Constraint and choice: China's long march to democracy

China established Asia's first republic in 1911, but still fell short of democracy at the end of the twentieth century. This study attempts to explain why China lacks democracy. The central theme is that the Chinese have wanted and needed a strong state to pursue power and wealth since the 1840 Opium War. At first, democracy was thought to facilitate a strong state, but what happened after the 1911 Revolution made the Chinese realize that democracy did not necessarily strengthen, but might weaken the state. To treat democracy not as an end, but as a means characterizes the Chinese attitude toward democracy, and this utilitarian mentality determines that democratization has always been put on the back burner. To support this theme, this study takes a genetic approach. It examines the impacts of historical legacies, local forces, the world system, socialist values, and economic development on the democratization process in pre-1911 era, the Republican one (1912-1927), the Nationalist one (1927-1949), the Maoist one (1949-1976), and the Dengist one (1978-1997), respectively. While the first three factors set constraint on the democratization process, the last two factors represent choices which do not emphasize democracy. All these five factors contribute to China's lack of democracy.