More languages
More actions
No edit summary Tag: Visual edit |
No edit summary Tag: Visual edit |
||
| Line 21: | Line 21: | ||
==Political Career== | ==Political Career== | ||
Deng Xiaoping was born in an educated land-owning family in Sichuan Province. He studied in [[French Republic|France]], where he became a [[Marxism-leninism|Marxist-Leninist]], joined the [[Communist Party of China]] in 1923 and took part in the [[Chinese Revolution]]. During his later political career, he would recall the more formative years of the Communist Party of China and its War of Resistance in the following way: <blockquote>"Now I should like to talk about our Party’s experience during the War of Resistance Against Japan. Tactics serve strategies. The years prior to the anti-Japanese war are called the period of the Agrarian Revolution. At that time we pursued a policy of confiscating land from the landlord class. After [[Japan]] stepped up its aggression against China, the national problem became the principal concern, and Japanese imperialism became our main target of attack. Under these circumstances, we had to ally ourselves with all our indirect allies in the world, which included contacts with the United States, for example. The comprador-capitalist class, previously our main target of attack, became one whom we both unite with and struggle against. Its representative was [[Chiang Kai-shek]], with whom we co-operated to resist Japan, adopting a policy of both unity and struggle in the course of co-operation."<ref>[https://dengxiaopingworks.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/build-a-mature-and-combat-effective-party/ Deng Xiaoping; Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, Vol. 1, Build a Mature and Combat-Effective Party]</ref></blockquote>After the founding of the [[People's Republic of China]], he became the Party's Secretary General, but was purged twice during the [[Cultural Revolution]]. After Mao's death, he managed to return to political power to become the leader of the country by July 1977. In December 1978, he initiated the [[Opening Up and Reform|''Opening Up and Reform'']] policy, emphasizing the goal of the [[Four Modernisations]], and proposed the following year to revise the Chinese constitution. Deng Xiaoping resigned from his positions in 1989, although he technically remained president until the end of his southern tour in 1992; [[Jiang Zemin]] officially took over a year later. Deng died on 19 February 1997 of a combination of a lung infection and Parkinson's disease. | Deng Xiaoping was born in an educated land-owning family in Sichuan Province. He studied in [[French Republic|France]], where he became a [[Marxism-leninism|Marxist-Leninist]], joined the [[Communist Party of China]] in 1923 and took part in the [[Chinese Revolution]]. During his later political career, he would recall the more formative years of the Communist Party of China and its War of Resistance in the following way: <blockquote>"Now I should like to talk about our Party’s experience during the War of Resistance Against Japan. Tactics serve strategies. The years prior to the anti-Japanese war are called the period of the Agrarian Revolution. At that time we pursued a policy of confiscating land from the landlord class. After [[Japan]] stepped up its aggression against China, the national problem became the principal concern, and Japanese imperialism became our main target of attack. Under these circumstances, we had to ally ourselves with all our indirect allies in the world, which included contacts with the United States, for example. The comprador-capitalist class, previously our main target of attack, became one whom we both unite with and struggle against. Its representative was [[Chiang Kai-shek]], with whom we co-operated to resist Japan, adopting a policy of both unity and struggle in the course of co-operation."<ref>[https://dengxiaopingworks.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/build-a-mature-and-combat-effective-party/ Deng Xiaoping; Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, Vol. 1, Build a Mature and Combat-Effective Party]</ref></blockquote>After the founding of the [[People's Republic of China]], he became the Party's Secretary General, but was purged twice during the [[Cultural Revolution]]. After Mao's death, he managed to return to political power to become the leader of the country by July 1977. In December 1978, he initiated the [[Opening Up and Reform|''Opening Up and Reform'']] policy, emphasizing the goal of the [[Four Modernisations]], and proposed the following year to revise the Chinese constitution. Deng Xiaoping resigned from his positions in November 1989, although he technically remained president until the end of his southern tour in February 1992; [[Jiang Zemin]] officially took over a year later. Deng died on 19 February 1997 of a combination of a lung infection and Parkinson's disease. | ||
==The ''Opening Up and Reform'' policy== | ==The ''Opening Up and Reform'' policy== | ||
Revision as of 19:21, 2 December 2022
 | Some parts of this article were copied from external sources and may contain errors or lack of appropriate formatting. You can help improve this article by editing it and cleaning it up. (November 2021) |
Deng Xiaoping 邓小平 | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of comrade Deng Xiaoping | |
| Born | August 22, 1904 Guang'an, Qing China |
| Died | February 19, 1997 (aged 92) Beijing, People's Republic of China |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Political orientation | Marxism-Leninism Mao Zedong Thought Socialism with Chinese Characteristics |
Deng Xiaoping (Chinese: 邓小平) (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader, most notable for his tenure as the "paramount leader" and president of the People's Republic of China from 22 July 1977 until 22 February 1992.[1][2] During his leadership, he initiated a policy of advancing the productive forces through industry and market development while maintaining the governing role of the Communist Party of China, its commitment to Marxism-Leninism and to the task of building Socialism according to the Four Cardinal Principles.
He is largely associated with the development of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, of which Deng Xiaoping Thought is a part, and is considered by many to be the "Architect of modern China".
Political Career
Deng Xiaoping was born in an educated land-owning family in Sichuan Province. He studied in France, where he became a Marxist-Leninist, joined the Communist Party of China in 1923 and took part in the Chinese Revolution. During his later political career, he would recall the more formative years of the Communist Party of China and its War of Resistance in the following way:
"Now I should like to talk about our Party’s experience during the War of Resistance Against Japan. Tactics serve strategies. The years prior to the anti-Japanese war are called the period of the Agrarian Revolution. At that time we pursued a policy of confiscating land from the landlord class. After Japan stepped up its aggression against China, the national problem became the principal concern, and Japanese imperialism became our main target of attack. Under these circumstances, we had to ally ourselves with all our indirect allies in the world, which included contacts with the United States, for example. The comprador-capitalist class, previously our main target of attack, became one whom we both unite with and struggle against. Its representative was Chiang Kai-shek, with whom we co-operated to resist Japan, adopting a policy of both unity and struggle in the course of co-operation."[3]
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he became the Party's Secretary General, but was purged twice during the Cultural Revolution. After Mao's death, he managed to return to political power to become the leader of the country by July 1977. In December 1978, he initiated the Opening Up and Reform policy, emphasizing the goal of the Four Modernisations, and proposed the following year to revise the Chinese constitution. Deng Xiaoping resigned from his positions in November 1989, although he technically remained president until the end of his southern tour in February 1992; Jiang Zemin officially took over a year later. Deng died on 19 February 1997 of a combination of a lung infection and Parkinson's disease.
The Opening Up and Reform policy
The Opening Up and Reform policy was proposed in order to deal with the main problems the country faced at the time: namely a very poor population, the lack of an industrial base, and the lack of a large urban population (80% of the population lived in rural areas at the time). Deng Xiaoping saw that the country was still too underdeveloped to build Socialism where premature collectivization has brought antagonistic contradictions between the relations of production and the social character of the productive forces. The idea was proposed of implementing market policies in order to build the productive forces in order to eventually be able to build Socialism. In this regard, the Opening Up and Reform policy can be compared to the soviet New Economic Policy implemented by Lenin. Deng Xiaoping explained his policies in the following manner:
"It is wrong to maintain that a market economy exists only in capitalist society and that there is only “capitalist” market economy. Why can’t we develop a market economy under socialism? Developing a market economy does not mean practicing capitalism. While maintaining a planned economy as the mainstay of our economic system, we are also introducing a market economy. But it is a socialist market economy. Although a socialist market economy is similar to a capitalist one in method, there are also differences between them. The socialist market economy mainly regulates interrelations between state-owned enterprises, between collectively owned enterprises and even between foreign capitalist enterprises. But in the final analysis, this is all done under socialism in a socialist society. We cannot say that market economy exists only under capitalism. Market economy was in its embryonic stages as early as feudalist society. We can surely develop it under socialism. Similarly, taking advantage of the useful aspects of capitalist countries, including their methods of operation and management, does not mean that we will adopt capitalism. Instead, we use those methods in order to develop the productive forces under socialism. As long as learning from capitalism is regarded as no more than a means to an end, it will not change the structure of socialism or bring China back to capitalism."[4]
This policy lead to a period of great economic growth for the country, with a median growth of 9.2% between 1980 and 2020[5].
Selected Works
Deng Xiaoping's Selected Works are composed of three volumes, each dedicated to works written during a specific time-frame. They are available for free online at https://dengxiaopingworks.wordpress.com.
Here are those that are in our library:
References
- ↑ https://www.icis.com/blogs/chemicals-and-the-economy/2014/01/lessons-chinas-first-economic-cycle-post-mao-period/
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/22/newsid_2516000/2516339.stm
- ↑ Deng Xiaoping; Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, Vol. 1, Build a Mature and Combat-Effective Party
- ↑ Deng Xiaoping; Selected Works, Vol. 2, "We Can Develop A Market Economy Under Socialism".
- ↑ MGM research; China GDP Charts and Graphs 1980-2020.