National Socialism in China: Rejuvenating the Nation, Socialist Modernisation, and the Mistaken Comparison with Nazism

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Abstract

To understand the China challenge depends on a proper understanding of the People’s Republic of China’s regime and its ideology. Contrary to the contemporary emphasis on the communist character of the PRC, however, this paper argues that it is a variation of the national socialist (NS) ideology. Where the use of historical analogy is fraught with difficulty, the Nazi comparison renders this process even more problematic. Evidence for this hesitance towards invoking the analogy can be found in the conflation of Nazism and fascism but also in the more general attempts at historicising the NS ideology (or the lack thereof). This system of thought deserves nevertheless to be reintroduced into the debate. Particularly its marriage between socialist means and national ends is here worthwhile. To investigate the validity of this Nazi comparison on the case of China, this paper first traces the roots of this ideology to Bohemia and Nazi Germany. It is then applied to the persecution of the country’s Uyghur population, which is perceived as indicative yet not conclusive proof for the existence of an NS ideology in China today.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)72-87
Number of pages16
JournalMonde Chinois
Volume2020/2
Issue number62
Publication statusPublished - 31 Dec 2020

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