Revolution Repeat??

As the old saying goes,”Never say never.” History does often repeat itself, but I don’t think it likely that a cataclysmic event such as the Cultural Revolution would occur again. China has moved to the fore in the global economic arena following expanded trade with the Western world. In the wake of this growth, economic relationships have changed. Mao’s quest for a socialist tradition where property and wealth were controlled by a community of workers has shifted more toward the capitalist model. Mao’s communism still colors the economic ideology of today’s China as expressed by Jiang Zemin’s speech on the eightieth anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, “On the basis of economic growth, efforts should be made to increase income for urban and rural residents, constantly improve their living conditions….When some people and some regions Get Rich First, others will be brought along…” Sounds like the “trickle down” theory borrowed from the Western economists! Industrialization has seen a rise in entrepreneurs, managers and professionals. The peasants that Mao relied on to grow socialism still exist, but are a much smaller percentage of the population. A growing sector of young Chinese are reaping the financials benefits of this growth and enjoying the consumer power it afford them as they purchase homes, cars and electronics. But, there exists also that segment that still struggles to survive.

Several factors would likely prevent another catastrophe such as the Cultural Revolution. First is the lack of a Mao replacement, a cultural hero bigger than life. A void exists in this department unless another charismatic Party leader rises who can tap into the Culture of Personality. It is much easier to market ideas to the masses when they believe in you and trust you. It becomes important too to have an effective propaganda mechanism in place to pitch your cause. Controlling media is certainly doable, but the emergence of the internet would make it much more difficult to control information coming in and going out; though, China is making every attempt to gain control of web access. With expanded trade, China has rolled out the welcome mat to foreigners so that there is now greater diversity in the population as Westerners arrive to visit, study and live. This increased visibility to the outside world might motivate the Chinese be on their best behavior to deter international criticism. Likewise, the Chinese may not want to risk jeopardizing trade relations as they continue to ramp up their economy. They are poised to become a major player in the power game and it would not be to their advantage to become distracted by internal problems. Perhaps the most important deterrent is memory. Memory serves to remind us of past failures and horrors in the hopes of preventing their replication. Holocaust survivors give voice to the atrocities of Nazism and there are certain to be those who can attest to the brutality of the Cultural Revolution.