On March 2, 2007, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) held a forum on “The Marxism and the Rise and Fall of the State.”  From the background and ranks of the participants, it was obviously seen that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was aware of its own crises, and was searching for all sorts of solutions.  It was agreed in the Forum, The Marxism, is still a powerful ideological weapon to open up the just cause in the new epoch, and also is the theoretical guidance and the foundation to enrich and strengthen the Chinese nation.” Below is the translation of the entire report in English of the meeting [1]:

Beijing, China – On March 2, 2007, the Department of Marxism Research of the CASS and the World Socialist and Marxist Research Center, and the Marxism Research Institute co-sponsored “The 3rd Forum of the Thinkers on Marxism and the Rise and Fall of the State.” The Forum had in-depth discussions on multiple factors and inner mechanisms, regarding the rise and fall of the state in the history and in reality; analyzed and commented on the major theoretical and practical issues, such as the democratic socialism, the Neo-Liberal point of views, the lessons of metamorphoses of the Soviet Union, the Eastern European countries, and the developmental meridian of the world’s socialist movements.

The attendants were: Li Shenming, Vice President of the CASS;
Wu Yi, Chair of the National Party Construction Research Society;
Zhang Quanjing, the past Editor-in-Chief of Qiushi magazine;
Youlin; the former Executive Vice Editor-in-Chief of the People’s Daily;
Zhang Yunsheng, the Director of the State Social Science Planning Office;
Zhang Guoza, the Secretary-General of the Air Force Political Bureau;
 Luo Yichang, Yang Ke and Wu Jie-min, the former Leaders of the CASS, etc.;
Cheng Enfu, the Director of the Marxism Research Academy and the President of the Marxism Research Institute, chaired the Forum.

The Featured Presentations at the Forum Were:

Wu Enyuan: Controversies on the TV Series, “Lessons on the Disintegration of the Soviet Communist Party;”
Zhang Shuhua: “Warning on The Failure of the Russian Capitalism;”
Zhang Shunhong: “Reflections on the Rise and Fell of a Nation;”
Yu Yongding: A Few Thoughts on the Rise of Great Powers;”
Zhou Hong: “EU’s Neo-Liberalism and the Rise and Fell of the Welfare Nations;”
Wang Liqiang: “The Socialist Public Ownership Is the Basis of China’s Rise;”
Xu Jiankang: “Viewing the Rise and Fell of the Great Powers from the World System;”
Xu Chongwen: “The Historical Processes, Experiences and Lessons of the Swedish Model;”
Zhong Zheming: “How Can Bernstein’s Views Be Used to Rectify Marx and Engels;”
Cao Changsheng: “The Scientific Socialism and Democratic Socialism Should Not Be Confused;”
Huang Ping: “The Exploration on Contemporary Social Theory of Socialism;”
Tian Chenshan: “The Logic Basis of the Mainstream Consciousness of the Western Freedom and Democracy;" and
Liu Shulin: “The Developmental Meridian of the Democratic Socialist Ideology Trend of the Contemporary China.”
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The participants had separate group discussions on issues of disintegration of the Soviet Union, the democratic socialism and whatnot. All agreed that the materialization of China’s socialist modernizations and the harmonious developments depend upon the adherence to the guiding role of Marxism on various social trends of ideas, and further perfecting the economic, political, cultural and social of the socialist systems.

With regard to the democratic socialist ideological trend, the partakers believed that the democratic and scientific socialism possess a specified ideological origin. However, the democratic socialism should not be mistakenly regarded as a scientific socialist model system. The two systems are the best combination between capitalism in the field of production and socialism in the field of distribution. In fact, there are five major differences between the theories of democratic socialism and scientific socialism, including the guiding ideologies, the natures and roles of the different political parties, the ultimate goals, the roads to revolutionize the reality, and the views of ownerships. We must adhere to the road of scientific socialism with Chinese characteristics, and comprehensively implement the concept of scientific development.

In regards to the reasons of the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the Soviet Communist Party, the Forum participants generally thought that the inspections should be done scientifically and the multiple domestic and foreign variables be analyzed comprehensively pertaining to the rise and decline of the state, such as the science and technology, the system, the culture, the education, the military and foreign affairs. The reasons of the drastic changes of the Soviet Union and the Eastern European countries were related to the highly centralized socialist economy and the political system were not timely reformed.  Yet, they were, mainly the consequences of the prevailing ideologies of the democratic socialism and the Neo-Liberation within the ruling Party, gradually broke away from, the deviation from the ultimate betrayals of the Marxism and the basic interests of the major masses. 

In summing up the experience and lessons of world socialist movements, the Forum participants generally viewed that the birth and development of socialist system have changed the historical process of the world situation. The brilliant achievements of socialism demonstrate the strong vitality of socialism. Therefore, as a worldwide alternative and choice, socialism is not merely a simple logistic reasoning or purely a subjective wish, but also has sufficient factual basis. Marxism is still a powerful ideological weapon to open up just cause for human being in the new century, and is the theoretical guidance, base to enrich and to strengthen the Chinese Nation.

More than 150 specialists and scholars hailed from over 20 institutes and universities, including the Central Compiling and Translation Bureau of the Central Committee, the Central Party School, the Chinese People’s University, Beijing University, Qinghua University and the affiliated Research Institutes of the CASS, attended the Forum.

Endnotes:
[1] Cao Suhong, “The Marxism and the Rise and Fall of the State.” The Journal of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), March 15, 2007, http://sym2005.cass.cn/file/2007032789596.html