The development experience of the People’s Republic of China has drawn much attention recently for a number of reasons. Firstly, the country’s sheer size, the fact that in 1990 China’s population stood at 1. 13 billion, means that one country’s development path involves almost one third of the total world population (Dwyer, 1994, p. 55). Secondly, China’s unique approach to development is entirely different to any other developing country’s socially, politically and economically.
Any decisions made concerning development strategies conform to the Marxist ideological Doctrine and that this approach sought not only to transform the economy (as in most Third World countries), but to change the entire structure of society.
It is evident therefore that immediately there are aspects of China’s development process that put it in a different league to most other Third World countries.
Before looking at the specific development experience of China, it is at first necessary to consider the state of the country before the PRC was formed, and a brief mention of the events immediately leading up to this time, as these processes are all factors that may have helped contribute to the overall development process chosen by China.
The condition of pre-Communist (pre-1949) China can be compared to the situation in many developing countries.
Colonial histories are common characteristics of developing countries and China did not escape this period of exploitation. Latin America’s colonial history had finished more or less before that of Africa’s and Asia’s had begun, although China’s had a less tangible impact on the country than elsewhere.
Years of civil war (another characteristic of underdeveloped nations) between nationalists and communists preceding the formation of the PRC, left China politically, economically, socially and ideologically fragmented (Brugger,1981), on which to build Communist China.
In order to consider “major aspects of China’s development experience” whilst comparing it to the experience of other developing countries, it is essential to distinguish the major aspects in a logical manner. Chinese history is far too complex and dynamic to study all aspects of its development in this comparative perspective and no attempt will be made to look at almost fifty years of various aspects of history since the formation of the PRC.
Instead, this piece of work will attempt to look chronologically at some main events in this period and bring in some comparisons from elsewhere in the Third World. There are difficulties in an investigation of this type as all Third World countries are different in their paths to development, the Newly Industrialising Countries proving to be anomalies in this process, and there is also the difference between socialist developing countries and developing countries following a capitalist route to economic development.
In this analysis, various important aspects of China’s development process will be considered and parallels or differences will be drawn from the Third World in general. Central to all developments, from the founding of the PRC in 1949 until his death in 1976 was Mao Zedong. Mao’s reputation and esteem held him as a spiritual leader and political philosopher in a god-like aura. Any development strategies in the almost thirty years under Mao were led by Mao ideology, rather than solely striving for economic development, pursuing development within the framework of a Marxist command economy.
Mao despised Western culture and capitalism and saw Third World countries under capitalism displaying features of uneven development, increased regional inequalities and rapid urbanisation. Refusing to adopt any Western ideas or ideals, he set about to transform China into a socialist state. Ignoring advice from economic experts, Mao adopted the Soviet model for development, emphasizing heavy industry over agriculture and light industry, when the reverse would have appeared more logical as approximately 80 % of the population was employed in agriculture.
Under the First Five Year Plan (1953-57), the government set up mutual aid teams and co-operatives in an attempt at collective organization within a command economy. Any surplus was given to the state which was then injected into a project of mass industrialisation with the help of Soviet aid. This is different to the bilateral aid given to other Third World countries by for example, former colonial powers or aid agencies, in that expertise and knowledge were the main types of aid given to China in this period as a means of guidance towards development in a socialist state.
On the other hand this type of non-monetary aid plus substantial quantities of capital are loaned to Third World nations by organizations, often as in an exchange system, for example establishing a guaranteed market for the sale of arms and weapons. In addition, China was following a model for development towards a socialist state, the model incurring deep ideological roots as well as economic. Many other socialist developing countries have been attempting to develop their national economies on the basis of socialism, for example PDR Yemen, North Vietnam, Cuba and Tanzania.
It is evident therefore that all decisions made concerning development strategies in China at this time, have been based on political ideologies (as in many other socialist countries) and in striving for economic development (as in all developing countries). Mao’s first few years in charge proved prosperous; with an increase in GNP per capita and in agricultural and industrial production and incomes. However, Mao strived for faster development and at the time of the Great Leap Forward, came the introduction of the People’s Communes in 1958, shifting away from the Soviet Union’s focus on heavy industry and state-managed agriculture.
The Communes, based on a hierarchical system of production teams, brigades and units, can be used as an example to other Third World nations. A major deficiency within developing countries is its lack of emphasis placed on development of rural areas by governments, with a lack of adequate health facilities. The People’s Communes provided bare-foot doctors at brigade level, fully-trained physicians in commune hospitals – medical care became available to everyone.
This one aspect of the highly-structured commune system is an original and very significant development initiative for the developing world. The Great Leap Forward attempted to leap-frog the Soviet model to rapid economic growth, via this injection of enthusiasm into the labour-intensive Commune system and modernisation of large-scale industry with large investments of capital. Mao’s great task of aiming to balance these two sectors was destined to fail as output decreased, bad harvests ensued and the issue of population became increasingly evident; the result was famine (1959-61).
Famines are common through-out the Third World, especially in Central Africa where the causes range from climate, failed harvests, political unrest and bad economic management and organization. In China the three years of famine, when up to 30 million people died, were largely due to the encouragement of rural to urban migration, to build up the steel industry, together with a population explosion in the late 1950’s. Starvation became rife all over China, but the main problems were in rural areas where, coupled with extreme weather conditions, there was nobody to work the land, leading to famine.
The solutions to famine also differ. In 1984, Ethiopia caught the eye of the international media, resulting in Band Aid, Live Aid, Sport Aid etc. , massive help from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) and larger agencies in a worldwide humanitarian relief project. The extent of China’s situation however, was not revealed to the outside world. Mao’s closed-door policy meant that data on the extent of the disaster was revealed only recently, the solutions coming from entirely within.
In the aftermath of the Great Leap Forward, China cut of all ties with the world beyond, with the Sino-Soviet split in 1961. This in itself is very different to most other Third World countries, as they maintain links, trade and otherwise, however unequal, with the First World; Mexico with America, Rwanda with France and Malaysia with Britain for example. In the Third Five Year Plan (1963-67) China experienced a period of readjustment, when heavy industry was de-emphasized and more of a balance was achieved between industry and agriculture.
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