In China, it is the State first, the collective second, and the individual the last. If conflicts occur, the collective benefit (such as the family, school and union) should be scarified for the State, and the individual should give up their benefit to the collectives and the State. This proposition has consistently been held from the time of Sun Yatsen to Mao Zedong and has its historical background. Old China was a country oppressed by the great Powers--the imperialists. For example, Hong Kong island was annexed to the United Kingdom under the unequal Treaty of Nanking; therefore, the first objective of the revolution was to attain independence and liberation of the Nation. Although great changes have been taken place since 1949, and the Chinese people are now standing up, independent and equal, among the Nations, the above beliefs remain the same. A popular saying is that under socialism the interest of the State, of the collective and of the individuals are in general agreement. If any conflict arises, the interests of the individual are subject to those of the collectives and the State. Putting the individual first is sometimes called individualism, and sometimes condemned as "bourgeois-liberalization". It is not only incompatible with socialism, but also dangerous, if it is pushed to the extreme. So goes the saying, "The slightest mistake results
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in the greatest loss."
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The
On the other hand, the Western theorists adopt an opposite idea: individual--Collectives-- State. The French and the American revolutions of the late 18th century were inspired by the Videa of protecting individual rights. For the French, the "end in view of every political
association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man". Americans prescribe to the rights of "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness". They hold that the individuals--every citizen--are the masters of the society; the collectives and the State are always run by specific individuals or collectives in their name. Therefore, the State is not
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