







































 Humanities and Social Science Research; Vol. 7, No. 3; 2024 

ISSN 2576-3024   E-ISSN 2576-3032 

https://doi.org/10.30560/hssr.v7n3p55 

 55 Published by IDEAS SPREAD 

 

The Logic of Globalization of Chinese-Style Modernization in the 

Perspective of Marx's World History Theory 

Xin Zhang1 

1 School of Marxism, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing, China 

Correspondence: Xin Zhang, School of Marxism, Chongqing Technology and Business University, 
Chongqing, China. E-mail: zhangxin28/at/ctbu.edu.cn 

 

Received: November 12, 2024; Accepted: December 9, 2024; Published: December 11, 2024 

 

Abstract 

Marx 's world history theory is an important part of the Marxist theoretical system. Chinese-style modernization 

is a socialist modernization road with Chinese characteristics that is generated and developed according to China 

's national conditions under the guidance of this theory. In the process of pursuing modernization, China not only 

follows the evolution law of world history in theory, but also shows its unique generation logic in 

practice.Specifically, the globalization logic of China 's modernization can be grasped from the three historical 

stages of " forced to follow", " Run after oneself " and " Take the initiative and lead the race", thus highlighting 

China 's profound insight and historical initiative in world history. 

Keywords: Marx 's world history theory, Chinese-style modernization, The logic of Globalization 

1. Introduction 

The logic of globalization of Chinese-style modernization reveals the stage of evolution of Chinese-style 

modernization in the development of global modernization, marking the change of its role from passive adaptation 

in the early stage to autonomous catching up in the middle stage to leading innovation in the current stage. At this 

particular stage of "the transformation of history into world history", no country's modernization can be completed 

independently in a closed and isolated environment. It is the deep intertwining and mutual influence of Chinese 

history and world history that have jointly shaped the globalization logic of China's modernization. This logic is 

reflected in the historical transformation of Chinese modernization from "forced to follow" to "Run after oneself 

" to "Take the initiative and lead the race". 

2. The Theoretical Foundation of the Logic of Globalization 

Examining Chinese-style modernization in a global perspective, the support of the logic of globalization of 

Chinese-style modernization can be discovered through the profound insights of Marx's theory of world history 

(hereinafter referred to as the theory of world history). In addition to vertically revealing the general process of 

historical development and clarifying the law of sequential turnover of social forms, Marx also profoundly 

analyzed the underlying motives, inevitable tendency, and inherent law of the transformation of national and 

territorial history into world history since modern times from the height of his historical outlook and from the 

perspective of horizontal relations, and after continuous deepening and refinement, he finally formed the Marxian 

theory of world history, which is rich in content and complete in its system. According to this theory, with the 

development of productive forces and the universal expansion of communication, the isolation of peoples and 

nations has been broken, and the history of mankind has gradually been transformed from territorial history to 

world history. In this theoretical system, the idea of two kinds of world history and their transformation is one of 

its core contents, which mainly consists of two major stages, namely, "the transformation of mankind as a whole 

from regional history to world history" and "the transformation of capitalist world history to communist world 

history". 

First, in the first stage, the formation of the capitalist mode of production pushed the expansion of human regional 

history into world history. As an inevitable product of the high development of the productive forces, the formation 

and development of world history is deeply rooted in the capitalist mode of production. Marx pointed out that "the 

more completely the primitive closed state of the peoples is annihilated by the increasingly perfected mode of 

production, by intercourse, and by the division of labor between the different peoples naturally formed by that 

intercourse, the more history becomes world history" [1]. In this process, all the peoples and countries of the world 

began to form a closely connected and interdependent organic whole, moving together towards modernization, 



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and history thus gradually shifted from the originally closed and local national history to the open and universal 

world history. 

Secondly, in the second stage, the inherent contradictions of capitalism pushed the capitalist world history to 

inevitably transform into the communist world history. Marx both highly affirmed the progressive role of the 

bourgeoisie and capitalism in promoting the transformation of world history and profoundly criticized the 

exploitative nature of the era of world history dominated by the logic of capital. According to Marx, capitalist 

globalization is only a temporary form in the process of world history [2]. Under the combined effect of the 

intensification of the inherent contradictions of capitalism and the proletarian struggle, the capitalist world history 

will inevitably be transformed into the communist world history.  

Therefore, Marx's theory of world history not only explains the historical logical consistency between world 

development and the process of human modernization, but also provides a profound argumentative support for the 

practice of Chinese-style modernization, guiding China to find a modernization development path with its own 

characteristics in the process of globalization. In the face of the irreversible historical trend of globalization, China 

has taken the initiative to integrate into it, accelerated the transformation and upgrading of its economic structure 

through reform and opening-up, and constructed a socialist market economic system that meets the requirements 

of modernization. At the same time, globalization has promoted the interconnection and exchange in different 

fields such as ecology, culture, science and technology, and enriched the connotation, objective, content and form 

of Chinese modernization. Moreover, China's active participation in the process of globalization has contributed 

Chinese wisdom and strength to the global economic growth and the reform of the global governance system. In 

short, globalization, as an important external condition for Chinese modernization, has significantly expanded its 

development space. 

3. The Practice of Chinese-Style Modernization Globalization Logic is Carried out 

According to Marx's theory of world history, we can grasp the global logic of Chinese modernization. From the 

initial exploratory start to today's innovative advancement, every step of Chinese-style modernization is 

inseparable from the opportunities brought by globalization, and has become an important force to promote the 

transformation of globalization while realizing its own development, which is reflected in the global logic that 

Chinese-style modernization has realized a historic leap from "being forced to follow" to "independently pursuing" 

to "taking the initiative to lead". Its global logic is reflected in the fact that Chinese modernization has made a 

historic leap from "forced to  follow", "Run after oneself" to "Take the initiative and lead the race".（i.e., Figure 

1） 

 

Figure 1. The Logical Evolution of Globalization in Chinese Modernization 



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3.1 Forced to Follow: The Logic of China's Participation in Western Capital-Dominated Globalization 

In the modern world, China, as an Oriental country, has faced the pressure of globalization dominated by Western 

capital, which constitutes the historical starting point of China's modernization process and its real situation. In the 

early stage of modernization, China was forced to participate in globalization as a "latecomer" and was in a state 

of "running behind". The Western bourgeoisie became the forerunner of modernization through the opening up of 

new shipping routes and the rise of the Industrial Revolution, which reshaped the global mode of production and 

formed a Western-centered economic system. As Marx stated, "it compels all peoples - if they do not want to perish 

- to adopt the bourgeois mode of production"[3], which led to the subordination of Eastern countries, including 

China, to the West. China was forced to open its closed doors in the wave of bourgeois expansion, and began the 

transformation from a traditional agricultural society to a modern industrial society.However, this transformation 

is not plain sailing. All sectors of modern Chinese society have tried to seek national rejuvenation and absorb the 

advanced system and technology culture of the West, but they have failed miserably. It can be seen that in the 

global pattern of ' the East is subordinate to the West ', the road of capitalist modernization is difficult to achieve 

in China and cannot proceed smoothly. 

As a result, the task of modernization in China inevitably depended on a more powerful force, the Chinese 

proletariat, and the success of the socialist movement in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century provided 

China with a modernization program that was very different from that of capitalism. The echo of the October 

Revolution arrived in China, bringing Marxism-Leninism. Since then, China has shifted from the old democratic 

revolution to the new democratic revolution, and the road of modernization has shifted from capitalism to socialism. 

After the founding of New China, China's modernization process faced serious challenges in the face of hostility 

and blockade from the Western camp. In this unstable international environment, China began to draw on the 

Soviet Union's modernization model, promoting industrialization and establishing the basic socialist system 

through the confiscation of bureaucratic capital, the establishment of a state-run economy, and the implementation 

of the first "Five-Year Plan". "Our overall goal is to struggle for the construction of a great socialist country ...... 

to achieve the socialization and mechanization of agriculture." This marked the formal establishment of China's 

modernization path of a socialist nature. 

In other words, the emergence of Chinese-style modernization is not only driven by the external environment 

under the pattern of globalization, but also the result of the inherent needs of China's industrialization 

transformation. In the process of globalization, although China is forced to follow, it is also actively exploring the 

road of modernization and development that suits its own national conditions, reflecting a profound insight into 

the laws of world history and development and a precise grasp of the country's development goals. 

3.2 Run after Oneself: China's Realistic Logic of Using Capital Globalization to Develop and Grow Socialism 

In the wave of globalization, China has made a historic transition from being "forced to follow" to "run after 

oneself". In the stage of using capital globalization to develop and strengthen socialism, China's modernization 

has shown a unique practical logic, that is, on the basis of maintaining the principles of socialism, it has made good 

use of the positive factors in capital to realize integration with socialist modernization, and highlighted its 

autonomy and innovativeness in the process of globalization. 

First of all, adhering to the basic principles of socialism is the fundamental premise for China to ' pursue its own 

initiative '. According to Marx 's theory of world history, the current world history is generally in the historical 

stage of transition from capitalism to communism, and the long-term coexistence of socialism and capitalism is 

the main feature of this historical period. In the face of this historical trend, China has maintained a clear 

understanding and a firm position. On the one hand, it is soberly aware that the stage of world history in which 

capitalism is still dominant has not yet come to an end, so it has not been blindly arrogant or stuck in its ways, but 

has consciously followed the trend of modernization and taken the initiative in absorbing the fruits of outstanding 

civilizations, so as to push forward the process of modernization of the Chinese style; on the other hand, it is deeply 

aware of the advantages of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, so it has not blindly pursued the 

wholesale westernization or mechanical copying of the modernization models of other countries. On the other 

hand, deeply recognizing the advantages of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, it has not blindly 

pursued wholesale westernization or mechanical copying of other countries' modernization models, but rather, 

based on the profound changes in the international situation and its own basic national conditions, it has 

continuously adjusted, optimized and innovated the system, so as to make it consistent with the actuality of its 

own development as well as the trend of the world history. With this dual understanding, China has not only 

accelerated its own development by making effective use of the globalization of capital, but also maintained its 

independence and socialist nature, always adhering to the socialist road, ensuring that the direction of the country's 



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development and the nature of the system are not subject to any interference or erosion by external forces, and 

actively absorbing the fruits of modern civilization created by the capitalist society through deepening the reforms 

and expanding the opening up, including its advanced experience in the fields of technology, management and 

market, so as to make the capitalist society a more modern one, market and other advanced experiences, so that 

they can serve the overall goal of socialist modernization. This has not only shortened the historical gap between 

China and the developed capitalist countries in terms of modernization and development, but also laid a solid 

foundation for the ambitious goal of building a strong socialist modernizing country. 

Secondly, giving full play to the positive role of capital is an important booster for the construction of socialist 

modernization in China. Regarding the civilizing role of capital, Marx pointed out that "sufficiently powerful 

capital destroys, with the help of the mode of intercourse adapted to it, those historical restrictions which bind and 

hinder the movements adapted to capital." [4] emphasized the world-historical significance of capital in promoting 

the transitional evolution of the mode of production and opening up the world market , which provides theoretical 

support for socialist countries to rationally utilize and harness capital, and to play a positive role in capital to 

promote the modernization process. The civilized nature of capital has been clarified and manifested in the process 

of creating Chinese-style modernization. Chinese-style modernization has dialectically understood and dealt with 

the relationship between socialism and capital, on the one hand, through the state's reasonable management and 

effective guidance and control of capital, it serves the socialist modernization construction as an important factor 

of production, and guides and regulates the healthy development of capital under the conditions of the socialist 

market economy .on the other hand, on the basis of adhering to the principle of people's supremacy, the people's 

logic should be utilized to regulate the logic of capital, and to enhance the effectiveness of capital in serving the 

comprehensive development of human beings and the society[5], so as to ensure that capital can always play a 

positive role within the framework of socialist system. Against the historical background that the modernization 

process of all countries generally includes the element of capital, Chinese-style modernization has rationally 

deconstructed the civilization of capital, dispelling the myth that "modernization = Westernization", i.e., "using 

the basic socialist system to rationally control the alienating and divisive forms of capital, give full play to the 

innovative civilizational momentum of capital, and to bring the innovative power of capital into full play within 

the socialist system". The basic system of socialism is used to rationally control the alienating and divisive forms 

of capital, to give full play to the civilized and innovative kinetic energy of capital, to promote the effective 

operation of the market economy internally, and to activate the potential and vitality of human and social 

development" [6] , gradually forming a modernization road "dominated by state power and mediated by production 

relations to harness capital"[7]. It can be seen that Chinese-style modernization's creative harnessing of capital not 

only promotes the in-depth development of socialist modernization, but also demonstrates the pioneering 

significance and unique value of Chinese-style modernization. 

It is evident that during the phase of ""run after oneself "," Chinese-style modernization has not only advanced the 

profound development of socialist modernization but also highlighted its pioneering significance and distinctive 

value. 

3.3 Taking the Initiative to Lead - the Future Logic of China's Active Promotion of the Transformation of 

Globalization and the Turn of World History 

Under the complex situation of setbacks in the process of globalization, the failure of the global governance system 

and profound changes in the world landscape, world history is at an important inflection point of "east rising and 

west falling". This inflection point has provided impetus for the birth of Chinese modernization. At this stage, 

China's modernization not only shows a positive attitude of "taking the initiative to lead the race", but also plays 

a key role in promoting the positive development of world history. The future logic of China's active promotion 

of the transformation of globalization and the turning of world history is mainly embodied in four aspects: power, 

path, choice and direction:  

First, it provides a power engine for international economic growth. In the process of Chinese-style modernization, 

China has achieved the United Nations poverty reduction target ahead of schedule, helping to lift 770 million rural 

people out of poverty, accounting for more than 70% of the global poverty reduction over the same period [8].In 

2022, China's GDP totaled more than 120 trillion yuan, making it the world's second-largest economy and the top 

contributor to global economic growth." The Belt and Road Initiative further promotes global economic growth 

and is expected to help lift 7.6 million extremely poor people out of poverty [9], China continues to play the role 

of stabilizer and growth engine of global economic development, and the discourse and influence of socialism in 

the global arena have been significantly enhanced.  



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Second, it has provided a practical path for global governance innovation. While actively integrating into the global 

governance system, adhering to the concept of "common cause, common construction and sharing", and promoting 

the building of a community of human destiny as a participant in global governance, China is also committed to 

promoting the construction of a more just and reasonable international order, and constantly innovating the rules 

of global governance in promoting the change of the global governance system[10] , gradually becoming a 

contributor and leader of global governance.  

Thirdly, it provides a brand-new choice for developing countries to move towards modernization. Chinese-style 

modernization has proved to the world that modernization can coexist and learn from each other, broken the 

paradox of "modernization=Westernization", deciphered the myth of independence and modernity, enriched the 

pattern of modernization in the world, and provided a new blueprint for countries pursuing independence and 

development to make their own choices and develop. 

Fourthly, it provides direction for mankind to move towards a better future. Chinese-style modernization rejects 

the path of Western capitalist modernization, practices the civilizational concept of "harmony and difference", 

advocates that all countries in the world achieve common prosperity through peaceful development and win-win 

cooperation, respects the diversity of the world's civilizations, promotes exchanges and mutual understanding 

among civilizations, and eliminates civilizational barriers, thus providing development opportunities for the 

common advancement of the human society and the world's history. 

In view of the above analysis, Chinese-style modernization is a socialist modernization that has been nurtured and 

matured in the trend of global integration, and it is in an era of world history that is actively overcoming the 

Western capitalist modernization constructed by the logic of capital, while insisting on the development of socialist 

modernization and development constructed by putting the people at the center of modernization[11]. History and 

practice have fully proved that the development course of Chinese-style modernization is worthy of recognition. 

Chinese-style modernization is not only China's own development, but also represents China's contribution to the 

world; it is not only the process of China's modernization, but also a key link in the development of the global 

socialist cause. 

4. Concluding Remarks 

Overall, Chinese-style modernization is a socialist modernization that has been nurtured and matured in the trend 

of global integration, and it is in a world-historical era that is actively overcoming the Western capitalist 

modernization constructed by the logic of capital, while insisting on the development of socialist modernization 

and development constructed by putting the people at the center of modernization. Chinese-style modernization is 

vigorously promoting the transformation and development of globalization, gradually transforming from a 

follower and a participant of globalization to a leader, and promoting the world history for the better. In the future, 

China will continue to enhance the radiating capacity of Chinese-style modernization, show the role of a great 

country, and make greater practical contributions to solving the common global problems. 

Funding 

Chongqing Social Science Planning Project (Project No. 2023NDYB13); Innovative Research Project for 

Graduate Students of Chongqing Technology and Business University (Project No. yjscxx2023-211-180) 

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