Book contents
- Constitutional Reforms in China
- Comparative Constitutional Law and Policy
- Constitutional Reforms in China
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 From the Third Cooperation to the Third Republic
- 2 From the Xinhai Revolution to the May Fourth Movement
- 3 The Rise and Fall of Totalitarianism
- 4 The Vicissitudes of a Crippled Reform
- 5 The Constitutional Manifesto
- 6 Towards the Future
- Bibliography
- Index
3 - The Rise and Fall of Totalitarianism
The Cultural Revolution and Beyond
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 December 2024
- Constitutional Reforms in China
- Comparative Constitutional Law and Policy
- Constitutional Reforms in China
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 From the Third Cooperation to the Third Republic
- 2 From the Xinhai Revolution to the May Fourth Movement
- 3 The Rise and Fall of Totalitarianism
- 4 The Vicissitudes of a Crippled Reform
- 5 The Constitutional Manifesto
- 6 Towards the Future
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Once the totalitarian regime is established, various disasters are bound to recur. A totalitarian state is diagonally opposite to liberal democracy, which is characterized by prevalence of horizontal connections, the sum total of which constitute a social contract. An ideal totalitarian structure, to the contrary, is like a zero-impedance conductor: orders flow from the top to the lowest level all without any obstacle. It was this totalitarian system that enabled Mao, the charismatic leader, to use his overwhelming social support to overthrow his political rivals within the system when his authority was weakened. Like a courtly struggle, the Cultural Revolution was for the sake of Mao’s personal power, but the cost of social destruction was incomparably greater.
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- Constitutional Reforms in ChinaPast, Present, Future, pp. 83 - 129Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025