A Brief Introduction to the Important Thought of the Three Represents: Part I: The Origins of The Three Represents and it’s Historical Frame Work

A Brief Introduction to the Important Thought of the Three Represents  

 Part I: The Origins of The Three Represents and it’s Historical Frame work

by Jan Freidun Taravosh 12th of December 2009 

"Reviewing the course of struggle and the basic experience over the past 80 years and looking ahead to the arduous tasks and bright future in the new century, our Party should continue to stand in the forefront of the times and lead the people in marching toward victory. In a word, the Party must always represent the requirements of the development of China's advanced productive forces, the orientation of the development of China's advanced culture, and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people in China."

- Jiang Zemin

Introduction:

 When the Important thought of The Three Represents was introduced by CPC’s then General Secretary Jiang Zemin. It was a new concept that stirred up some debate within China and Beyond - since then however the Important Thought of  Three Represents, has been included and accepted as a guiding concept of thought, along side Marxism - Leninism , Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory. The Party Constitution amended most recently at the 17th CPC NATIONAL CONGRESS  reads: 

“Since the Fourth Plenary Session of the Thirteenth Party Central Committee and in the practice of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Chinese Communists, with Comrade Jiang Zemin as their chief representative, have acquired a deeper understanding of what socialism is, how to build it and what kind of a party to build and how to build it, accumulated new valuable experience in running the Party and state and formed the important thought of Three Represents. The important thought of Three Represents is a continuation and development of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory; it reflects new requirements for the work of the Party and state arising from the changes in China and other parts of the world today; it serves as a powerful theoretical weapon for strengthening and improving Party building and for promoting self-improvement and development of socialism in China; and it is the crystallized, collective wisdom of the Communist Party of China. It is a guiding ideology that the Party must uphold for a long time to come. Persistent implementation of the Three Represents is the foundation for building our Party, the cornerstone for its governance and the source of its strength. “

The Origins of The Three Represents

The Three Represents was formulated as a guiding line for party work by General Sectretary Jiang and in 2002 it was enshrined in the CPC party constitution at the 16th CPC NATIONAL CONGRESS.  alongside Marxism Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and the Deng Xiaoping theory. As explained in the party constitution it was formulated to correspond with the circumstances and requirments of building socialism with Chinese characteristics in accordance with development curve of The China PR. Thus it brings in a new dynamic to the concept of Scientific Socialism in the People’s Republic China. As it is a fairly new idea many people here in the west have heard of it in name only.  I became more familiar with it after reading the book “The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin by Robert Lawrence Kuhn

In this particular article I will try to make a basic presentation of the Three Represents - as it it plays an important role in the developing of the Chinese society today. 

 as such I prefer using material directly from the Communist Party of China- but I may very well review the above mentioned book at a different occasion.

 The Three Represents and It’s  Historical Framework

As the name implies The Three Represents, focuses of three major aspects of social development in China. But before we go into that let us make draw up a brief description of the historical frame work within which this  new idea  was formulated in the dawn of the new Millennium. 

One article based on the subject published on the web-site called News of The Communist Party of China* published in 2006 explains:  

“It is a strategic conception made at the historic beginning of the new century by the Chinese Communists who scientifically analyzed and understood the domestic and international situation, the tasks the Party 

shoulders, and the realities of Party building from the viewpoint of the destiny of the Party 

and the country in the future. It is a scientific judgment made by the Party based on the 

stand, viewpoint and methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, a 

review of the experience of the world socialist movement since the Manifesto of the 

Communist Party was published more than 150 years ago, and an assimilation of the 

experience the Party has gained over the past 80 years since its founding. “

Thus the above makes clear three important aspects of this idea:

1. It is a new guiding theory of the CPC it is not new in the sense that it lacks historical roots

2. It has been developed with the Chinese Communist taken in to account the specific features of Chinese conditions for development

3. It has been developed after a review of the experience of the world socialist movement since the publication of The Communist Manifesto.

It also makes clear that the foundation of  The Three Represents rests on the basic  premises that:

A: Only the Chinese Communists themselves can formulate a guiding ideology that answers to the needs of Party Building and Social Development in The People’s Republic Of China.

B: The Chinese Communist have a duty to review the historical experiences of the International Communist Movement, yet cannot blindly copy Foreign Model, that do not take the specific characteristics of Chinese Society into account. I.E. The guiding Ideology must be applicable to the realities of China PR as a large developing country in the 21st century and the special needs and  particular requirements that comes thereof.

this above stated is also clarified in the Constitution of the CPC, albeit in different words - let me demonstrate:

“China is in the primary stage of socialism and will remain so for a long time to come. This is a historical stage which cannot be skipped in socialist modernization in China which is backward economically and culturally. [...]  and further: “In socialist construction the Party must proceed from China's specific conditions and take the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The Party constiution also stipulates that “, the basic task is to further release and develop the productive forces and achieve socialist modernization” 

It is in this context that  the Important Thought of The Three Represents has developed 

I will go more into detail of the Basic Principles of The Three Represents in the second part of this article.