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Essay / Totalitarianism in Modern China However, some countries continue to maintain totalitarian or authoritarian regimes. What is more surprising is that the development of modern technologies facilitates total control over the public, mostly exercised by China, one of the most advanced countries in the world. This topic is of particular interest to us as well as to citizens of a former totalitarian state, on which much of the experience and ideas of the Chinese government are based. This essay attempts to explore the modern Chinese political course, uncover its totalitarian characteristics based on the notes and scholarly writings of Hannah Arendt and other noted political scientists, and understand the perspectives of this concept. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe 19th Congress of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) was held from October 18 to 24, 2017. China's elected party congress in power the leadership of the CCP and, therefore, of the State for years to come. Most importantly, it establishes the country's development strategy and defines the main objectives. At the 19th Congress, CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping said that the basis of China's improvement is socialism with Chinese characteristics, the only correct path the state should follow in the long term. In his speech, Xi Jinping characterized Chinese socialism as an ideology based on Marxist principles. In the opinion of the CCP, it is necessary to adapt the main Marxist rules to the Chinese reality, which was also the target of the Chinese Communist Party in the 1920s. This adaptation is mainly determined by the idea of building a relatively wealthy by 2020, accompanied by a market economy, democratic politics and a harmonious society. However, the principles of democracy are in contradiction with certain methods chosen to build this type of society. while certain transformations are reminiscent of digital totalitarianism. According to The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt, one of the indicators of a totalitarian state is an attempt by the government to control absolutely all spheres of social life. The concept of smart cities in China was created in 2008. This project aimed to improve the quality of life in the cities where it was implemented. Today, the concept is accepted by the majority of Chinese cities and offers facilities such as environmentally friendly transport, holograms instead of housing staff, a passport-free system thanks to the facial recognition system, standalone stores and many more profitable benefits. All this is possible thanks to the close connection between society and the electronic system, jointly created by Chinese giant companies (e.g. Alibaba Group) and the government. This mechanism works by means of a special video surveillance system, which covers all areas of the city. It allows each registered person to be recognized in a very short time thanks to their facial scan. Although such a device makes life more comfortable and significantly reduces the crime rate, it has another, less pleasant side. Social Credit System “Social stability allows us to carry out reforms and development which, in turn, provides a solid foundation for social stability. » - this quote is taken from Xi Jinping's book, The Governance of China. After equipping smart cities with advanced cameras,it became possible to install constant surveillance of all people on the streets, which gave the opportunity to implement social credits. This system involves the division of people into several categories based on their social evaluations, which change as much as possible depending on the behavior of each registered citizen. The insurable behavior of people includes not only obedience to the law, but also their culture food, their cultural tastes and certain morally good actions, such as visiting relatives, supporting strangers, if necessary, etc. "Using Chinese social media platform Weibo, Zhou wrote that the nuclear engineer was "shameless" for not having "contacted his parents for 30 years." Three days later, Zhuo was arrested by police local He was detained for 10 days and fined 500 yuan, or about $79, for his public criticism of the famous state hero -Washington Post (2018). of around 1000 points (depending on the region), which then varies depending on their actions. If the subject has a low number of points, he is deprived of certain services or possibilities, for example, those with less than 300 points do not. are not able to work in government organizations, as well as in different types of responsible professions, they cannot buy a high-speed train or plane ticket and cannot obtain credit from any bank An indispensable item. One of these structures is Internet commerce. The Alibaba Group, mentioned above, invented a purchasing system that records all the goods that a certain person buys and all the information about them. Thanks to the application's statistics, the social rating is influenced by both the types of purchases the user makes and their regularity. In addition, it grants certain privileges to buyers with a higher rating. Summing up these reforms, the Chinese government has created perfect conditions to monitor human behavior, including its tastes and pressure tactics. Friedrich and Brzezinski defined five main characteristics of totalitarianism: a dominant ideology, a monopolistic party, its information monopoly, terror against the opposition, and a planned economy. We clearly see that the Chinese Communist Party plays the role of dominant party with its ideology, established in Xi Jinping's Governance of China. Like any other totalitarian party, the CCP tries to control information. Currently, a significant part of our social life (especially in China) takes place on the Internet. Limited Internet is probably the most complicated part of achieving full control due to the existence of various methods to overcome limitations, for example, the most popular is VPN (Virtual Private Network) services. Regardless, the CPC seeks to establish absolute control over the Internet. The Internet throttling program is considered web authoritarianism. “Before Xi Jinping, the Internet was becoming a more dynamic political space for Chinese citizens. But today the country has the largest and most sophisticated online censorship operation in the world. Under Xi, the government has also developed new technologies that have allowed it to exert far greater control over the Internet. In January 2015, the government blocked many VPNs used by citizens to bypass the Great Firewall. In the spring of 2015, Beijing launched the Great Cannon. Unlike the Great Firewall, which has the ability to block traffic entering or leaving China, the Great Cannon is capable of adjusting and replacing content as it moves across the Internet. " - “The Guardian” (2018). On time (2018).
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