Hello and welcome back to This Week in History! As December brings about a chilly end to the fall semester, I’d like to focus on a few interesting historical developments that focus on the idea of “adopting” that which is new. After all, December is a month where the top priority for many is comfort and warmth, not change — so let’s mix things up a bit and explore some historic changes!
On Dec. 4, 1982, China adopted its current and fourth Constitution under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.
Since the 1880s — the final decades of the Qing dynasty — the notion of a constitutionally bound government took root in China through the activities of revisionist thinkers such as Kang Youwei. Kang and his followers proposed a constitutional monarchy and an institutional overhaul as the solution to the empire’s struggles and yet this was not to come to fruition. Through decades of suppression and shallow reforms, by 1911 a new China was brought about through force of arms and political collapse.
Gone were the dynastic systems of the Qing, replaced by the Republic of China designed as a new constitutional republic. Nevertheless, through the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), the Chinese Civil War and internal political failures, this new Chinese republic would fall by 1949, being overtaken by the Chinese Communist Party system that persists to the modern day.
Pew Research Center findings suggest that an increasing number of Americans hold a negative view of socialist/communist China. It seems that especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, many are wary of the nation’s role in global politics. Some are distrustful of the government, its actions and its lack of accountability — however, since 1954 China supposedly possessed a constitution which Chairman Mao Zedong formed to surpass those of the western powers. In fact, Mao commented: “Now, the capitalist constitutions have become no good, actually, very bad, because they have become a tool for [the ruling class] to cheat and exploit the oppressed class. Our constitution is socialist in nature and must be superior to the capitalist ones.”
With such a goal of surpassing capitalist constitutions, throughout the PRC’s existence, there have been constitutional revisions in 1954, 1975, 1978 and as implemented this week, 1982.
During the 1960s, the constitution was not limiting government power as say the American constitution, instead, it was a framework for government actions. After the Anti-Rightist campaigns cracked down on any dissident actions and the Cultural Revolution crushed the economy in the 1960s and early 1970s, in 1982 the constitution was once again altered to work around Mao’s reshaping of the communist state.
While redesigning the roles of the National People’s Congress (NPC), and implementing greater economic freedom, the constitutional changes came at the expense of increasingly isolated party-based governance. For instance, with the 1982 restructure long having been in place, the NPC held elections in 2013 for many top positions — only one candidate ran for seven of the top positions. The President, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Premier, Chairman of the Congress and several other titles were all given out in unanimous, unchallenged elections. No write-ins were allowed, and no debates were permitted.
The 1982 constitution states in Chapter I, Article 2, “All power in the People’s Republic of China belongs to the people. The organs through which the people exercise state power are the National People’s Congress and the local people’s congresses at different levels.” Yet, can this really be the case when elections are so distant from the people themselves? Regardless, this week in history the document was adopted and remains the chief legal document behind the Chinese government.
This week in history, on Dec. 6, 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment was adopted into the U.S. Constitution.
Following the bloody Civil War which consumed the United States for four years, the process to right the wrongs which broke apart the nation was of the utmost importance. In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which, while a step toward liberating the enslaved, did not truly free all of those legally bound as property.
What is important to note in the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment is that it was not unanimously adopted. It was issued while the Southern states were not fully brought back into the Union. This instability would make its passage quite difficult, as, despite the Senate approving the order, the House initially did not, and only through Lincoln’s political maneuvering would the Amendment make its way to the states for ratification.
Later in 1866, and 1869, the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments would further extend the liberties of African Americans, granting freed slaves citizenship and the right to vote.
With those Amendments being crucial for the expansion of civil rights in a nation torn apart through years of conflict, Europe would undergo a similar adoption — yet, perhaps one of unity that is far more visible in the modern day.
On Dec. 9, 1955, the iconic blue flag with 12 yellow stars forming a central circle was adopted by the Council of Europe.
Now, it’s important to make a slight distinction here, the Council of Europe is a legal and international organization for cooperation between European countries. It has no legal authority per se, but it does influence the continent as an international organization that promotes human rights and reprimands actions that violate international standards. The flag in reference, however, is very similar to that adopted in 1983 by the European Parliament as the flag of Europe, and later approved by the European Union as its main flag in 1986.
So, oddly enough, you can find this flag of Europe — commonly associated with the European Union — flying in countries such as Georgia, Azerbaijan and Russia.
The flag itself has a very simple, yet effective design — being the result of many different designs coming together, but largely under the imagination of designer Arsène Heitz. Heitz imagined the 12 stars as symbolizing unity and perfection, as there are 12 months, 12 zodiacs and 12 apostles. This circle was to reflect against the blue background as if lying amongst a blue sky. To this day the flag remains a symbol of unity, even beyond the borders of the European Union, it shows a resolve to prevent any future conflicts between nations and the desire for peace to reign.
And with that, This Week in History comes to a close. All three of these different examples of a new constitution, amendment or flag being adopted show that December isn’t just a month of stagnation and hunkering down to prepare for exams or avoid the cold — rather, it is a time of great significance, a time when new things can begin. And on that note, This Week in History will resume in the spring. Have a safe and happy break, and if you celebrate any holidays may they be filled with moments that will go down in your own internal history book. See you in the spring!