Message from rbrady

[Anonymous]

Very interesting article about Liang, China's first modern intellectual regarding his visiting of turn of the century America. Interesting observation that our national federal republic would not work in China because of its lack of spirited civic representation at the local level. In reflection perhaps the communist party has brought this component to the China in that generations have now participated in local party politics albeit in a one party system. Also interesting observations of the negative influences of the large business trusts exiting at the time. He also noted that the founding fathers were a small group of individuals that had imposed their vision and created a government that would continue on after them implementing their vision for the future. Telling that the observations of Liang were read by Mao and gave him a vision of a future for China with the possibility of looking outside of China for governmental options that had not been previously considered and were foreign. Liang also saw what he believed was a progression towards a stronger central government. China seems comfortable with a strong central government in a way that instinctively makes Americans feel uncomfortable. An authoritarian central government in China seems even today to be a guarantor of stability and continued prosperity whereas in America it is seen as a continual threat to personal freedom and its potential opportunities afforded to the individual. Interesting observations.