User:DOGEVOL2/Anarchism in China

A contemporary view of anarchism in early China

In the first three decades of the twentieth century, anarchism flourished in radical Thought and practice in China. Although anarchists introduced radical ideas and concepts, but as trace elements, they continue to exist, to a great extent by the mainstream ideology radical assimilation, starting in the mid - 1920 - s, anarchist activity and since then has been marginalized, no obvious on the progress of Chinese activism or lasting impact. After 1949, there were few visible signs of anarchist activity in neighboring countries or among overseas Chinese, and the post-revolutionary revival of interest in anarchism was short-lived. We will use historical determinism to discuss the historical development of anarchism and draw lessons from early anarchism. Some Chinese anarchists have found the indigenous roots of anarchism in China's distant past, so historicizing anarchism is a necessary means to counter this trend. The conflict between Anarchists and anarchists in China may be of some significance in sorting out the contemporary problems within anarchism, especially on the issue of cultural differences. Most people who call themselves anarchists are attracted to anarchism not because of their innate inclination, but because of its universal appeal and its purported universalism. The localization of anarchism shows that some anarchists try to adapt their own intellectual heritage to various imported ideas. Why and how do they do this?

Anarchism in early twentieth century China

The question of universality has long been at the heart of radical political movements outside Europe and North America, inspired by radical philosophies that must be engaged as an alien. In China, the most obvious example of this contact is to communism in China, from MAO Zedong, "makes Marxist China" a more complex meaning, some people regard it as an additional thing, a philosophical orientation, mainly Buddhist and Taoist thought it can co-exist with the belief of inheritance, it seems to have affinity. Moreover, anarchist loyalties or beliefs do not prevent the pursuit of national goals, even for those who formally reject nationalism.

Anarchism had a lasting influence in The Chinese revolution. After the mid-1920s, anarchists, though politically irrelevant, remained active in the labor movement in southern China and continued to challenge communist organizations. Given the past incorrections between Marxists and anarchist communism, these charges may not only be a derogatory indictment of anarchism, but also a reminder of some of the radical tendencies between socialism and anarchism in China. From this perspective, the contribution of anarchism to Chinese radicalism will last longer than that of the anarchist movement.

A Daoist critique of state autonomy

Although China has a long history of autocracy and state autonomy, and many political thinkers have defended centralization in one way or another, it also has a long history of anti-centralization ideology. Experts outside China argue that anarchism is more than just a European or American concept. The biggest difference between anarchism and other political ideologies is that states rule for themselves whenever possible, rather than for their own interests or society. Moreover, the anarchist hegemony of coercion, not to mention its monopolistic power, is itself defined as a threat to society, and only by strengthening its inherent advantages can it achieve the purpose of self-government. At the same time, the basic arguments of anarchism are not limited by time or region. Anarchist ideas can occur many times in history and many places, not just those thinkers and activists who started the conscious anarchist label in Europe in the mid-19th century and who started the 4 movements then spread around the world, including China, in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Although the followers of this movement were mostly clear socialists or communists who tended to use revolutionary methods to realize their ideals, these ideas and promises, however important and necessary, did not distinguish anarchists from other socialist revolutionaries. On the contrary, it was their criticism of the state that ultimately provided the greatest strength and coherence to the anarchist movement.

Esperanto and Chinese anarchism

Around the beginning of the twentieth century, socialists and anarchists saw Esperanto as the perfect tool for the world revolution they aspired to. It has also won strong support from Chinese with an international perspective. Chinese radicals outside China (mainly French and Japanese anarchists) espoused Esperanto and worked to establish it in China. In the years that followed, Esperanto also gained adherents among The Chinese Communist Party and other radicals. Esperanto is a planned universalist language developed in the late 19th century by Zamenhof as a global second language. Its creators intend to use it as a remedy for communication errors and social conflicts. In the late 19th century, Esperanto began to take off as a cultural and political movement. Today, its supporters are spread around the world, with more than 100,000 speakers and more than 100 journals. In the early 20th century, the history of Esperanto was closely linked to Chinese anarchism in Tokyo and Paris. Throughout its early years, the Chinese Esperanto movement maintained strong ties with anarchism, both by Chinese political groups abroad and within China itself. This contrast highlights an important difference in cultural sensitivities that must also be seen in the historical context of the introduction of anarchism into China. Around 1915, Chinese reformist scholars began to establish themselves in a new role, criticizing Confucianism and espousing new values, including science and democracy. They attacked the Chinese writing system and the use of classical Chinese and called for a literary revolution and the promotion of vernacular Chinese. This educational debate and experiment with new ways of learning and living, known as the New Culture Movement, made anarchism more acceptable in China and helped it spread and diversify. Now, talk of language reform has given way to broader social, political and philosophical questions.