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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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China
Index
Continuous development of the means of production is a major
goal of all Marxist governments. Under Mao, however, that goal was
pursued in a manner that subordinated economic policy to the
dictates of massive class struggle and, in the end, to political
struggle carried up to the Political Bureau level. Mao, who
admitted his own ignorance of economics, resented efforts to
correct the problems caused by hasty agricultural collectivization
and the
Great Leap Forward
(1958-60; see Glossary), and he
initiated a political and ideological "struggle" against the 1950s
reformers. This political campaign reached massive proportions
during the Cultural Revolution, doing extensive damage to the
economic, political, and social fabric of Chinese society.
In contrast, the post-Mao leadership so emphasized the issue of
economic modernization that modernization began to shape the
political process itself. Economic modernization became the basis
of Deng Xiaoping's pragmatic reform policies. Despite disagreements
over the content and pace of the reform program, Deng won solid
support from other senior Chinese leaders who recognized the great
danger of neglecting economic development and the well-being of the
people.
The difference in political style between Mao and Deng was
evident in their approach to opposition. When Mao perceived that
party bureaucrats were blocking the full implementation of his
radical programs, he set out in the early 1960s to purify the
party. In contrast, faced with similar opposition in the 1980s,
Deng sought points of agreement and built a coalition around an
eclectic economic program.
Data as of July 1987
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