Communism in China

[Aspiringanonymous]

I posed this question to a few people in chat some time ago, but I'm quite curious to see what everyone else thinks as well. It's a topic I'm writing on for an upcoming term paper.

Was the Communist Revolution of 1949 a good thing or a bad thing for 20th century China?

I think one aspect that should be considered, before everyone starts shouting "communism is bad!", is - given the circumstances at that time, how much better, if at all, would things really have been if the revolution had not succeeded?

[magikarpy]

I think it was the best thing that happened to them. They still struggle but they have better homes then a lot of people in America do. Communism in itself isn't bad. It's only bloodthirsty leaders or stupidity that paint in a bad light. If you have a wise leader you'll get a lot more done then if you have 10 wise leaders in a republic.

[CuriousDestruction]

seeing as how oppressive the regime is in China i can't say it was a great thing for the citizens there.

[quartermaster]

I think it was the best thing that happened to them. They still struggle but they have better homes then a lot of people in America do. Communism in itself isn't bad. It's only bloodthirsty leaders or stupidity that paint in a bad light. If you have a wise leader you'll get a lot more done then if you have 10 wise leaders in a republic.

lolz

[Severus Snape]

Looking back from 2010, it was a great idea. The great leap forwards was a crime against humanity, but the groundwork communist programs laid paved the way for the huge success the Chinese are seeing today. For about 40 years it created nothing but an authoritarian communist state that deprived people of their rights.

[quartermaster]

It would behoove you all to do a little research on post-World War II China, as it is clear that there are some serious misunderstandings here. The fundamental error in logic I see is that many of you obfuscate the existence of a communist regime with the successes of free market capitalist reforms. China did not suffer from unrelenting poverty, famine and elite oppression for forty years, only to see a huge transformation "overnight," with all else remaining equal or constant. The Chinese government began to embrace more free-market capitalist ideas during the late 1970s and early 1980s, which have expanded into policies that allow for more business freedom in many sectors, than we have here in the United States. In fact, the Chinese began to see almost immediate results with the opening of their economy and the loosening of regulations on business.

The so-called "communist" regime can only be commended for enacting these free-market reforms, not for their rule as socialist overlords, as their record is spurious at best and atrocious at worst. So, looking back from 2010, we know, a priori, that the facts will show that communism (well, at least the second stage, we have never actually seen anything past the “dictatorship of the proletariat”) has not contributed an ounce to the real growth of the Chinese economy and the standard of living, but it was the embrace of free-market, voluntarist policies.

[kingpinnn]

It would behoove you all to do a little research on post-World War II China, as it is clear that there are some serious misunderstandings here. The fundamental error in logic I see is that many of you obfuscate the existence of a communist regime with the successes of free market capitalist reforms. China did not suffer from unrelenting poverty, famine and elite oppression for forty years, only to see a huge transformation "overnight," with all else remaining equal or constant. The Chinese government began to embrace more free-market capitalist ideas during the late 1970s and early 1980s, which have expanded into policies that allow for more business freedom in many sectors, than we have here in the United States. In fact, the Chinese began to see almost immediate results with the opening of their economy and the loosening of regulations on business.

The so-called "communist" regime can only be commended for enacting these free-market reforms, not for their rule as socialist overlords, as their record is spurious at best and atrocious at worst. So, looking back from 2010, we know, a priori, that the facts will show that communism (well, at least the second stage, we have never actually seen anything past the “dictatorship of the proletariat”) has not contributed an ounce to the real growth of the Chinese economy and the standard of living, but it was the embrace of free-market, voluntarist policies.

i can always rely on you lol

[ericboi]

It's a bad thing because China probably would have improved itself anyway without having to be communist. The USA and other countries would have helped them. People there can't say what they want to or they go to jail.

[Geek2008]

I think it was a good thing if you look at it from China's point of view that it help to keep a very fractured country together when probably if they went the way western politics which can be used to help emphasize differences in opinion. Whereas Communism says that everybody is equal. Also good of the U.S.A for it gave them a hate figure as the Russians got to keep rednecks distracted somehow.

[Skeln]

Well the communist in China are not as radical as the communist that existed in the USSR. I think it really was best economically for the Chinese but not for everyone else because now everything is made in China! (And Korea(s), Japan, and India).

[kingpinnn]

you obviously have not read quartermaster's post where he proves that it was the capitalistic methods, not communist methods that allowed China to start rising like they are now/

It would behoove you all to do a little research on post-World War II China, as it is clear that there are some serious misunderstandings here. The fundamental error in logic I see is that many of you obfuscate the existence of a communist regime with the successes of free market capitalist reforms. China did not suffer from unrelenting poverty, famine and elite oppression for forty years, only to see a huge transformation "overnight," with all else remaining equal or constant. The Chinese government began to embrace more free-market capitalist ideas during the late 1970s and early 1980s, which have expanded into policies that allow for more business freedom in many sectors, than we have here in the United States. In fact, the Chinese began to see almost immediate results with the opening of their economy and the loosening of regulations on business.

The so-called "communist" regime can only be commended for enacting these free-market reforms, not for their rule as socialist overlords, as their record is spurious at best and atrocious at worst. So, looking back from 2010, we know, a priori, that the facts will show that communism (well, at least the second stage, we have never actually seen anything past the “dictatorship of the proletariat”) has not contributed an ounce to the real growth of the Chinese economy and the standard of living, but it was the embrace of free-market, voluntarist policies.