Communist Party of China

The Communist Party of China ({{zh-stp |s=????? |t=????? |p=Zh?ngguó Gòngch?nd?ng}}) is the ruling party of the People's Republic of China. The party was founded in 1921, and fought the Kuomintang during the Chinese Civil War. With more than 63 million members, the Communist Party of China (CPC; CCP for the unofficial name Chinese Communist Party; or the somewhat derogatory Chicom) is the largest political party in the world. Men and college educated are more likely to join because of economic benefits. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/china/v002/2.2walder.html Authoritarian in structure and ideology, it continues to dominate the government. In periods of relative liberalization, the influence of people and organizations outside the formal party structure has tended to increase.

Role within the People's Republic of China

The CCP is one of the three centers of power within the People's Republic of China, the other two being the state apparatus and the People's Liberation Army.

Related Topics:
People's Republic of China - People's Liberation Army

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The relationship betwen party and state is somewhat different than that of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, in which the party controlled the state. In the current PRC structure, power derives from the state position, but key state positions are invariably held by members of the party and party through its organization department makes crucial decisions on who occupies what position. However, in contrast to the Soviet situation where the party had extra-legal authority, since the early-1990's, it is has been established that the party is subject to rule of law and is therefore subject to the authority of the state and the Constitution of the People's Republic of China.

Related Topics:
Communist Party of the Soviet Union - Rule of law - Constitution of the People's Republic of China

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