On May 11, 2006, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published the first edition of The World Socialism Yellow Book. At the publication ceremony, Li Shenming, the deputy dean of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the director of the World Socialism Research Center, said, “We will have a relatively long time to coexist with the world of capitalism; we need to incorporate the constancy of our principles with the flexibility of our strategies. We are doing follow up research on world socialism to unveil the objective rules in history’s development with real historical facts – the twenty first century will be the century of socialism’s revival.” The following is a report on this event from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. [1]

On May 11, the Research Center for World Socialism and the Social Science Publications held a publication ceremony for The World Socialism Yellow Book, First Edition, and a discussion forum of the 2006 World Socialism and the Left Wing School of Thought. Li Shenming, the director of the Research Center for World Socialism and the deputy dean of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was the keynote speaker. A hundred or so other directors, experts and scholars attended the forum, including: He Bingmeng, the deputy secretary of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the executive director of the World Socialism Research Center; Huang Haotao, the deputy director of the World Socialism Research Center; Wu Enyuan, the secretary of the Marxism Research Center; and Cheng Enfu, the deputy director of the Research Center for World Socialism and the deputy dean of the Marxism Research Center.

Li Shenming said that, since the Soviet Union’s drastic change, the world socialism movement has been in a declining mode. In 1994, the central government, with a high vision of the future, suggested not to give up doing research on the big topic of socialism. Based on this direction and led by the Central Propaganda Department, an overseas’ socialism follow up research coordination group was established. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences took the primary role for this group, with participation from the International Department Central Committee of the C.P.C, Central Translation Bureau, the Xinhua Agency, the Party School of the Central Committee of the C.P.C and the State Education Commission. In 12 years, the research effort has achieved significant results, and a series of high quality accomplishments. It has supported the central government’s policies with theories and references. Practice proved that the central government’s decision was absolutely correct.

Li Shenming said that we should continue to embrace the global strategy, finding evidence from the curved development of world socialism and it’s up and down moments to explain the future history that follows the laws of social development. Li also said that currently and in the future, the follow up research on world socialism needs to focus on the following issues to plan and execute the research: first, to apply Marxism, to systematically summarize the experience gained and lessons learned from the world socialism movements in the twentieth century, and to especially focus on the Soviet Communist Party and the Soviet Union’s history; second, to understand the main themes of current world development and to understand and summarize the latest state in the development of capitalism; third, to understand the fundamental differences and historical connections between capitalism and socialism.
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First of all, we need to recognize the fundamental difference between socialism and capitalism. Second of all, we also need to recognize the historic connections between capitalism and socialism. Third, capitalism’s strong development and socialism’s weakness is a temporary state; it could change. Socialism will develop from weakness to strength, and eventually surpass and win over capitalism. This is also an unavoidable objective principle. During this period, there may exist a fairly long time of cooperation, competition, struggle and even fighting process. Based on our research, when we pull together the accurate and real massive historical facts to explain the relationship between socialism and capitalism, to show the fundamental differences and connections, we can build people’s confidence in the success of establishing the Chinese style of socialism. Fourth, we need to analyze assess and have an overview of world socialism’s development in the 21st century. These are the most proper topics for the study of socialism.

Li Shenming believed that today, the study of world socialism should follow up on a number of factors, including: research on the reformation of the existing socialist countries, their trials, and their development in socialism, especially after the Soviet Union collapsed; the theories, the rebuilt administration cabinets and policy changes that the communist parties or worker parties have done differently from the western developed countries, the ex-Soviet Union areas and the third world countries to react to the drastic changes in the Soviet Union; the propaganda, development, research, and discussions of Marxism, socialism and other left wing thoughts around the world, and the union worker’s movements, farmer’s movements, student movements and other types of left wing activities in the capitalist countries. Of course, this follow up research may not cover each and every area. We need to have emphasis, and to focus on the important events and people, organizations and theories to conduct long term follow up research in order to discover its internal connections and patterns.

Li Shenming emphasized that the current unreasonable and unfair political and economic rules can only support a small group of western developed countries; and can only allow a small number of people to be in charge of the “business expansion,” “wealth,” and luxurious production style and life style. It can increase the distance between the rich and the poor from the north and the south; and it could accelerate the social separation into two extremes. We will have a relatively long time to coexist with the world of capitalism; we need to incorporate the constancy in our principles with the flexibility in our strategies. We are doing the follow up research on world socialism to unveil the objective rules in history’s development with real historical facts – the twenty first century will be the century of socialism’s revival.

Cheng Enfu, the deputy director of the Research Center for World Socialism and the deputy dean of the Marxism Research Center, and Xie Shouguang, the head of the Social Sciences Publications hosted the forum and publication ceremony. Chen Zhihua, the executive director of the World Socialism Research Center, introduced the content of the “The World Socialism Yellow Book.” Wu Enyuan, Wu Xiongcheng, Li Qiqing gave speeches at the forum. They shared their analysis on the theories used by the socialist countries in the world and exchanged their points of view on left wing activities in Europe, Latin American and Asian areas.
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The articles, collected in the newly published The World Socialism Yellow Book: Tracking Study of World Socialism – Listening to the new tides at a low ebb (vol 2), were the latest research results from the Research Center for World Socialism. The No. 1 series, Listening to the new tides at a low ebb: The Future of the World Socialism in 21st Century was an edition of outstanding articles published by the center since its startup ten years ago. It included several schools of thought on socialism and documented important global events led by the left wing. This book was reprinted as The World Socialism Yellow Book (2004 Edition). From now on, the research center will publish The World Socialism Yellow Book annually to introduce the new developments in world socialism and to publish new research results on world socialism study.

Endnote:
[1] Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, May 15, 2006
http://www.cass.net.cn/file/2006051559241.html