Analyzing the “Entanglement” of the Soviet and Chinese Models of Alternative Modernity in J. Arnason’s Historical Sociology

Abstract

This article examines approaches towards analyzing the “entanglement” of modern societies in sociological and historical literature. Differences between G. Therborn’s and J. Arnason’s approaches are highlighted and Arnason’s perspective on “alternative” communist modernity is discussed. The interaction of the USSR and China represents an example of entanglement of alternative modernities. As Arnason demonstrates, in the 1920’s the Soviet model of state-building was seen by various political forces in China as a case of successful imperial restoration. In addition, he highlights the role of ties to China in Soviet politics. Chinese communists adapted Soviet patterns of totalitarian control before even coming to power. After 1949 there was a further adaptation and radicalization of the Soviet model in China. At the same time the rivalry between the USSR and China was largely a product of their imperial legacies. According to Arnason, in post-Maoist China a combination of patterns of capitalist development, elements of Marxist-Leninist political practices and ideology, as well as a selective revival of Confucian legacies all went beyond the Soviet model. Arnason characterizes how Chinese leadership was influenced by the example of economic development of other East Asian countries and examines the rivalry between the USA and China in the global geopolitical context.