AP Comparative Government Chapter 11 Study Guide
Case Study: China
Name: _____________________________________________
Learning Targets:
11.1
● Explain the events that led to Mao Zedong’s leadership of China and describe the
government’s policies during the Mao era
● Describe China’s gradual shift away from a command economy and its adoption of
market reforms
● Explain how the Chinese regime has resisted democratization
● Describe China’s unitary state
● Describe the basis for the legitimacy of China’s regime and describe the challenges
to legitimacy
11.2
● Explain how China is ruled by both the CCP and the formal institutions of
government
● Describe the structure of the CCP
● Describe the structure of the government
● Describe the role of the National People’s Congress and explain why it does not
serve as an effective check on the actions of the CCP
● Describe the role of China’s judiciary and explain why the judiciary does not serve
as an effective check on the actions of the CCP
11.3
● Describe one-party rule by the CCP in China
● Describe the process for selecting high-ranking officials in the government and the
CCP
● Explain how the Chinese government limits civil society
11.4
● Explain why China, as an authoritarian state that restricts civil liberties, allows
some civil liberties at the local level
● Explain how the Great Firewall of China is a system to allow government officials to
monitor people’s online presence and censor content critical of the regime
● Describe the continuing conflict over China’s sovereignty in Tibet
● Explain how China has restricted the civil liiberties of the Uyghurs living in the
Xinjiang Autonomous Region
11.5
● Describe China’s shift to a market socialist economic policy
● Explain how China’s economic growth has affected the standard of living of the
citizens
● Describe the benefits and limitations of China’s social policies
● Describe the impact of the one-child policy, and explain why the Chinese
government now allows families to have three children
● Explain why environmental degradation is a serious problem in China
Directions:
Use your textbook to identify the following terms and answer the study questions, on
your own paper (not typewritten). There will be a reading quiz on this information on
___________.
Terms
Dual rule
Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
Communism
National Party Congress
Politurbo
Politurbo Standing Committee
General secretary
State Council
National People’s Congress
One-party state
Household responsibility system
Township and village enterprise
State-owned enterprise (SOE)
Foreign direct investment
Special economic zone (SEZ)
Study questions
Read the Chapter intro: Rebiya Kadeer: Calling Attention to the Plight of the Uyghurs
a. Why do Chinese authorities view Uyghur demands for autonomy as a threat to the
country’s sovereignty
b. Why has China refused international requests to allow outside observers into
Xinjiang?
c. Who is Rebiya Kadeer and what is her significance to the cause of the Uyghur
people?
Section 11.1
1. Chinese History lesson:
a. In 1912 the Republic of China was established. What did the nationalist
movement quickly devolve into?
b. Why did the nationalists turn against the Chinese Communist Party in the
1920s?
c. How did Mao Zedong take control of China, leading to the communist
revolution of 1949?
d. How did Chinese society and government change under Mao’s leadership?
e. What was the Cultural Revolution? What is its significance today?
2. Will market reforms in China eventually lead to democratization? Why or why not?
3. Describe China’s unitary governmental structure.
a. Where are “competitive” elections held
4. Is corruption at the local level or at the national level more damaging to the
legitimacy of the state?
Section 11.2
5. How is the National Party Congress selected?
a. How are the candidates chosen?
6. How does one become President of the Party Congress? (What is Xi Jinping’s other
title?)
7. What are the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee?
8. How has executive power been consolidated since 1993?
9. List 4 powers of the Executive branch in China:
10. Give two examples of the National People’s Congress (NPC) exercising
independence.
11. What powers does the Supreme People’s Court hold?
12. Describe the situation for criminal defendants in China.
13. How was China’s civil court system modernized in the late 1980s? Why were
these reforms put in place?
Section 11.3
14. How have changes at the local level given voters opportunities for
participation?
a. How competitive are these elections?
15. How do China’s state endorsed parties act as interest groups?
16. How are labor unions an example of civil society since Mao’s rule?
17. Review: What is the law regarding NGOs (and religious groups) in China and
how do these restrict civil society?
Section 11.4
18. To what extent has the repression of civil rights in China decreased the
legitimacy of the state?
19. What is the “social credit” system in China?
20. Why haven’t international sanctions against China been effective in
encouraging the government to change its policies in Xinjiang autonomous region?
Section 11.5
21. Why was China’s shift to more of a market-based economy more successful
than shock therapy in Russia? Focus on:
a. Household responsiblity system
b. Township and village enterprises
c. State owned enterprises
d. Foreign direct investment
e. Special economic zones
22. How has the income gap widened in China?
23. What is the hukou system and its relationship to receiving social welfare
benefits in China?
24. What is the diabo program?
25. How has China’s negative growth rate and gender disparity impacted policy?
26. What is the most significant challenge facing the Chinese government in the
future?
Notes, Terms, Questions, Summaries
