Abstract
“Democratic centralism” is the characteristic of the government system of all socialist countries, which practice centralism on the basis of democracy, and democracy under central guidance. The people’s authority is vested in the people’s congresses, which elect and supervise the people’s councils on the same levels for the execution and administration of the policies and programs decided by the congresses. In Communist China, the plenary session of the CPPCC functioned as the temporary National People’s Congress during the transitional period of 1949–1954. On the local level, the all-circles representative conferences exercised certain powers and functions of the local people’s congresses. With the promulgation of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China in 1954, the people’s congresses became the supreme authority on both national and local levels.
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References
Art. 53, Par. I.
The following is a list of the provinces on the Mainland in 1957: Anhwei, Chekiang, Chinghai, Fukien, Heilungkiang, Honan, Hopei, Hunan, Hupei, Kansu, Kiangsi, Kiangsu, Kirin, Kwangsi, Kwangtung, Kweichow, Liaoning, Shansi, Shantung, Shensi, Szechwan, and Yunnan. Handbook on People’s China (Peking: Foreign Languages Press, 1957), p. 77.
Art. 53, Par. 2 of the Constitution of 1954.
Arts. 21, 22, of the Constitution.
Arts. 19–23 of the Electoral Law.
Art. 24 of the Constitution.
Art. 38 of the Organic Law of the National People’s Congress of 1954.
Arts. 37 snd 38 of the Constitution.
Art. 33 of the Organic Law of the National People’s Congress.
Art. 25 of the Constitution.
Arts. 4–6 of the Organic Law of the National People’s Congress; Art. 26 of the Constitution.
Arts. 27, 28, and 36 of the Constitution.
Ibid., Arts. 30, 32, 33.
Arts. 18, 23 of the Organic Law of the National People’s Congress.
Art. 31 of the Constitution.
Ibid., Arts. 33–35.
Art. 25 of the Organic Law of the National Peoples’ Congress.
Ibid., Arts. 27–29.
Ibid., Art. 26.
Arts. 39, 44–46 of the Constitution.
Ibid., Arts. 40, 41.
Ibid., Art. 42.
There is some resemblance of the military set-up of Communist China with that of the Nationalist Government. The Ministry of Defense under the State Council corresponds to the same organ under the Executive Yuan, and the National Defense Council corresponds to the National Military Commission. At present in Taiwan, there is a Military Strategy Advisory Committee under the President of the Republic.
Art. 42 of the Constitution.
Ibid., 47.
Ibid., Arts. 48, 50–52.
Art. 2 of the Organic Law of the State Council of 1954.
Ibid., Arts. 3, 6–8.
Ibid., Art. 49.
Commissioners of Special Administrative Offices correspond to the administrative inspectors under the Nationalist Government, who are to supervise and direct the work of several districts (hsien) under their jurisdiction.
Art. 9 of the Organic Law of the State Council of 1954.
This Organic Law was adopted by the First Session of the National People’s Congress on September 21, 1954.
Arts. 73 of the Constitution
Arts, 1, 15, 20, and 26 of the Organic Law of the People’s Courts of 1954.
Ibid., Art. 14; Arts. 78–80 of the Constitution.
Art. 3 of the Organic Law of the People’s Court of 1954.
Loc. cit.; Art. 76 of the Constitution.
Art. II of the Organic Law of the People’s Courts, 1954.
Art. 75 of the Constitution.
Arts. 31–33 of the Organic Law of the People’s Courts, 1954.
In his report to the National People’s Congress on September 19, 1956, Tung frankly admitted that the incomplete system of laws would create a serious problem.
Arts. 81, 83, 84 of the Constitution.
Adopted by the First Session of the First National People’s Congress on September 21 1954.
Arts. 2, 20, 21 of the Organic Law of the People’s Procuratorates of 1954.
Ibid., Art. 18.
For the English texts, see Albert P. Blaustein, Fundamental Legal Documents of
Communist China, pp. 215–226, 240–265.
Peter S. H. Tang, Communist China Today, Vol. I, p. 269.
Loc. cit.
Art. 7 of the Common Program.
Art. 54 of the Constitution.
Ibid.y Arts. 55, 62.
Arts. 4 and 5 of the Electoral Law of the People’s Republic of China for the National People’s Congress and Local People’s Congresses of All Levels, March 1, 1953.
Art. 57 of the Constitution.
Ibid., Arts. 56, 61.
Art. 22 of the Organic Law of the Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Councils of the People’s Republic of China, September 21, 1954.
The figures on this list are based on Arts. 9–18 of the Electoral Law of 1953.
Art. 16 of the Electoral Law of 1953.
Art. 1 of the Constitution.
Art. 18 of the Organic Law of the Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Councils, 1954.
Ibid., Arts. 6, 8; Art. 61 of the Constitution.
Art. 7 of the Organic Law of the Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Councils, 1954.
Ibid., Arts. 9–14.
Ibid., Art. 15.
Arts. 63 and 66 of the Constitution.
Ibid., Art. 63; Arts. 25, 29, 30 of the Organic Law of the Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Councils, 1954.
See Arts. 31–42 of the Organic Law of the Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Councils, 1954.
Ibid., Arts. 27, 41.
Ibid., Art. 28.
See Ch. XI, Sec. 4, “self-government organs of national autonomous areas.”
Arts. 53–54, 67–72 of the Constitution.
See Handbook on People’s China (1957), pp. 80–83.
See Theodore H. E. and Wen-hui C. Chen, “The ‘Three-Anti’ and ‘Five-Anti’ Movements in Communist China,” Pacific Affairs, Vol. 26, No. 1 (March 1953), pp. 3–23.
students taking part in the riot. Effective measures to prevent the recurrence of criticism and riot were adopted by the Central Committee of the Communist Party in September 1957. For further reference of the Communist thought control and suppression of religion, see Paul K. T. Sih, Decision of China: Communism or Christianity,* pp. 103–114, 137–157.
See Survey of China Mainland Press (Hongkong: American Consulate General), No. 2736 (May n, 1962). For personal observations of the Communist attitude toward minor political parties, see Chou Ching-wen, Ten Years of Storm*, pp. 46–49. Formerly a leading member of the China Democratic League and a high-ranking official of the Communist Government in Peking, Chou managed to escape from the Mainland. This book is a record of his personal experience in Communist China.
It was published in August 1955, under the title, The First Five Year Plan for National Economic Development of the Chinese People’s Republic.
For land redistribution and its implications, see Yuan-li Wu, An Economic Survey of Communist China*, pp. 113–153.
For their texts, see Albert P. Blaustein, op. cit., pp. 362–441.
See Mao Tse-tung’s speech, On the Question of Agricultural Cooperation of July 31, 1955. Its text was reproduced in the People’s Daily of October 17, 1955.
For the English text of the Regulations, see Albert P. Blaustein, op. cit., pp. 450–469.
Ibid., Arts. 3, 5, 10, 11, 16, 17.
Ibid., Art. 12.
For further details, see the text of the resulotion as contained in Albert. P. Blaustein, op. cit., pp. 442–449.
See Geoffrey Hudson, et al., The Chinese Communes*, p. 9.
For the Communist Revolution and the Chinese family, see C. K. Yang, The Chinese Family in the Communist Revolution*, pp. 3–21.
Chow Ching-wen, Criticism on People’s Communes*, pp. 22, 42. Divergent views on the Chinese communes have been expressed by other writers. See Anna Louise Strong, The Rise of the Chinese Communes*, Peter S. H. Tang, The Commune System in Mainland China*, and Gerald Clark, Impatient Giant: Red China Today*, pp. 79–92.
Peter S. H. Tang, Communist China Today* Vol. I, p. 484.
New York Times, March 30, August 9, 1962.
See Howard L. Boorman, et al., Moscow-Peking Axis*, pp. 1–49; Charles B. McLane, Soviet Policy and the Chinese Communists, 1931–1946*, pp. 194–260; Zbigniew K. Brzezinski, The Soviet Bloc: Unity and Conflict*, pp. 269–332.
For an individual analysis of Chinai relations with different Asiatic nations, see A. Doak Barnett, Communist China and Asia*, pp. 291–336.
See The New York Times, 7/24, 7/26, 7/27, 8/7, 8/14, 8/15, 1962. The Chinese Communists have occupied approximately 12,000 square miles of the disputed territory.
This is in reference to the intermitent discussions in Warsaw between the diplomatic representatives of the United States and Communist China. The meetings, originally held in Geneva, have now exceeded one hundred in number.
For divergent views on the problem of recognition, see “Conlon Associates’ Report on Communist China and Taiwan,” Congressional Record, Proceedings and Debates of the 86th Congress, 2nd Sess.; Stanley K. Hornbeck, A Brief Study of Some Facts and Many Not Facts Regarding “China” and United States “China Policy”*; William F. Knowland, “The United States Should Not Recognize Communist China,” Journal of International Affairs, Vol. XI, No. 2 (1957), pp. 160–170. One of the most exhaustive studies on the subject of the recognition of Communist China is Robert P. Newman’s Recognition of Communist China?* For a brief review of the international position of Communist China, see Arthur Steiner, “Communist China in the World Society,” International Conciliation, No. 533 (May 1961), pp. 389–454.
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© 1964 Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, Netherlands
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Tung, W.L. (1964). The Government of “Democratic Centralism”: Political Institutions under the Constitution of 1954. In: The Political Institutions of Modern China. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-1011-0_12
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