 
in china today, as in the soviet union, real power lies in the hands of 
the communist party, and not in the government. 
in china the communists, who control all the power, are men of the older 
generation. 
until his recent death, mao tse-tung was at the very top, with a small 
group of men who set up the communist party and led the revolution. 
these men were all over seventy years of age. 
under them are men who run the government ministries and the party, and 
hold key posts in the army and the police. 
these men are in their fifties. 
following the unrest and difficulties of the late 1960s, younger members 
of the party were put into some positions of importance. 
their influence and ideas will most likely lead to changes in policy and 
methods in the future. 
until his death, the most important man in china was mao tse-tung, former 
chairman of the ccp . 
all policies were decided by mao and his associates. 
once a decision was reached, everyone was expected to obey and carry out 
the decision. 
there was very little criticism or debate. 
the government in china can not be considered democratic by western 
standards. 
in china, as in russia, there is only one political party, the communist 
party. 
the party controls the government. 
the most important people in the party are also in the government. 
members of the party have special privileges and great influence. 
the party manual says that a member must be willing to sacrifice even his 
life "without the slightest hesitation, with a feeling of happiness" for what 
the party tells him to do. 
