Brady, A: Marketing Dictatorship

Click here to hear Anne-Marie Brady's BBC World Service radio documentary titled "The Message from China"China's government is no longer a Stalinist-Maoist dictatorship, yet it does not seem to be moving significantly closer to democracy as it is understood in Western terms. After a period of self-imposed exclusion, Chinese society is in the process of a massive transformation in the name of economic progress and integration into the world economy. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is seeking to maintain its rule over China indefinitely, creating yet another "new" China. Propaganda and thought work play a key role in this strategy.In this important book, noted China scholar Anne-Marie Brady answers some intriguing questions about China's contemporary propaganda system. Why have propaganda and thought work strengthened their hold in China in recent years? How has the CCP government strengthened its power since 1989 when so many analysts predicted otherwise? How does the CCP maintain its monopoly on political power while dismantling the socialist system? How can the government maintain popular support in China when the uniting force of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology is spent and discredited? What has taken the place of communist ideology? Examining propaganda and thought work in the current period offers readers a unique understanding of how the CCP will address real and perceived threats to stability and its continued hold on power. This innovative book is a must-read for everyone interested in China's growing role in the world community.

After a period of self-imposed exclusion, Chinese society is in the process of a massive transformation in the name of economic progress and integration into the world economy, yet the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is seeking to maintain its rule over China indefinitely. Examining Chinese propaganda and thought work in the current period offers readers a unique understanding of how the CCP will address real and perceived threats to stability and its continued hold on power.

IntroductionChapter 1: Guiding Hand: The Role of the Propaganda SystemChapter 2: From Thought Reform to Economic Reform: Comparing Propaganda and Thought Work in Different ErasChapter 3: China's Unseen Engineers: Reform and Modernization in the Propaganda SystemChapter 4: Regimenting the Public Mind: The Methods of Control in the Propaganda SystemChapter 5: Sex Crime, Wheels of Law, and Song Zuying: Managing Information Communication Technology in ChinaChapter 6: Combating Hostile Forces: China's Foreign Propaganda Work since 1989Chapter 7: Models and Anti-Models: Searching for a New, New ChinaChapter 8: The Rebirth of the Propaganda StateGlossary