She Shuanghao and Lu Yuqiang: The Specificity of the Development of the Ideology and Politics Education Discipline Since Reform and Opening-up
Ideological and political education is a social phenomenon that emerged after human social development reached the stage of class society. Marx and Engels created a brand-new form of ideological and political educational activity for human society, which Lenin brought into reality, initiating a new type of ideological and political educational practice. The Communist Party of China (CPC) not only named this practice and proposed a systematic theory of ideological and political education during the process of revolution and construction, but also elevated this practice to a science during the practice of reform and opening up and socialist modernization. The CPC established the major of ideological and political education and set up the discipline of ideological and political education, completing the leap from a phenomenon to a practical activity, then to a science, and finally to an independent discipline. There are many experiences to summarize regarding how the discipline of ideological and political education was able to achieve rapid development in just 40 years, but the most fundamental reason lies in the particularity of the discipline itself.
I. The Particularity of the Disciplinary Attributes of Ideological and Political Education
The discipline of ideological and political education is a unique discipline; its content involves Marxism as the Party’s guiding ideology, and it is a sub-discipline under the category of Marxist Theory [1]. "Therefore, the prominent and distinct essential attribute of ideological and political education is its socialist ideological nature; it is a Marxist discipline" [1] (p. 14). Marxist ideological and political educational activities possess both the commonalities of all such activities in human society and the particularities of being a brand-new activity for human society. It is a general law of ideological construction in class societies for the ruling class to elevate its own ideology to the dominant position and to carry out propaganda and educational activities concerning ideological and political concepts that meet the requirements of that ideology. Marx and Engels pointed out: "The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas: i.e., the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same time its ruling intellectual force" [2] (p. 178). "Each new class which puts itself in the place of one ruling before it, is compelled, merely in order to carry through its aim, to represent its interest as the common interest of all the members of society, that is, expressed in ideal form: it has to give its ideas the form of universality, and represent them as the only rational, universally valid ones" [3] (p. 180). Unlike other exploiting classes that represent their own interests as the interests of all members and conduct class education consistent with their own interests, Marxist ideological and political education is a practical activity of the proletariat and the broad masses of laboring people to realize their own interests and ultimately achieve the liberation of all humanity; it is the process by which the broad masses of laboring people achieve the integration of "material force" and "intellectual force" [4] (p. 16).
From an ontological perspective, Marxist ideological and political educational activities involve the proletariat and the broad masses of laboring people accepting their own ideological and political theories. It is not an activity where a ruling class treats ideological and moral concepts conforming to its own interests as the concepts of the whole people and then carries out education upon them; rather, it is an educational activity that maintains the fundamental interests of the proletariat and the broad masses of laboring people. From the perspective of the process, Marxist ideological and political educational activities differ markedly from the ideological, intellectual, political, civic, or religious education carried out by other exploiting classes. It does not use external ideological and political concepts to manipulate and control the masses; rather, it is a process of the masses’ self-realization of the combination of material and intellectual forces. It is internal, proactive, and awakening—the process of the "lightning of thought" of which Marx spoke. From a methodological perspective, Marxist ideological and political education adopts ways of reasoning, persuasion, democracy, and consultation; it is rational and scientific rather than coercive, suppressive, or relying on mechanical indoctrination [N1]. Marxist ideological and political education methods are continuously enriched and developed in practice [5].
The particularity of Marxist ideological and political education requires the strengthening of the discipline’s construction. In January 2004, the Central Committee of the CPC issued the Opinions on Further Flourishing and Developing Philosophy and Social Sciences, proposing the implementation of the Marxism Theoretical Research and Construction Project and the strengthening of the disciplinary, academic, and textbook systems for Marxist theory. In February 2004, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the Several Opinions on Further Strengthening and Improving the Ideological and Moral Construction of Minors, and in August 2004, the Opinions on Further Strengthening and Improving the Ideological and Political Education of University Students, both of which proposed the urgent task of strengthening the discipline of ideological and political education. Under the realistic requirement of strengthening the construction of "ideological and political theory courses" [N2], the Opinions on Further Strengthening and Improving Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Institutions of Higher Learning issued by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Education in 2005 explicitly stated: "Establish a first-level discipline [N3] in Marxist Theory; carry out research on the systemic framework of Marxism, the history of Marxist development, and the Sinicization of Marxism; and carry out research on ideological and political education. This will provide strong disciplinary support for advancing the Party's ideological and theoretical construction, consolidating the guiding position of Marxism in the education and teaching of higher education institutions, strengthening the construction of ideological and political theory courses in colleges, and training a workforce for ideological and political education" [6] (pp. 417-418). The issuance of these documents created the conditions for establishing ideological and political education as an independent sub-discipline. It is precisely because of the guiding status of Marxism in China's ideological field, and within the context of the Central Committee's vigorous promotion of philosophy and social sciences, the implementation of the Marxism Theoretical Research and Construction Project, and the strengthening of moral and ideological education for minors and university students, that the discipline was formally established and achieved rapid growth amid the broader expansion of Marxist theoretical disciplines.
II. The Particularity of the Practical Foundation of the Ideological and Political Education Discipline
The Notice on Adjusting and Adding the First-level Discipline of Marxist Theory and its Subordinate Sub-disciplines issued by the State Academic Degrees Committee and the Ministry of Education clearly stated: "The discipline of ideological and political education takes Marxism as its theoretical guide and the Party’s ideological and political work as its practical foundation. Through more than 20 years of disciplinary construction, it has achieved fruitful results" [7] (p. 477). The Communist Party of China is a party adept at theoretical and practical innovation. In the process of combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and the fine traditional Chinese culture, the CPC has not only created theoretical achievements such as Mao Zedong Thought, the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era—realizing historic leaps in the Sinicization of Marxism—but has also formed rich theoretical and practical results in ideological and political education through the process of promoting the popularization of Marxism. The ideological and political education activities carried out by the CPC are results produced on Chinese soil, targeting the Chinese people, and under the guidance of Marxism, especially Sinicized and modernized Marxism. The CPC's ideological and political education activities possess a specific particularity.
In the practical exploration of ideological and political education, the CPC has attached great importance to absorbing and drawing lessons from all the excellent achievements of ideological and political education in human society, especially the experience of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. However, in the process of practice, our Party’s borrowing of these experiences also encountered the problem of "failing to adapt to local conditions" (shuitu bufu) [N4]. For example, looking at the evolution of China’s ideological and political education model, in the early years of the People's Republic of China (PRC), we learned from and adopted the Soviet Union’s mass propaganda work system. We established a regular "Propaganda and Ideological Work Network" system on a national and universal scale, constructing a network for the entire population. However, "in the process of implementation, this system also exposed serious drawbacks such as the mystification of propaganda organizations, the simplification of propaganda channels, and the formulaic nature of propaganda content. Following Mao Zedong’s lead in late 1956—proposing within the Party the task of using the Soviet Union as a reference to explore China's own path of socialist construction—the Party also reflected deeply on the practice of mechanically copying Soviet experience in propaganda work and the various existing problems" [8] (pp. 64-65). Subsequently, the Party gradually explored a set of top-down, full-coverage ideological and political education models in practice. Although this model in the early PRC had the advantages of authority, comprehensiveness, and total participation, it also suffered from the disadvantages of being one-way, coercive, and mobilization-style. This model was pushed to the extreme during the "Cultural Revolution" [N5], which greatly affected the scientific nature of ideological and political education. After the start of reform and opening up, in the process of promoting the "scientization" (kexuehua) of ideological and political education, a development model of professionalization, standardization, and institutionalization was chosen. While this enhanced the scientific nature of the work, it also brought about issues of departmentalization, compartmentalization, and micro-focus. In the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has elevated ideological and political education to an important method of governing the Party and the country, constructing a "full-staff, full-process, and all-around" (quanyuan, quancheng, quanfangwei) [N6] model of ideological and political education [9] (p. 169). More than a century of the Party’s practice has formed extremely broad and rich practical, theoretical, and institutional results, providing a practical foundation of "Chinese characteristics" and "independent exploration" for the development of the discipline. This particularity of the practical foundation provides a unique developmental background for the discipline of ideological and political education.
III. The Particularity of the Establishment of the Ideological and Political Education Discipline
After the reform and opening up, the creation of the major and the establishment of the discipline were the result of the combined action of multiple factors.
First is the need of objective reality. The need of objective reality is the deepest social basis for the differentiation of professions and the establishment of disciplines. Mao Zedong pointed out: "Any ideology—if it is not linked with objective practical things, if there is no objectively existing need for it, and if it is not grasped by the masses—will not work, even if it is the best thing, even if it is Marxism-Leninism" [10] (p. 1515). During the "Cultural Revolution," ideological and political education was pushed into an inappropriate position, which both lost the scientific nature of the work and caused harm to its practitioners. Therefore, after the reform and opening up, within the field of the Party's practice and at all levels of social life, there existed a powerful internal drive urgently demanding the restoration of the "scientific" nature of the Party's ideological and political education and its treatment as a science. Beginning in 1979, a major national discussion on the "scientization of ideological and political work" was initiated across various fields. In 1980, Guangming Daily specially opened a discussion column titled "Ideological and Political Work is a Science," attracting the attention of famous scientists such as Qian Xuesen. In his article "From Social Science to Social Technology" published in Wenhui Bao, Qian Xuesen proposed that the science of ideology and politics could be called "Marxist Moral Education" (dexue) and that this discipline should be established as soon as possible. Some papers from this discussion were included in the book On the Scientization of Ideological and Political Work, published by Shanxi People's Publishing House in 1981 [11] (p. 30). Many frontline workers issued a heartfelt call for the scientization of their field: "Everyone says that the study of anything is a science. The study of plants, animals, fish, insects, birds, beasts, flowers, and stones is a science. Could it be that the study of the laws of the formation and development of people's socialist and communist ideological consciousness, and the study of the laws of conducting ideological and political education for the people, is not a science?" [12] (p. 363). Furthermore, after the reform and opening up, along with the continuous expansion of opening to the outside world and the deep development of the socialist market economy, the independence, selectivity, diversity, and complexity of people's thinking have increasingly grown. The development of reform and opening up and the socialist cause urgently called for a new form of ideological and political education and its scientization.
Second is the high level of importance attached by the Party Central Committee. Since the beginning of reform and opening up, leaders of the Party and the state have consistently regarded ideological and political construction as a vital task of Party building, placing great emphasis on ideological and political education. Represented primarily by Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping, Chinese communists have delivered a series of important speeches focused on strengthening and improving ideological and political work. They have launched numerous documents and measures to this end, providing theoretical guidance for the innovative development of the discipline of ideological and political education. At the 1979 Theoretical Work Consultative Meeting [7], Deng Xiaoping explicitly stated that ideological and theoretical work under the new situation "is a major task; it is both a major political task and a major theoretical task. This is by no means a job that can be completed by superficially copying old books, but is rather a noble and creative scientific endeavor that requires the painstaking efforts of revolutionary thinkers." In 1982, during a conversation with leading comrades from the Central Propaganda Department, Hu Yaobang "comprehensively and systematically expounded on the nature, status, concepts, phenomena, essence, goals, tasks, characteristics, principles, policies, professionalization of the workforce, and leadership management of the Party’s ideological and political work, thereby shaping the concept of the CPC’s ideological and political work in the new period." Jiang Zemin clearly defined the essence of ideological and political work, proposing that "the Party's ideological and political work is, fundamentally, work concerning people and the masses, involving people’s thoughts, concepts, and consciousness—namely, their spiritual life." On the basis of clarifying the objects and content of ideological and political education, he expanded ideological and political work to include the promotion, education, guidance, and elevation of the masses. Furthermore, he established a new principle: "The Party's ideological and political work is essentially mass work; it is work to promote to, educate, guide, and elevate the masses; therefore, it must persist in following the mass line." He explicitly pointed out: "Ideological and political work is a science; leading cadres and political work cadres at all levels must strive to understand and master its basic knowledge and laws." Under the direct emphasis of the Party leadership, the CPC Central Committee issued a series of documents to strengthen and improve ideological and political work, such as the Notice on Strengthening Ideological and Political Work in Rural Areas (January 1983), the Outline for Ideological and Political Work for Workers in State-Owned Enterprises (Trial) (July 1983), the Decision of the Central Military Commission on Military Political Work in the New Period (January 1987), and the Decision on Improving and Strengthening Ideological and Political Work in Higher Education Institutions (May 1987). These documents deployed and built up ideological and political work across various fields, ensuring that the scientific and professional development of ideological and political education was supported by official policy and institutional frameworks.
Third is the powerful promotion by educational administrative authorities. Every stage of disciplinary development—from the establishment of undergraduate majors to the creation of master's and doctoral programs in ideological and political education—has been inseparable from the vigorous promotion of educational administrative authorities and the focused support of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee (which adopted special policies to allow for "special handling of special cases" [8]). To establish the major of ideological and political education, the Ministry of Education issued several documents in the first half of 1984, including the Opinions on Establishing the Major of Ideological and Political Education in Twelve Institutions, the Opinions on Reserving Second Bachelor’s Degree Classes for the Major of Ideological and Political Education in Six Higher Education Institutions, and the Opinions on Holding Undergraduate Classes for the Major of Ideological and Political Education in Higher Education Institutions. These documents set clear requirements for cultivation goals, academic duration, recruitment methods, curriculum plans, and resource guarantees. In the early stages of the major, the Department of Ideological and Political Work under the Ministry of Education (formerly the State Education Commission) established a specific office for the construction of the ideological and political education major, providing planning and guidance while actively promoting the development of undergraduate textbooks. The Ministry (formerly the State Education Commission) specially organized a curriculum and textbook compilation committee, which released over 20 textbooks in two batches; some were even selected as "Textbooks for the 21st Century" by the Ministry of Education. During the transition from master’s programs to doctoral programs, the Ministry’s Department of Social Sciences and Ideological and Political Work explicitly proposed elevating the construction of the "Two Courses" [9] to the level of disciplinary construction. They launched a plan to train "Two Courses" teachers for in-service master's degrees by relying on academic sites for Marxist Theory and Ideological and Political Education, thereby preparing the theoretical groundwork for the establishment of doctoral programs in the first-level discipline [10] of Marxist Theory. Following the establishment of Marxist Theory as a first-level discipline, the State Council Academic Degrees Committee issued the Opinions on Further Strengthening the Construction of the Discipline of Marxist Theory in Higher Education Institutions, which set tasks for improving teaching quality and strengthening the standardization and institutionalization of the discipline. These measures greatly propelled the development of the discipline of ideological and political education.
Fourth is the active efforts of the vast body of ideological and political education theorists. The establishment of academic programs could not have happened without their proactive work. In coordination with the construction of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs, and driven by educational administrative authorities, these theorists conducted foundational theoretical construction of ideological and political education from a professional and disciplinary perspective. For the undergraduate major, they organized the compilation of multiple series of textbooks, laying the knowledge foundation for talent cultivation. At the master’s and doctoral levels, they formed stable research directions—such as the basic theory of ideological and political education, its historical development, comparative studies, and practical applications. They constructed a relatively complete disciplinary knowledge system—including basic principles, methodology, the history of the CPC’s ideological and political education, comparative studies, and explorations of practical fields—laying a solid foundation for the discipline’s creation and growth.
Fifth is the role of the academic community and platforms. The development of the discipline depends on both the building of an academic community and the functioning of academic platforms and frontiers. Academic organizations, such as the China Research Society of Ideological and Political Work for Staff and Workers and the National Research Society of Ideological and Political Education in Higher Education Institutions, as well as journals such as Research in Ideological and Political Work, Ideological Education Research, Ideological and Theoretical Education, Journal of Ideological and Political Education, and School Party Building and Ideological Education, provided platforms for student development and created the conditions for the emergence of an academic community. As one scholar assessed: "The National Research Society of Ideological and Political Education in Higher Education Institutions and its Academic Committee played a crucial leading role in the developmental direction, theoretical research, disciplinary and curriculum construction, professionalization of the workforce, and scientific rigor of practices, as well as in information sharing, experience exchange, and unifying the workforce."
Sixth is the effectiveness of talent cultivation and social service. The creation of the major and the discipline initiated a new stage of professionalized talent cultivation. Since its inception, the major has provided society with a large number of specialized personnel who play roles across various sectors, earning a positive social reputation for the discipline and further driving its growth. Simultaneously, the discipline provides intellectual support for the work of university counselors, the construction of ideological and political theory courses, and ideological and political work at the societal level, thereby reinforcing the function and value of disciplinary construction. It is through the combined effect of these multiple factors that the discipline achieved leapfrog development in a relatively short period.
IV. The Specificity of Ideological and Political Education within the Discipline of Marxist Theory
According to the positioning of Marxist Theory defined in the Notice on the Adjustment and Addition of the First-Level Discipline of Marxist Theory and its Subordinated Second-Level Disciplines by the State Council Academic Degrees Committee and the Ministry of Education, the discipline of Marxist Theory "is a discipline that studies the basic principles and scientific system of Marxism as a whole. It studies the basic principles of Marxism and the history of their formation and development; it studies its dissemination and development globally, particularly the theory and practice of the Sinicization of Marxism; at the same time, it applies the results of Marxist research to Marxist theoretical education, ideological and political education, and ideological and political work." The Introduction to Graduate Education Disciplines and Majors and Basic Requirements for Degrees (Trial Version), compiled by the Eighth Disciplinary Review Group of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee, positions the discipline as follows: "The discipline of Marxist Theory is a first-level discipline that conducts holistic and integrated research on Marxism. Together with the Study of CPC History and Party Building, Marxist Philosophy (under the first-level discipline of Philosophy), Political Economy (under the first-level discipline of Theoretical Economics), and Scientific Socialism and the International Communist Movement (under the first-level discipline of Political Science), it constitutes the Marxist disciplinary system." Based on these regulatory documents, the discipline of Marxist Theory is a new type of discipline arising from disciplinary integration, reflecting the trend from modern specialization toward modernization.
Compared with other disciplines in the philosophy and social sciences, Marxist Theory shares the following common characteristics: First, holism and integration. Unlike Marxist Philosophy, Political Economy, or Scientific Socialism, the discipline of Marxist Theory does not study Marxism through separate categories of philosophy, economics, or socialism, but rather treats basic principles, historical development, and practical applications as a holistic whole. Not only should it be studied holistically, but it should also involve the integrated study of Marxism and Sinicized and modernized Marxism [11], so as to better grasp the scientific ideological system comprehensively and systematically from both vertical (historical) and horizontal (theoretical) perspectives. Second, practicality. While the discipline requires textual research, it does not stop at textual interpretation; rather, it takes the resolution of real-world problems as its starting point. While it requires historical research, it does not get bogged down in historical minutiae but seeks to grasp historical laws. Rooted in Chinese reality, the discipline responds to problems arising in the process of making Marxism Sinicized, modernized, and popular among the masses. Third, educational nature. The discipline finds its ultimate purpose in Marxist theoretical education, ideological and political education, and ideological and political work—specifically, in the ideological education and guidance of the people. Therefore, all second-level disciplines within Marxist Theory contain requirements for ideological and political education. This is a common requirement of the entire discipline.
From the perspective of the position of ideological and political education within the discipline of Marxist theory, it serves as the ultimate landing point and primary field of application for the entire discipline. On one hand, the special status of ideological and political education indicates that every sub-discipline within Marxist theory must investigate the laws governing such education, and these findings must ultimately manifest within ideological and political education and ideological and political work. On the other hand, the discipline of ideological and political education is more complex and distinct than other sub-disciplines of Marxist theory. It requires the mastery not only of the processes and developmental laws of ideological and political education itself, but also of the disciplinary laws governing the basic principles of Marxism, the study of the history of Marxist development, the study of the Sinicization of Marxism, and the basic issues of modern and contemporary Chinese history. Furthermore, it must use the mastered Marxist theory to "arm" the subjects of education, promote the Sinicization, modernization, and popularization of Marxism, and carry out the practice of ideological and political education and work. In this sense, the discipline of ideological and political education possesses laws more complex and specific than other sub-disciplines. Its particularity allows it to play a global and driving role in the development of the entire discipline of Marxist theory. Consequently, ideological and political education has consistently occupied the position of a vital pillar within the Marxist theory discipline. Indeed, it was the establishment and development of the undergraduate major and the academic discipline of ideological and political education that drove the creation of the broader Marxist theory discipline.
V. The Uniqueness of the Development Model of the Ideological and Political Education Discipline
The particularity of the development of the ideological and political education discipline is also reflected in its developmental model. It adopted a path of first establishing undergraduate majors, then elevating them to the disciplinary level, and conducting disciplinary construction across multiple tiers—undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral—thereby forming a disciplinary system with an internal structure and hierarchy. While undergraduate majors and disciplinary construction possess internal consistency, they also exist at different levels. Both "disciplines" and "majors" are classifications used to achieve talent cultivation goals, but a "discipline" emphasizes the categorization of scientific branches and the requirements of internal rules and regulations. As noted, "the distinction between sciences is based precisely upon the particular contradictions inherent in their objects. Thus, the study of a contradiction peculiar to a certain sphere of phenomena constitutes the object of a particular branch of science." [35] A "major," by contrast, emphasizes a specialized system of knowledge and specific professional skills. According to relevant documents from the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council and the Ministry of Education, the formal concept of "ideological and political education" as a discipline only emerged at the master's level and above. [12] This model—establishing the major first and the discipline later—allowed disciplinary development to be built upon a solid foundation of a specialized knowledge system, providing a thicker base and clearer boundaries with other disciplines. Based on the experience of constructing the major, this approach offers at least the following advantages:
First, it facilitated the formation of a textbook system for the discipline. During the establishment of the major, the issue of textbooks became an urgent task. The Ministry of Education's Opinions on Setting Up Ideological and Political Education Majors in Twelve Institutions noted that textbooks for professional courses—such as the Principles of Ideological and Political Education, Methodology of Ideological and Political Education, History of Ideological and Political Work in Higher Education Institutions, Party Building, League Work [13], and Communist Ideological and Moral Education—were commissioned to be compiled by Fudan University, Wuhan University, East China Normal University, Nankai University, Tsinghua University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, respectively. In 1985, Wuhan University Press published the Methodology of Ideological and Political Education textbook; in 1986, Fudan University Press published the Principles of Ideological and Political Education textbook; by 1991, there were 12 textbooks for the major. In 1994, the former State Education Commission established the Compiling Committee for Ideological and Political Education Major Curricula and Textbooks, officially launching a second set of 12 unified textbooks. these included Theoretical Foundations of Marxist Ideological and Political Education, Guided Reading of Marxist Works on Ideological and Political Education, Principles of Ideological and Political Education, Methodology of Ideological and Political Education, History of the Communist Party of China's Ideological and Political Work, General Introduction to Political Outlook Education, General Introduction to Life Outlook, General Introduction to Moral Outlook, General Introduction to the Historical Materialist Outlook, Case Analysis of Ideological and Political Education, Introduction to Modern Western Ideology, and Comparative Ideological and Political Education. Among these, the first four were selected as "21st Century Textbooks" by the Ministry of Education. This series "strived for a more scientific, complete, and accurate theoretical framework; the systematization and standardization of concepts, categories, principles, and rules; and achieved breakthroughs in the research object, process structure, main categories, mechanistic principles, and fine traditions of the discipline." The publication of these works signaled the formation of a relatively complete textbook system.
Second, it facilitated the formation of a discourse system for the discipline. Ideological and political work is a fine tradition, a distinct feature, and a clear advantage of the CPC; it has played a vital role as the "lifeline" in the Party's revolution, construction, and reform practices. In establishing a major to train specialized personnel, the first problem was how to transform the Party's practice of ideological and political work into academic concepts and provide a conceptual definition. This is because, in daily life and in the CPC’s own discourse, "ideological and political education" is not only rich in connotation and broad in scope, but also changes according to the context. Therefore, defining the concept was an urgent task for professionalization. During this process, scholars provided substantive definitions from a theoretical perspective. The 1986 publication of Principles of Ideological and Political Education marked the preliminary formation of the concept. It defined ideological and political education as: "A social practice in which a certain class or political group, to achieve specific political goals, purposefully exerts ideological influence on people to transform their thoughts and guide their actions. Marxist ideological and political education is the practical activity of the working-class party and its revolutionary organizations to educate the people with the communist ideological system, inspire their communist consciousness, improve their ability to understand and transform the world, and mobilize them to struggle for current and long-term revolutionary goals. It must address not only political stance, viewpoints, and behavior, but also worldviews, life outlooks, and moral outlooks." This definition placed the field within the macro-context of social development, defining it both generally (as a universal social phenomenon) and specifically (reflecting the particularity of Marxist and CPC activities). While subsequent definitions have emphasized different aspects—such as "exertion," "transformation," "internalization," "cultivation," "development," or "guidance"—the basic framework has remained stable, marking the elevation from practice to concept, and finally to the science of ideological and political education.
Third, it facilitated the construction of a specialized knowledge system. In creating the major, builders constructed a knowledge system with internal structural relationships beyond just the disciplinary framework. By 1991, this system was relatively complete. When the former State Education Commission's Department of Ideological and Political Work launched the second set of textbooks, it clarified that "the theoretical knowledge system of this discipline includes basic theory, professional theory, and professional knowledge of ideological and political education, as well as related knowledge from philosophy, social sciences, natural sciences, and certain engineering technologies." By 1994, the establishment of the second set of unified textbooks marked the maturity of the major, forming a cluster of textbooks centered on "Principles," "Methodology," and "History of Work." This cluster clearly distinguished between compulsory and elective courses, as well as between undergraduate and graduate levels, signaling the official formation of the knowledge system.
In summary, the particularity of the development of the ideological and political education discipline has been both a vital factor in its rapid growth since the reform and opening up and an important guideline for its steady, long-term progress. Based on the fundamental experience of the past 40 years, the discipline must further clarify its attributes, thicken its foundations, focus on its unique features, remain true to its original purpose, follow its laws of development, and create new brilliance.