Official Ideology in the People's Republic of China - Evolution and Impact on Foreign Policy

After the demise of Soviet communism, the People's Republic of China (PRC) is often considered an anachronism and relic of a failed philosophy and system. Moreover, Chinese leaders are )assumed to be abandoning their communist roots in all but official rhetoric as the country pursues economic modernization. In fact, the Chinese form of communism has evolved significantly. Struggle has given way to stability, austerity to prosperity, and hostility to peaceful co-existence. This transition has had tremendous ramifications for PRC foreign and security policies. What was once a highly articulated and systematic ideology, providing a distinct and accurate guide to policy choices in the international arena, has become more akin to a set of general principles to guide behavior in an increasingly complex system. This thesis asserts, however, that while many of the specific tenets of Maoism have fallen to the wayside or been modified, many of the concepts, language, and thought processes of Chinese communism continue to form the thinking of Chinese policy-makers, thus they interpret and justify foreign policy choices in ideological terms. Consequently, ideology is more relevant to political processes in China than is commonly recognized.Naval Postgraduate School Monterey CA is the author of 'Official Ideology in the People's Republic of China - Evolution and Impact on Foreign Policy', published 1998 under ISBN 9781423560005 and ISBN 1423560000.