Deng xiaoping and the transformation of china pdf

Encyclopedia of Political Communication Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997) Contributors: Lynda Lee Kaid & Christina Holtz-Bacha Print Pub. Date: 2008 Online Pub. Date: April 21, 2008 Print ISBN: 9781412917995 Online ISBN: 9781412953993 DOI: 10.4135/9781412953993 Print pages: 181-182 This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of the online version will vary from the pagination of the print book. Texas A&M University Copyright ©2012 SAGE Publications, Inc. 10.4135/9781412953993 10.4135/9781412953993.n152 Deng Xiaoping was arguably the most influential Chinese leader of the second half of the 20th century, apart from Mao Zedong. Deng encountered Marxism in France and, after his return to China, joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), serving as an officer in the civil war against the Nationalist government and in the struggle against Japan during World War II. After the CCP formed the People's Republic of China in 1949, Deng quickly became an influential leader, serving as secretary general of the CCP from 1957 to 1966, when he lost his position and was sent to work on a labor farm during the Cultural Revolution. He was returned to high-level politics in 1974 but again was purged until after the death of Mao Zedong and the end of the Cultural Revolution. By 1980, he had emerged to become secretary general of the CCP again and began China's twin policies of economic reform and openness to the outside world. Deng was largely responsible for the dismantling of the cult of Mao, the return of market forces to the economy, and the opening of Chinese society to foreign investment, tourism, and interaction. During the decades of the 1980s and 1990s, Deng oversaw the rapid transformation of Chinese society and legitimated policies that would previously have been unacceptable to orthodox Marxists. Deng's pragmatism was expressed in such famous sayings as “It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice,” in effect saying that the actual form of economic structure is less important than its effectiveness in increasing overall wealth. In the early 1990s, Deng took a famous “southern tour,” visiting the coastal areas, encouraging greater innovation and creativity in economic reform, and spurring the growth of cities such as Shanghai. In spite of his legacy of reform and openness, Deng's reputation in the West was significantly diminished by his role in the 1989 “Tiananmen Incident,” as the government refers to the Tiananmen democracy movement. As students and workers around the nation called for greater democracy, Deng ordered a military crackdown, which occurred June 3 to 4, 1989. At least several hundred were killed in the ensuing chaos, and [p. 181 ↓ ] estimates range into the thousands. Although Deng officially stepped down in 1992 as chair of the Central Military Commission, the era until his death was known as the “era of Deng Xiaoping.” Page 2 of 3 Encyclopedia of Political Communication: Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997) SAGE knowledge Texas A&M University Copyright ©2012 SAGE Publications, Inc. Deng's role in changing Chinese politics, however, is undeniable. He was responsible for pushing a number of critical policies that laid the groundwork for the phenomenal growth of the Chinese economy in ensuing years, including the “four modernizations” (modernization of agriculture, industry, defense, and science and technology), “socialism with Chinese characteristics” (which legitimated the CCP's rejection of Soviet-style communism), and the “socialist market economy” (which enabled market- and profit-oriented economic policies to enter the economy). Randolph Kluver 10.4135/9781412953993.n152 See also • • Chinese Cultural Revolution Mao Zedong Further Readings Kluver, A. (1996). Legitimating the Chinese economic reforms: A rhetoric of myth and orthodoxy . Albany: State University of New York Press. Page 3 of 3 Encyclopedia of Political Communication: Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997) SAGE knowledge