ABSTRACT
This chapter provides some data on the composition of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) today and when it came to power in the 1949–50 period. It introduces elite theory in order to grasp the significance of the CCP’s development from a mass party to an elite party headed by a group of highly educated cadres. The chapter argues that the CCP is at the heart of a ranking-stratified system which entails significant benefits and privileges for the elite. It discusses whether the CCP has a future or whether the system is likely to break down. In order to understand how China is governed and by whom, which is ultimately the reason why we are interested in studying the CCP, it is important to realize that China is not governed by the Party’s rank-and-file membership.
