1975 Constitution of the People's Republic of China
Encyclopedia
The 1975 Constitution of the People's Republic of China was promulgated in the midst of the unrest of the Cultural Revolution
by the 4th National People's Congress
.
This Constitution reduced the total number of articles to just around thirty, compared to 106 of articles in the 1954 Constitution of the People's Republic of China
.
Consistent with the time it was issued, the flavour of the Cultural Revolution is quite visible. The Preamble ends with a slogan to struggle for new successes. Language such as "dictatorship of the proletariat
", "social imperialism" and "proletarian internationalism
" appears in many places in the document.
Individual rights
, such as the rights of freedom of speech
, are guaranteed, but only to those loyal to the Communist Party of China
.
The 1975 Constitution witnessed an integration (in part) of the State Constitution (the PRC Constitution
) and the Chinese Communist Party. The Constitution states that the PRC's army is to be controlled by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
. Such linkage between party and state would no longer be seen in later Constitutions, particularly after 1982. The most significant link, however, came in Article 2, which stated that the Chinese Communist Party was the leading force of the Chinese people.
Looking back on the 1975 Constitution, books in mainland China call it "a socialist Constitution with serious errors".
This Constitution was superseded in 1978 by the 1978 Constitution of the People's Republic of China
. It remained in effect for about three years, the shortest-lived constitution in the People's Republic of China's history.
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
by the 4th National People's Congress
4th National People's Congress
The 4th National People's Congress was in session from 1975 to 1978. It held only one plenary sessions in January 1975. There were 2864 deputies to this Congress.The Congress passed the 1975 Constitution of the People's Republic of China....
.
This Constitution reduced the total number of articles to just around thirty, compared to 106 of articles in the 1954 Constitution of the People's Republic of China
1954 Constitution of the People's Republic of China
The 1954 Constitution of the People's Republic of China was promulgated by the 1st National People's Congress meeting in Beijing on September 20, 1954, apparently unanimously in favor....
.
Consistent with the time it was issued, the flavour of the Cultural Revolution is quite visible. The Preamble ends with a slogan to struggle for new successes. Language such as "dictatorship of the proletariat
Dictatorship of the proletariat
In Marxist socio-political thought, the dictatorship of the proletariat refers to a socialist state in which the proletariat, or the working class, have control of political power. The term, coined by Joseph Weydemeyer, was adopted by the founders of Marxism, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, in the...
", "social imperialism" and "proletarian internationalism
Proletarian internationalism
Proletarian internationalism, sometimes referred to as international socialism, is a Marxist social class concept based on the view that capitalism is now a global system, and therefore the working class must act as a global class if it is to defeat it...
" appears in many places in the document.
Individual rights
Individual rights
Group rights are rights held by a group rather than by its members separately, or rights held only by individuals within the specified group; in contrast, individual rights are rights held by individual people regardless of their group membership or lack thereof...
, such as the rights of freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
, are guaranteed, but only to those loyal to the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
.
The 1975 Constitution witnessed an integration (in part) of the State Constitution (the PRC Constitution
Constitution of the People's Republic of China
The Constitution of the People's Republic of China is the highest law within the People's Republic of China. The current version was adopted by the 5th National People's Congress on December 4, 1982 with further revisions in 1988, 1993, 1999, and 2004. Three previous state constitutions—those of...
) and the Chinese Communist Party. The Constitution states that the PRC's army is to be controlled by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is the highest authority within the Communist Party of China. Its approximately 350 members and alternates are selected once every five years by the National Party Congress....
. Such linkage between party and state would no longer be seen in later Constitutions, particularly after 1982. The most significant link, however, came in Article 2, which stated that the Chinese Communist Party was the leading force of the Chinese people.
Looking back on the 1975 Constitution, books in mainland China call it "a socialist Constitution with serious errors".
This Constitution was superseded in 1978 by the 1978 Constitution of the People's Republic of China
1978 Constitution of the People's Republic of China
The 1978 Constitution of the People's Republic of China was promulgated in 1978. This was the PRC's 3rd constitution, and was adopted at the 1st Meeting of the 5th National People's Congress on March 5, 1978, two years after the downfall of the Gang of Four....
. It remained in effect for about three years, the shortest-lived constitution in the People's Republic of China's history.