Russia - Westernising Since Peter The Great
Peter the Great, (of the Naryshkin family) co-ruler of Russia, (along with Ivan of the Miloslavsky family) ruled from 1682-1725. For more than 40 years, his agenda was to create Russia in the Western mould. His travels to Germany, Britain, Sweden (before becoming a Tsar) shaped this agenda. One of the first things he did after becoming a Tsar was to ask his boyars (Russian nobility) to shave their beards! Catherine The Great continued this during her reign from 1762-1796. For the next 125 years, Russia vacillated between a medieval country and modern western country.
Now, the imprisoned oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky takes pains, who at one time nursed political ambitions, earnestly says,“...I’m convinced that Russia is a European country, it’s a country with democratic traditions ...".
China - Mao & SunIn the 20th century, one of the first countries to become a ‘copycat’ states was China. China, led by Sun Yat Sen, (original name Sun Wen and started calling himself Yat-sen; Chinese call him Sun Zhongshan), was the first major power in Asia which tried going down the western path. Sun Yat Sen decided to westernise and make China into a Republican democracy.
Chinese were made to cut their queue - pleated hair braids. This diktat was enforced in 20 days time. Sun Yatsen and later Mao Ze Dong made the Chinese change their dress styles too. The effect of this westernisation - an enduring sense of followers. The Chinese add a western name to their Chinese one - Michael Tang, Bruce Lee, Jerry Yang, Tommy Tang, Tommy Chi. In Hong Kong and Macao, white tourists are royalty. Chinese companies routinely parade White, Western investors - and the Chinese investors follow. Western marriage ceremony, Chinese couples think, is very romantic. The Christian Church wedding is common in China.
Not that Indians are too far behind - consider Steve Sanghi, Paul Parmar, or the best of them all Bobby Jindal.
Ataturk’s Turkey
Turkey - led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was the next ‘copycat’ attempt at westernisation. After WW2, the victorious allied powers dismantled the Ottoman Empire. Turkey was reduced to a rump state. Atatürk (much like Hamid Karzai) was ‘installed’ by Western powers.
Thereafter, Turkey has lurched from crisis to another. Post WW2, it has been mostly ruled by military dictatorships. From being a arbiter in Europe, it has become a supplicant, begging for entry into EU. Instead of the queue in China, - it was beards in Turkey. Atatürk enforced a new dress code on the hapless Turks - and the traditional fez was banned. Stop wearing the fez or else …
Japan - Democracy By LDP
Although Japan never 'westernised' in the manner of the Russia, China or Turkey, Japan's democracy is an external construct. After the Japanese surrender in WW2, Supreme Commander of Allied Powers, Douglas MacArthur ruled over Japan. A translator's mistake started the Japanese to work on a new constitution. MacArthur rejected the draft submitted, saying it was "nothing more than a rewording of the old Meiji constitution." MacArthur put his own staff on the job - and supervised the writing of the Japanese Constitution. A new draft was written in the next 10 days.
From 1955, when the LDP was formed, it remained in power for the next 38 years. In 1993, for the first time, a non LDP Government was formed - The Shinseito (Japan Renewal Party) came to power. Compare that with India's first change which occured within 26 years.
After a change in the ruling party, the Japanese miracle ended. A 10 year economic slump followed.
Indian Democracy
The Indian Voter is a very unique specimen. Forged out a feudal-colonial regime, he was coached by Gandhiji. Time and again the Indian Voter has voted in a very perceptive manner - rationally and without emotion.
1956 Election
In the very second General Elections of 1956, two leftist parties, gained 19.33% of popular vote, formed the world's first elected Communist Government.
Nehru, a legend in his own life, venerated and loved by the people he ruled, was given a warning. Perform or else.
Nehru thereafter went down the socialist road. Possibly, looking at the 'ship-to-mouth' economy, the socialist road was the humane answer. To a society coming out of the nightmare of colonial exploitation, the State as a parens patriae was a plausibility - as most voters were too poor and unable to take care of themselves.
The Left parties were given an opportunity. The Leftists did not live up to their promise. Apart from regional mandates, the Left were not given any major opportunity.
1969 Election
Indira Gandhi had sacked Morarji Desai as the Finance Minister over his obstinacy - on the Gold Control Act, bank nationalisation, etc. It was also rumoured that he was in CIA pay - a plausible allegation, as the rickety structure of Bretton Woods was propped up by the Indian ban on gold imports by Morarji Desai. Other disgruntled Congress party members had split from the Congress to form the Congress(O).
The voter saw through the disgruntlement on one and Indira Gandhi's imperious ways were beginning to show on the other. The Indian Voter gave her a razor thin majority - and the Congress(O) sulked as a major opposition party. The Indian Voter did not have any appetite for the negative agenda of Congress (O).
1971 Election
Indira Gandhi after a dramatic war in Bangladesh War (the largest PoW capture in the history of modern warfare by any country) and with an electrifying slogan - Garibi Hatao, called for elections. This decisiveness and a weak opposition won her the election.
1977 Election
Within 26 years after the first election in 1952, India changed its favorite political party. Post 1975 Emergency, India after being ruled by diktat, chose to remove Indira Gandhi. Opposition parties, for the first time in free India, gave the Indian Voter a clean choice. And the voter decided. The Indian Voter chose change.
Indira Gandhi was voted out.
1980 Election
A chastened Indira Gandhi was voted back to power. A vengeful opposition party was sent into the wilderness. India took it first steps towards liberalisation. New industrial capacities for cars and scooters were approved. The economy slowly started getting unshackled.
1984 Election
After Indira Gandhi's assassination, Rajiv Gandhi won a landslide victory - on a so-called sympathy wave. But the Indian Voter simultaneously voted for a different party for the local, state level Government. So, there was a national Government led by Rajiv Gandhi and the opposition party won the election in Haryana!
Who Is the Indian Voter
He is poor. He is not the rich Indian. He typically should be swayed by promises and subsidies. But he can be a very perceptive. He has never given the negative agenda of the Leftists a major opportunity.
He is illiterate. He votes with his "heart" or his "caste". He does not understand the "issues". But he did not buy the India Shining story that the BJP, a 'Hindu fundamentalist' party was peddling. Similarly, I doubt if they will back Manmohan Singh's attempt to 'sit at the high table in the global comity of nations."
This democracy was a home grown democracy, written, managed and nurtured by Indians. There will be many challenges ahead.
Unlike many, I do not believe, this is the end of the road for Anglo Saxon Super-power status - and the Chindia-India-Asia century is not near. But the Indian Voter will live up to the challenge. India's indigenous democracy is not the 'copycat' that others countries tried.
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