China has seen much political change in the past few centuries. Changing from being ruled by monarchs, to imperialists, with a short lapse of democracy before the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came to power, and ongoing from the 1970s a blend of socialism and capitalism introduced by Deng Xiaoping. The change of Chinese politics is associated with many factors; such as the ever changing culture, social media, western influence, and high levels of specialization faced throughout the latter half of the 20th century. A major reason for the rise in economy of China had to do with the ownership, "The reforms also gave greater room for private ownership of production, and these privately held businesses created jobs, developed much-wanted consumer products, earned important hard currency through foreign trade, paid state taxes, and gave the national economy a flexibility and resiliency that it did not have before," (Khan and Hu). .
This research paper will focus on the political direction of China based on the urban Chinese middle class and the economic reforms Deng Xiaoping introduced during the 1970s. It is important to note that this paper will not be addressing in particular the development of other areas closely affected by Chinese politics or how these other areas have had an influence in Chinese politics. The goal of this study is to speculate on the changing urban middle class and their view on government moving into the 21st century.
Political Background.
Current records show that the first form of government in China was of dynastic rule, starting with the Shang dynasty of 1700 BC. Following the Shang dynasty there were many other different dynasties that followed and eventually fell to Mongol conquest. During the 19th century China finally saw fall towards the West through unfair trade impositions and regulations, and after World War II the Chinese Communist Party took control of the China that is known today.