The Population Situation in China
Introduction
A country is said to be overpopulated when the number of people in an area exceeds that area's resource capacity to sustain human activities at a decent standard of living.(1) When the population cannot be maintained without rapidly depleting nonrenewable resources or converting renewable resources into nonrenewable resources quickly enough, measures must be taken either to control the population or increase the area's resources. The People's Republic of China experienced a population explosion after World War II that sent its population doubling to 550 million in 1950. The country's growth of 14 million per year is equal to a new Australia every year.(2) With the rapidly developing population situation, the Chinese government implemented many policies to curb the population growth. Many of such policies raised issues surrounding the repression of freedoms and the demeaning of human rights. This paper will outline the various reasons for China's population growth, it's impact and the various governmental policies to control population.
China's Population Distribution
China has more people than any other country. By the end of 1995, one out of every five people in the world lives in China. China had a population of 1,211.21 million living on the mainland. By contrast, the United States, with the third largest population, accounts for only one of every twenty people.(3) China's population density of 126 people per square kilometer (317 persons per square mile), according to the 1995 sample survey on one percent of China's population, is relatively high.(4) However, China does not have the highest population density in the world because of the country's vast land r...
... middle of paper ...
...ina.html
China Today, http://www.chinaolympics.com/ctoday/populat.htm, 1996.
One-Child Population Control Policy of Communist China, http://www.forerunner.com/lci/X0004_Population_Control_C.html
Palmer, M. "The Re-emergence of Family Law in Post-Mao China: Marriage, Divorce and Reproduction," 141 China Quarterly 110, 126 (March 1995).
People's Republic of China Yearbook 1992-1993, No. 8
Rubenstein, J. M., An Introduction to Human Geography, 5th ed. (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996).
The Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, Inc. "Women of the World," http://www.echonyc.com/~jmkm/wotw/china.popfam.html, 1995.
World Resources Institute, "China's Population Future,"
http://www.wri.org/wri/enved/giants/chi-pop.html, 1994-95.
Xiao, Z., "Integration of Population With Development: China's Practice," China Population Today, August 1994.
He thinks that regardless of the existence of other influential performers from other branches of the government, the president can act based on many other rights he possesses, such as executive orders and national security directives. These tools will allow him to bypass the traditional legislative process. Despite that both authors define power as president’s prime influence, Howell however argues that president has more capacity in which he can partially decide the outcome of a given situation if not whole. Howell steps further and insists more on the president’s capability despite the fact that Neustadt defines power as individual power. Howell envisions that the President must influence the “content of public policy”, in contrast, Neustadt’s argument is based on the exercise of the “Effective” impact by President. Howell, on the other hand, considers that the President is way more powerful on his own than Neustadt thinks. Howell thinks that executive orders, for example, open the path to the President to make important decisions without trying to persuade Congress or the other branches of the government to gain their support. Howell uses President Truman’s decision about federal employees. Howell’s view of unilateral presidential action perfectly fits moments when of crisis when the President, as the Commander in Chief cannot afford the long process of the congressional decision making. As he writes “a propensity of presidents, especially during times of crisis, to unilaterally impose their will on the American public.”
One of the top contributing factors is China’s constant population growth. People have tried to speak up about this issue, as stated
In 1624, the early 17th century, the religious group called the Puritans, settled for the first time in the New England territory. Once there, they chose to inhabit the Massachusetts area. The Puritans were a varied group of religious reformers who emerged within the Church of England during the middle of the sixteenth century, but didn’t come to the United States until decades later. They escaped the Catholic Church and shared a common Calvinist theology, common criticisms of the Anglican Church, English society and government. In 1632, John Warham, a Puritan minister from England, took with him, a great deal of followers to America, and once there, they settled in Massachusetts. They received and area that was assigned to them and they named it Dorchester. Once in Dorchester, which was located six miles south of Boston, a group of faithful Puritans built a crude church, assigned lots and farms and began to serve God in the wilderness of North America. Dorchester had game-filled forests, fish-filled streams, clear fields, and lush meadows for grazing stock. Even though, the winters were exceptionally inhospitable, the Puritans still thought Dorchester was their promise land. But, as many people noticed, the land was filled up with native people like pilgrims and Indians, and so people like John Mason thought they stood in the way of the Puritan “errand ...
The Han and Roman domains depended on political establishments, ideological backings, and control of monetary resources for look after force. (247) Yet they varied in their utilization of common administration, the military, and philosophies to guarantee their subjects' assent. A non-military personnel official and a commandant for military undertakings shared the work of overseeing every commandery. These men bore monstrous obligations, far surpassing those of their partners in the Roman Empire. These authorities, similar to their Roman counterparts needed to keep up political steadiness and guarantee the productive accumulation of charges. (248) The Han and Roman Empires also shared their strong suite of large and powerful militaries.
The president has a significant amount of power; however, this power is not unlimited, as it is kept in check by both the judicial and legislative branches. The president is held responsible for passing legislation that will improve the lives of everyday Americans, even though he shares his legislative powers with Congress. The sharing of power acts as an impediment to the president’s ability to pass legislation quickly and in the form it was originally conceived. However, Americans do not take this into account when judging a president, as they fully expect him to fulfill all of the promises he makes during his campaign. By making promises to pass monumental legislation once elected without mentioning that Congress stands as an obstacle that must be hurdled first, the president creates unrealistic expectations of what he can fulfill during his time in office (Jenkins-Smith, Silva, and Waterman, 2005). A president is expected to have the characteristics that will allow him to efficiently and effectively lead the nation and to accomplish the goals he set during his campaign (Jenkins-Smith et al., 2005). There have been a handful of presidents that have been immortalized as the ideal person to lead the United States and if a president does not live up to these lofty expectations the American public will inevitably be disappointed. Since every president is expected to accomplish great things during his presidency, he is forced to created and project a favorable image through unrealistic promises. The combination of preconceived ideas of the perfect president and the various promises made by presidential candidates during their campaign create unrealistic expectations of the president by the American public.
Richard E. Neustadt, the author of Presidential Power, addresses the politics of leadership and how the citizens of the United States rate the performance of the president's term. We measure his leadership by saying that he is either "weak or "strong" and Neustadt argues that we have the right to do so, because his office has become the focal point of politics and policy in our political system.
The Puritans were English Protestants, mostly Protestant extremists, who fled England to escape religious persecution. Most were raised with extremely strict morals and values. Puritans were also known as “Precisionists” for being precise in their sermons and studies. The process in which Puritanism developed was primarily caused by King Henry VIII; he transformed the Church of Rome into a state of The Church of England. In outrage, angered English men and women were determined to continue their faith and way of life; this just so happened in the New World. Across the pond, this region became commonly known as “New England”. The puritan people were distinguished by the clothes they wore and their opposition the episcopal system. Now-a-days most people would think the Puritan way of life would be radical by any sorts. What the Puritans did in their era was completely and utterly wrong, as we now know. As we look back on their way of life, most come to not respect the people as a whole.
They were congregationalists, meaning they believed that every local church was independent or autonomous. Their first influential leader was John Winthrop. His ideal Puritan colony was to be one that resembled “a city upon the hill”, one in which all others would look to for guidance. The Puritans believed in model religious communities, where all was good and pure. Unlike Catholicism, the Puritans believed in The Doctrine of Elect, a predetermined list of souls to be eternally saved or eternally damned. Although the Puritans believed that souls had been chosen long before, it was still status quo to act as if you were one of the divine chosen. Those who did not abide by social standards were more often than not judge for their differences. To be a misfit was to be almost exiled. Those who did not fit the status quo or maintain a positive character were deemed odd and foreign. Social life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony revolved around church. Puritans were some of the most intolerant people around. Puritans believed in religious freedom for those who fit their mold, those who were their idea of a godly citizen. The Puritans also believed highly in a strong work ethic. To be lazy was to be sloth like, one of the deadly sins. To be sinful was to invite the devil and the wrath of God into the land, and those who did so were punished with great severity. The Puritans believed that through a strict religious lifestyle and a strong hardworking colony they could influence other communities and colonies to establish and abide by their laws and their
Once China’s population began to grow at an exponential rate the government feared that there would eventually be social unrest, and chaos. This social unrest and chaos would eventually cause an internal crisis for the country. At that time, China’s leaders believed that population control was one of its top priorities because it was precondition for the coun...
Puritan are a group of religious people that originally from new england. The puritans was divided into two groups: separatist and non-separatist. These two groups was being persecuted by king James I and his son king Charles I. They both desire freedom of religion, but two groups had different solutions. The separatist wanted nothing to do the with english society because their ideal was to build a holy society that would be an example for humankind. The non-separatist stayed in england because they believe they can reform the churches. Living a holy life was really important to the puritan because according to John Winthrop God would brought wrath if they don't listen to their governor. Freedom of religion was important in the founding some of the english colonies because they separated church and state. While others did not want to separate church from state because they gain economic benefits from from companies. There’s some english colony that wanted only the agricultural benefits. There main goal was expand their property.
China has been undergoing number of social and economic changes throughout its communist history. There is no doubt that these socio-economic changes have influenced the society both positively and negatively. The most two significant changes of all would be the Cultural Revolution which took place during 1960s and the economic transition to the market economy, which has been in effect since 1980s. In this research paper I will focus on the impacts of the ongoing socio-economic changes on what is called a “traditional” family in China. To be more specific, I will try to analyze how the divorce has become one of the “new values” of a “modern” Chinese family.
The Puritans were a group of 16th and 17th century Protestants, who were not only hindered in their ability to reform the Church, but also inhibited in England by laws controlling the exercise of religion. The Puritans adamantly believed that Elizabeth I was unsuccessful in her attempts to simplify and regulate forms of worship. The Puritans were extremely religious and didn’t believe in anything that was not “god-like.” They came to North America to escape religious persecution, and in their hearts, they believed they alone were truly steadfast to God and his philosophical ideals and theories. The Puritans were religious extremists who believed they were going to be the sole inhabitants of heaven. According to them, everyone else was going to hell. This belief stemmed from the idea that they followed the Bible and interpreted everything, and everyone else, in particular, as devils. The Puritans believed that people made a covenant with God, and in doing so, established an understanding that people should conduct their lives freely, but more importantly, according to God’s criterions. It’s ones understanding that if one wants to establish a faith in god, one should follow commitments. It’s the responsibility of the worshipper to understand the consequences associated with disobeying God’s rules, and if he/she doesn’t listen, he/she will suffer the ultimate price, and god will turn against him/her.
By 1980, although the birthrate in China has fallen to below 3 children per family, it was believed by a new regime of Chinese leaders which included Deng Xiao Ping, that forced and restricted population growth would lead to greater economic prosperity. This coercive policy influenced the family of the Chinese citize...
Presidential power can be viewed in terms of Domestic and Foreign affairs. This chapter discusses how the presiden’ts normal problem with domestic policy is to get congressional support for the programs he prefers, while in foreign affairs he can almost always get support for policies that he believes will protect the nation. The president soon discovers that he has more policy preference in domestic matters than in foreign policy.
The rise in China from a poor, stagnant country to a major economic power within a time span of twenty-eight years is often described by analysts as one of the greatest success stories in these present times. With China receiving an increase in the amount of trade business from many countries around the world, they may soon be a major competitor to surpass the U.S. China became the second largest economy, last year, overtaking Japan which had held that position since 1968 (Gallup). China could become the world’s largest economy in decades.