The 1980s ushered in a decade of reform, led by Deng Xiaoping’s first economic czar, Zhao Ziyang. Under Zhao, China went about the process of decollectivizing agriculture, setting up a Special Economic Zone in Shenzhen, and launching a wave of entrepreneurship with Township and Village Enterprises.
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 »
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 »