The progress in American and Chinese societies.

America and China have often been thought to be polar opposites in terms of the way they manage their country. It is thus interesting to compare how differences in ideologies, education systems and gender equality etc. contributed to the progress of the two nations. First, it is only fair to ascertain the true meaning of progress. It is a universal fact that progress is not measured by just one aspect alone but a combination of many. Both societies are highly progressive since the early 1900s, so what is the difference in their progression?

The progress of a country is heavily dependent on her panel of leaders. It is therefore important that citizens of the country are politically active so that there is a level of restrain and diplomacy over the political field. America and China have been progressing economically at an alarming rate, the first and second largest economic body in the world respectively. As a country develops economically, it is natural that her citizens become more and more political apathetic as they see no need and no use for them to be involved in politics when everything is "fine the way it is”. Such a phenomenon is especially prominent in the youths of both societies, which supposedly results in a stagnation of the political development of a country. However, in my opinion, it is flawed to say that political apathy in a society signifies that the country have not progressed politically. The rapid development of technology has enabled citizens to get to know more about politics and develop a more critical view on policies by the government. Hence, they would and have the ability to become politically active when the need arises, as well as develop a better judgement on whether it requires their intervention. In 1992, there was a sudden spike in the number of voters, especially in youths due to an economic crisis in America.  Unemployment in Britain rose from 1,600,000 to nearly 3,000,000 between April 1990 and February 1993. Following that, British economy enjoyed a record run of unbroken economic growth lasting more than 15 years, and the number of voters also fell during that period of time. This thus showed that political activeness in this time and day is dependant on the crisis the country is facing and that America is still progressing politically as its citizens are aware of politics but do not see the need for them to get involved as of now. For China, it will be more difficult for political progress to take place because of the “one political party” rule. Therefore, even if the citizens are politically aware, they are not able to do a lot about their country’s politics, making progress slightly more difficult than America.

            No progress is complete without the basis of economic progress. Economic progress ensures that a nation can still function well economically even in times of crisis. In this area, china has made revolutionary progress, especially over the past 20 years. America on the other hand, has been facing problems in her economy. On April 2, 2013, debt held by the public was approximately $11.959 trillion or about 75% of GDP. Incurring such a huge debt to other countries is not a good sign despite having a 1.7% GDP growth in the second quarter of 2013 over the previous quarter. Therefore, although America might have progressed better in other aspects, economic progress is weak due to the debts of the country that will continue to weigh down the road to rapid economic development.

            Both societies are well known for their education system, with one being criticised as too rigid, and the other, too liberal. China’s education system holds a strong believe in memorisation and regurgitation. Speaking from personal experience during an immersion trip to china, the schools do an extremely good job in teaching knowledge to their students while life job skills like project work or public speaking are less emphasised. It is true that such life job skills can only be built upon a strong foundation of knowledge, however, too much emphasis has been put on academics that the purpose having knowledge, to apply them in the real world, is neglected. Every year, there will be reports of china students getting overly stressed due to the “Gao Kao”, an examination that determines a student’s fate and slowly becoming a social marker. The ultimate question is, is this kind of system suitable for china? Such an education might have been successful in the past, however, as China is moving into a knowledge based economy, they need people who can apply their knowledge, and not walking dictionaries that can only provide politically correct definitions. In America, it is the complete opposite of what is happening in China. The education system places too little emphasis on academics and more often than not, the benefits of the liberal education system that is supposed to prepare them for the real world crumbles under the weak academic foundation. It is therefore important that both society make changes to their education system so that it can complement their economic and social progress.

            It is undeniable that the American and Chinese societies are the two most progressive societies in the current world. However, both countries lack progression in one or more factors, and their education systems do not complement that well with the progression of their societies. Therefore, progression can only take place at a rapid pace and succeed if it is done through various approaches. Tackling areas where progress is not sufficient is the mark of true progression.