"China was able to survive its crisis in communism (after 1976) because it went for economic reforms and not political reforms." To what extent is this accurate?

When Deng came into power, China’s economy had not progressed as much as Mao had imagined it would. The crisis in communism had also had an adverse effect on the economy. Deng’s catch phrase “it doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white so long as it catches the mouse” encapsulates his entire approach towards economic reform. His economic reforms were very obviously not in line with communism at all but he felt that if they could bring greater prosperity to China, it was worth it to adopt these new measures.

The reforms took place largely in rural China. There was increased emphasis and investment on consumer industries as opposed to the heavy industry oriented economy under Mao’s regime. Prices rather than designated outputs were now employed to give farmers more motivation to plant more lucrative crops. Privatisation was now encouraged and all the traditional representatives of the old communist economy, such as the communes and the Household Responsibility System, were abolished. Simultaneously, “a whole range of new industrial enterprises, known as Township and Village Enterprises, were established in the rural areas”. The switch to a more capitalist economy was obvious for all to see.

Urban China was also subject to some economic change but not in the same magnitude as rural China. The giant State-owned Enterprises remained and there was no immediate privatisation. However, private investors made joined ventures with the state to boost the economy, especially in the banking sector.

Also, Deng reverted the previous policy of isolationism to one that embraced outside trading and economic relations. As a result, China joined the IMF and World Bank. More focus was placed on gaining access to foreign markets. Also, this action of opening itself up to the world allowed China to receive valuable foreign investment. An example of how this has aided the country’s development, is in Shenzhen, where overseas investors transformed a fishing village into a bustling metropolis.

The economic benefits brought by Deng’s reforms were tremendous. The standard of living for the Chinese soared as access to basic amenities such as electricity and sanitation was available, consumer durables were easy to find, and wages were stable. Compared with pre-1976 China, the economic situation presented here was great. It is evident that Deng’s open mindedness in this area allowed China to progress greatly.

On the other hand, political reform had not been carried out. With increased economic freedom, the people felt the desire for political freedom as well. These desires were manifested in student uprisings and protests. However, Deng proved to be very strong-willed about this issue. “For Deng, perestroika was fine, but glasnost was off limits”, meaning that he did not allow political freedom like he did economic freedom.  At the beginning of his term, he was slightly looser about this as he could use the demonstrations, such as the Democracy Wall Demonstrations, to unseat the remaining Maoists in the party and gain political supremacy. This he achieved in 1984, and with that, no further concessions were allowed to political activists. Deng proved his point during the Tiananmen incident that took place in 1989. Resentful and dissatisfied with Deng, hordes of students gathered at Tiananmen to put demands to him for further change, radical change in fact. However, his stance did not waver, and in a great show of iron-fisted dictatorship, ordered the army to put down the demonstrators by force. Political reform was evidently not part of Deng’s plan for China and played no part in its survival after the crisis of communism.

However, in another light, perhaps it was Deng’s political grip on China which got the country out of its crisis. In Russia, the establishment of perestroika and glasnost at the same time heralded doom for Soviet communism as the people, suppressed by years of communist rule, quickly and forcefully acted against it once it had the chance. However, Deng’s stubbornness ensured that China remained a communist country. When the USSR disintegrated, China still stood as a communist power.

In conclusion, it is plain to see that Deng Xiaoping’s introduction of economic reform greatly aided China’s progress and alleviated the crisis of communism. No political reform was initiated by him but this was the very reason why communism remained intact in China, whilst it was obliterated elsewhere.

 

Bibliography

1. Democracy Wall Movement,

2. The Deng Xiaoping Reference Archive, 

3. Hsu, Immanuel, The Rise of Modern China, Sixth Edition, Oxford University Press, 2000.

4. Sanders, Richard, From Command to the Market: The Chinese Experience, Business Update 4 March 2000

     

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