The Chinese Capitalist Revolution
ODDcircle Tue 20 Oct 09 at The Blue Mugge
Notes based on TV documentary, summer 09, with the same title, odn articles: China Local/China Global by Kerry Brown, Beijing’s Credibility Crisis by Datong and What Was Communism by Fred Halliday.
- Comment by those who saw the TV programme and/or have read the above or any other relevant book/s or articles.
2. What do we know about Mao, Maoism and the Cultural Revolution?
- The exceptionally good and informative TV documentary focused on Deng Xiaoping’s (1904 – 1997) leadership in China from 1978 to the early 1990s.
- His economic policies were at odds with Mao – he was purged twice during the Cultural Revolution.
- Deng was ‘a reformer who led China towards market economics’
Issues
and problems - relations with USA; 1980s state industries no longer
under state control, factories closed, crime soared, inflation went
up,
corruption scandals, Martial law, Tianamin Square, Deng forced into
retirement then in 1991 (aged 87) his ‘southern tour’ inaugurated the
second round of reforms, establishing a market economy.
- Deng led Chinese economic reforms through a synthesis of theories known as
‘socialist market economy’.
What is ‘socialist/communist’ in contemporary China?
- When Deng died in 1997 the Chinese economy growing at 10% pa.
The TV programme credited Deng with advancing China into becoming one of the fasted growing economies.
- Our commentators (above) present a more nuanced, sombre, picture…
- The credit crunch has arrived… college students facing unemployment, colleges told
to sell off land, get more fee-paying overseas students… Conflicts, violent protests
and disorder across a range of issues and geographical areas.
- Democratic reforms - from Deng onwards…
- ‘Old style communists who have survived the period when capitalism ruled in all but
name say they were right all along. The once might system of Western Capitalism is
in deep trouble’. The way forward now for this huge country and economy?
