China’s Transition From Communism Deng Xiaoping (1905-1997)

When Deng Xiaoping was born, in 1904, the Chinese empire was dying When Deng Xiaoping was born, in 1904, the Chinese empire was dying. Foreign imperialists were taking advantage of its weakness. At age 16, Deng won a scholarship to study in France, where he learned about communism.

Became one of Mao’s top assistants Became one of Mao’s top assistants. He was there during the Long March and led brutal purges and mass executions.

At least 30 million Chinese died as a result of Mao's Great Leap Forward, a campaign to catch up with Great Britain in 15 years. Unscientific agricultural practices and flawed steel production led to famine. By 1961, the state was on the verge of collapse.

Compare/Contrast “It’s better to be poor under socialism than rich under capitalism” --Mao “It doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.” --Deng

Mao lost influence. Deng and others restored order. Mao's revenge came in 1966 with the Cultural Revolution.

Mao put Deng under house arrest. His younger brother was driven to suicide and his son, Deng Pufang, paralyzed as a result of an attack by Red Guards.

Deng became the next leader after Mao died in 1976

Economic Reforms 1. Peasants were allowed private plots and to sell surplus crops at market prices (supply/demand). 2. To increase productivity, Deng introduced elements of free market capitalism to most industry. 3. Set up special economic zones where cheap Chinese labor worked in Western-owned factories and sold goods to the world.

Political Reform? Unlike the Soviet Union, the Chinese Communist Party kept total control over politics. In April 1989, students inspired by the collapse of Communism in Europe protested on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, demanding democracy. Deng Xiaoping ordered the army into the square in 1989.

Democracy—Our Common Dream! Tiananmen Square, 1989 Democracy—Our Common Dream!

Deng retired in 1989 and died in 1997. His system remains. China has thousands of political prisoners, limited freedom of speech, and tightly controls religion.

Deng’s legacy: Communist political system + Market economy

Which class knows more? Can your class recall more facts than the other 10th graders? PARTNER/SHARE: Recall as many facts as you can from today’s lecture. One student at a time verbally shares one thing he/she learned in the  class today. Teacher crosses out repetitive and irrelevant facts, counts up the total, and tracks who won.

The Chinese Economic Miracle Deng’s reforms unleashed economic growth that is unprecedented in human history GDP Growth rate of 9.5% a year China's economy became the second largest after the United States. 800 million people lifted out of poverty!

Dibao = welfare payments to poor rural residents * Dibao = welfare payments to poor rural residents 07/16/96 Source: The Economist, April 29, 2017. *

2011 Nominal GDP in US$ billions (Source: IMF)

Shanghai

Health—Improved but could be better… 1949: Average Life Expectancy of 35 years 2012: Average Life Expectancy of 74.8 years Life expectancy would be much higher if respiratory illnesses (cigarettes, air pollution) could be reduced, water quality improved and food safety increased.

Car Ownership 100-km Chinese traffic jam enters Day 9

Soulless Consumerism: “Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious.” Deng Xiaoping Endless pursuit of status goods Search for spiritual alternative (Christianity is growing very fast) Crime (drugs, gambling, prostitution) rising.

Family Breakdown/Urbanization/Crime

Population Growth 2 AD: 86,000,000 1000: 87,000,000 1500: 110,000,000 1800: 260,000,000 1900: 400,000,000 1950: 546,815,000 1982: 1,008,065,000 (reaches 1 billion) 2010: 1,337,825,000 (almost 1 in 5 people live in China) 2020: 1,387,792,000 2030: 1,393,076,000 2040: 1,360,906,000 2050: 1,295,604,000

Discuss with your table partners, then one of you write it on the board Which country would you rather live in during the 1990s—Russia, which had political freedom but also widespread poverty, or China, which had a quickly growing economy but no political freedom? Write one sentence to explain your choice + Sign your name. LEFT: China RIGHT: Russia

POSTER Compare/Contrast Russia’s transition to China’s transition. Which country did a better job escaping from the problems of the Communist past? 5 facts for each country. 5 visuals for each country. As usual, each student in your group should sign your work. Be ready to present on Block Day (35 minutes of work time—maybe HW?).