Bourgeois liberalization

Term in Communist Chinese political ideology

History of the
People's Republic of China

1949–1976

Mao era

* Revolution
* Proclamation
* Korean War
* Land Reform Movement
* Zhen Fan
* Three-anti and Five-anti
* Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence
* Bandung Conference
* Sufan
* Hundred Flowers
* Anti-Rightist
* Two Bombs, One Satellite

Great Leap Forward
(Great Chinese Famine)

* Seven Thousand Cadres Conference
* Socialist Education Movement
* Cultural Revolution
* Restoring legitimate seat in the UN
* 1972 visit by Richard Nixon to China

1976–1989

Transition and Deng era

* Arrest of the Gang of Four
* Boluan Fanzheng
* 1978 Truth Criterion Controversy
* Message to Compatriots in Taiwan [zh]
* Reforms and Opening-up
* Establishment of China-US Relations (Three Communiques)
* Four Modernizations
* Sino-Vietnamese War
* Beijing Spring
* Strike Hard Anti-crime Campaign
* Sino-British Joint Declaration
* Campaign against spiritual pollution
* Bourgeois liberalization
* Anti-bourgeois liberalization
* 863 Program
* 1986 Chinese student demonstrations
* Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration
* Revolutions of 1989
* 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre

1989–2002

Jiang and the third generation

* Deng Xiaoping's southern tour
* 1992 consensus
* One country, two systems

* Hong Kong
* Macau

* 1998 China floods
* Embassy in Belgrade Bombed
* Persecution of Falun Gong
* China Western Development
* Bidding Beijing 2008
* Joining WTO

2002–2012

Hu and the fourth generation

* 2002–2004 SARS outbreak
* Shenzhou 5
* South–North Water Transfer Project
* Qinghai-Tibet Railway
* Sichuan earthquake
* Beijing Olympics
* Shanghai 2010 Expo
* Three Gorges Dam
* West–East Gas Pipeline
* Chinese High-speed Railway
* Liaoning Aircraft Carrier

2012–present

Xi and the fifth generation

* Anti-corruption campaign
* Belt and Road Initiative
* Chang'e 3
* China Supercomputing
* Xinjiang internment camps
* Uyghur genocide
* China–United States trade war
* Chinese Space Station
* 2019–20 Hong Kong protests
* COVID-19 pandemic
* Hong Kong national security law
* 2020–2021 reform spree
* Alaska Talk
* Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games

History of

* China
* PRC constitution
* Beijing
* Shanghai

* Culture
* Economy
* Education
* Geography
* Politics

China portal

* v
* t
* e

Bourgeois liberalization (simplified Chinese: 资产阶级自由化; traditional Chinese: 資產階級自由化; pinyin: zīchǎn jiējí zìyóuhuà) is a term used by the Chinese Communist Party to refer to either the prevalent political orientation of Western representative democracy or mainstream Western popular culture. The late 1980s saw the first major usage of the term when a number of campaigns, such as the Anti-Spiritual Pollution Campaign, against bourgeois liberalism were initiated lasting until the early 1990s. The term is in active use in Chinese politics, with the Communist Party's Constitution[1] stating party objectives include "combat[ing] bourgeois liberalization" in line with the four cardinal principles. According to the Chinese Communist Party, the concept of bourgeois liberalization was first proposed by Deng Xiaoping, the paramount leader of China, in early 1980s.[2][3]

Deng Xiaoping claimed that liberalization would destroy political and economical stability, making it difficult for development to take place. He defined the idea of liberalization as "inherently and completely capitalist", dismissing the existence of liberalization of proletariat or communism, and claim the idea of liberalization is to try to turn them towards liberalism and capitalism, thus need to be strongly opposed on the ground of realpolitik.[4]

Due to the 1986 Chinese student demonstrations, Hu Yaobang, then General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and a leading reformist, was forced to resign from his post by Deng Xiaoping in early 1987.[5] Left-wing conservatives such as Deng Liqun and Hu Qiaomu, under the support of Chen Yun and Li Xiannian (and even Deng himself), continued to launch the "Anti-Bourgeois Liberalization Campaign" in 1987.[6][7][8] However, Zhao Ziyang, then Premier of China, successor to Hu as General Secretary and a leading reformist as well, eventually convinced Deng that the left-wing conservatives took advantage of the campaign to oppose the Reform and Opening-up program.[8][9] In the end, Deng agreed to terminate the campaign in mid-1987 and supported the on-going political forms.[8][9] In 2018, the Communist Party under general secretary Xi Jinping revised regulations on Party disciplinary action, expelling members from the Party if they openly adhere to bourgeois liberalization online.[10]

## See also[edit]

* Bourgeoisie
* Liberalism

## References[edit]

1. ^ CPC Constitution, CPC English Website, http://english.cpc.people.com.cn/65732/6758063.html Archived 2013-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
2. ^ "邓小平反对资产阶级自由化的思想及当代启示--理论-人民网". theory.people.com.cn. Archived from the original on 2015-03-30. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
3. ^ "邓小平："坚持四项基本原则，任何时候我都没有让过步！"--邓小平纪念网--人民网". cpc.people.com.cn. Archived from the original on 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
4. ^ "《邓小平文选第三卷》《在党的十二届六中全会上的讲话》" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2022-02-27. Retrieved 2022-02-27. "大家可以回想一下，粉碎"四人帮"以后，全国人大在\一九八○年通过一个议案，取消宪法中的关于"大鸣、大放、大辩论、大字报"这一条。为什么做这件事？因为有一股自由化思潮。搞自由化，就会破坏我们安定团结的政治局面。没有一个安定团结的政治局面，就不可能搞建设。
自由化本身就是资产阶级的，没有什么无产阶级的、社会主义的自由化，自由化本身就是对我们现行政策、现行制度的对抗，或者叫反对，或者叫修改。实际情况是，搞自由化就是要把我们引导到资本主义道路上去，所以我们用反对资产阶级自由化这个提法。管什么这里用过、那里用过，无关重要，现实政治要求我们在决议中写这个。我主张用。"
5. ^ "Communist Party Says Anti-Liberalism Campaign Applies to Writers, Consumers". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
6. ^ "China's former Communist Party propaganda chief Deng Liqun dies aged 100". South China Morning Post. 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
7. ^ "China: The Conservative Challenge to Reform" (PDF). CIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-23.
8. ^ a b c Wu, Wei (2014-03-31). "围绕"反自由化"进行的博弈". New York Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2014-04-09. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
9. ^ a b Wu, Wei (2014-04-08). "赵紫阳改变"大气候"的 "5.13讲话"". New York Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2014-04-12. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
10. ^ Jenne, Jeremiah (2018-10-03). "The Party Goes Retro for National Day". RADII | Stories from the center of China’s youth culture. Retrieved 2021-06-02.

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