Historical Links, Political Governance and Social Value Systems

Abstract

This Chapter starts by illustrating historical links between China and India. This is done with the purpose of establishing and demonstrating the profound influence of Buddhism and Indian philosophies on Chinese society. Thereafter, the authors discuss in detail the political systems and governance in China and India. The elucidation of these allows readers to understand how the very distinct historical and social contexts have impacted the founding and evolution of the current political system in each country. The authors also deliberate upon the transformation of the social value system in the two societies. To do justice to this aspect, the authors offer detailed accounts of the political and social systems in China and India. The authors note that the historical evolution trajectories have been different in the two countries, for example: (1) historically homogeneous and centralized country (China) vs. historically non-homogeneous and decentralized country (India); (2) semi-colonization of China vs. complete colonization of India (earlier by Mughals and then later by the British); (3) full-scale violent revolution in China vs. emphasis on non-violent revolution in India, and consequently the impact on each of the societies (e.g. India has preserved the old elite system that has affected social thinking and norms, as well as the rich-poor divide compared with Communist rule emphasizing ‘equality’). These different historical paths have exerted a different influence on the fundamental legitimacy of the ruling class and thoughts of governance in these two distinct societies.