Revolutionary Dynamics: Shaping Political Development in Modern China

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

The communist revolution in 20th century’s China had a profound, long-lasting impact on the country’s political development as well as global geopolitics. The resulting regime has been an exceptionally durable ruling party that now governs 1.4 billion people and the world’s second largest economy. This panel features three tightly connected papers to systematically investigate this very revolution. In doing so, it highlights an important lesson for political scientists: by thoroughly examining the origins, processes, and consequences of a violent social revolution, scholars could draw out various implications and insights for general literatures in comparative politics and conflict studies.

In particular, scholars of comparative politics and international relations could benefit from the panel’s focus on state and gender. The first paper revisits the classic question of how modern education impacts politics. In contrast with extant studies preoccupied with whether education promotes (parliamentary) democracy, it finds that more radical and even violent ideologies could emerge from weak state settings. The second study takes the question of weak state head-on. It reveals that civil war could potentially be an opportunity for state-building, but successful state-building hinges on highly costly, if not self-destructive actions taken by rebel groups to consolidate power. The paper thus bridges the state-buliding literature and the civil-military relations literature. The third paper studies how Chinese women, a traditionally heavily marginalized group, were affected by a social revolution that once sought to shatter Confucian norms. By “bringing gender back in,” its meticulous analysis of biases in judicial outcomes uncovers an intriguing legacy of the revolution.


Paper 1: "Learning to Rebel: Modern Schools and the Making of Revolutionaries in Early 20th Century China" by Junyan Jiang & Xingchen Lan
This paper scrutinizes the unexpected role of modern educational reforms in fomenting revolutionary fervor in China. By examining the proliferation of modern middle and normal schools in the early 20th century, Jiang and Lan unearth a critical link between these institutions and the rise of revolutionary sentiments. The paper posits that these schools, particularly in regions with high densities of such institutions, served as inadvertent hotbeds for revolutionary ideologies, largely due to their principals who were often veterans of the 1911 Revolution. This study illuminates the paradoxical outcome of educational modernization, showcasing how a system designed for enlightenment and progress inadvertently sowed the seeds of political upheaval.

Paper 2: "Military Purges and the Remaking of the Chinese Communist Red Army" by Xinghcen Lan & Bokai Qi
Lan and Qi's paper navigates the complex dynamics of military purges within the Red Army during China's Civil War. Through an extensive analysis of over 5,200 Red Army officers, the paper reveals a deliberate strategy of purging officers linked to local uprisings, which ironically also strengthened central control. The study provides nuanced insights into the political calculus behind these purges, demonstrating their dual impact: while they solidified command, they also undermined military efficacy, especially among units associated with purged officers. This research contributes a crucial understanding of the internal mechanisms of power consolidation and control in revolutionary movements.

Paper 3: "Confucian Echoes and Revolutionary Shifts: Gender Norm and Gender Effect in Chinese Courts" by Xiaohong Yu & Zhaoyang Sun
Yu and Sun's analysis focuses on the intersection of gender norms and legal practices within the context of China's revolutionary past. Through a detailed examination of over 41,000 criminal cases, the paper articulates how Confucian gender norms and revolutionary ideologies have distinctly influenced judicial outcomes. In regions steeped in Confucian traditions, gender biases in sentencing are more pronounced. However, this study intriguingly notes that such biases are significantly diminished in areas with a strong revolutionary history, suggesting a marked departure from traditional norms due to the revolutionary legacy.

Collectively, these papers unravel the layers of China's transformative journey from a society deeply rooted in Confucian ideals to one that has embraced and been reshaped by revolutionary fervor. They are rigorous empirical analyses of granular, original datasets. This session is designed to appeal to a wide audience, including those interested in political science, sociology, history, and Chinese studies, offering fresh perspectives and contributing to the ongoing discourse on the role of revolutions in shaping political landscapes.

Sub Unit

• Division 13: Politics of Communist and Former Communist Countries

Individual Presentations

• Military Purges and the Remaking of the Chinese Communist Red Army - Xingchen Lan, New York University; Bokai Qi, New York University

• Confucian and Revolutionary Impact on Gender in Chinese Courts - Xiaohong Yu; Zhaoyang Sun, Tsinghua University

• Learning to Rebel: Modern Schools and the Making of Revolutionaries in Early 20th Century China - Xingchen Lan, New York University; Xiaohong Yu

Chair

• Megan A. Stewart University of Michigan

Discussant

• Erik H Wang New York University