Deng’s chance came in 1973 when Mao summoned him back to Beijing to counter the excesses of his wife Jiang Qing and the Gang of Four. Deng quickly set about trying to get China’s economy and international reputation back on track, traveling to the United Nations in 1974 to speak at a conference on economic… Read more »
The Cultural Revolution, which began in 1966, did not go well for Deng. Ousted from the party by the Red Guards, Deng was sent to work at a tractor repair facility in Jiangxi Province. Deng’s family suffered, most tragically his son, who was paralyzed after leaping from a window to escape Beijing University Red Guards. Despite… Read more »
By the mid 1950s, Deng had joined the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, ranking him as one of China’s top decision makers. From that position he oversaw the “Anti-Rightist Movement“, persecuting intellectuals, but also showed a more reform-minded side, opposing the Great Leap Forward. In the… Read more »