Ideology and Economic Reform Under Deng: 1978-1993
by Wei-Wei Zhang
Category: Political Science

This is a probing study of the interactions between ideological trends and economic reform in the era of Deng Xiaoping. It explores an important but frequently neglected issue in the contemporary study of China - the transformation from the orthodox anti-market doctrine into a more elastic and pro-business one, and from Mao's radical totalitarian approach to Deng's gradualist, developmental, authoritarian approach. Based on a well-defined theoretical framework, the author makes a critical survey of many primary sources including official documents, policy statements, memoirs and interviews, while exploring the origin and themes of China's major ideological trends since 1978 and how they affected the pace, scope and content of economic reform. The study focuses on the origin and evolution of Deng's doctrine of 'socialism with Chinese characteristics' and its impact on the reform programme. Wei-Wei Zhang's unique perspective brings out thought-provoking explanations of the nature of Chinese politics under Deng Xiaoping in general, and the politics of China's 'gradual approach' to reform in particular.