it’s translated into foreign languages and cultural context.

The Chinese democracy is a very questionable issue. However, China will never become a parliamentary democracy like Canada or the UK or  presidential democracy like the United States. It will be inapplicable in China.

For the past 5000 years democracy never took roots in the history of China. This kind of experience is completely alien to them. Therefore it cannot suddenly be initiated in this country.

“Minzhu” is a Chinese word for democracy, which means “people-as-masters”. Minzhu is not an essential part of Chinese political philosophy or culture. It is utterly opposite to the Confucian ideology, which appeals to harmony and obedience.

The Chinese cultural matrix is not similar to those of Europeans or Americans. For example, they place a harmonious society above personal freedom, while the Western people favor individual rights.

The Communist Party of China is strong in power, the leader is popular among the population: he is unbound by the rule of law, and there is no political alternative with a good widespread support.

The Chinese government doesn’t hold national elections, furthermore, it punishes those people who openly call for multiparty rule. At the same time the country is not a homogenous society. There is a host of regional variations and concerns, therefore democracy becomes more questionable.

The people living in villages have a sort of democracy, the right to vote for their leaders. Still, they easily give their preference to certain candidates who promise the voters some benefits and bribe them before elections. Hence, corruption is rather widespread in the country.

The educated population is necessary for democracy to function, because citizens in a democratic country make voting decisions built upon reasonable understanding of the political issues involved. Most people in large cities are well educated, but it does not apply equally to the entire country. The great majority of the Chinese citizens is too ignorant and easily manipulated to be entrusted with other political choice. At the same time, the press in China is strongly censored and the Internet is blocked. People don’t have an opportunity to read independent media and to know what happens in the rest of the world, which leads to a very uneducated opinion among the population.

The Constitution of China uses the word “democracy” twice. According to the constitution, one of the governments’ primary goals is to “develop social democracy”. Today China is not a democracy, however, there is an opportunity for it in the distant future, though it’s hard to say whether China will ever manage to become one.

References:

1. Jiang Zeming. Selected Works of Jiang Zeming. People’s Press, Beijing, 2006.
2. Hu Jintao. On Scientific Development. Central Documents Press, Beijing, 2008.
3. Cheng Li. China’s Changing Political Landscape: Prospects for Democracy. The Brookings Institution, Washington D.C., 2008.
4. Weller, Robert P. Responsive Authoritarianism. In Political Change in China: Comparisons with Taiwan. Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008.
5. Yang, Guobin. The Power of the Internet in China: Citizen Activism Online. New York: Columbia University Press, 2011.
6. Yu Keping. Democracy Is A Good Thing. The Brookings Institution, Washington D.C., 2009.
7. Zhu Ying, Bruce Robinson. Critical Masses, Commerce, and Shifting State Society Relations in China. The China Beat, 2010.