Date of Award

6-1-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Josef Korbel School of International Studies

First Advisor

Suisheng Zhao, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Jonathan Adelman

Third Advisor

Jing Sun

Keywords

Authority, China, Chinese Communist Party

Abstract

This paper examines how authority in China has changed from personal, rooted in a leader’s connections, to institutional, rooted in a leader’s position or job. This paper examines two cases, that of Jiang Zemin and the Yang brothers and that of Wen Jiabao and the Wenchuan earthquake, to show how authority is shifted. The examination of these cases reveals that while personal authority routinely was more important than institutional authority leaders with personal authority have died out and not been replaced. Because of China’s recent history, there was no opportunity for new leaders to build up the personal authority of their predecessors. Therefore, when older leaders with personal authority died, institutional authority became more important.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

Rights holder

Daniel Bruno Davis

File size

65 p.

File format

application/pdf

Language

en

Discipline

Political Science

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