China and the Legacy of Deng Xiaoping

The death knell of the global communist expansion sounded in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The West rejoiced with a sense of vindication: democracy had won the Cold War. In China, the last great bastion of communism, a sense of panic and impending doom swelled as the Chinese braced for the anticipated onslaught of pro-democratic forces. The party leadership turned inward, as it had in the past when faced with adversity. It reimposed strict controls over all intellectual activities and over the increasingly Western-style, market-oriented economy. In the midst of the chaos, however, one man—the again revolutionary Deng Xiaoping—saw not disaster but opportunity for China.