China's Second Revolution: Reform after Mao - Softcover

Harding, Harry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0815734611 ISBN 13: 9780815734611

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press, 1987

Synopsis

China has, since 1976, been enmeshed in an extraordinary program of renewal and reform. The obvious changes—the T-shirts, blue jeans, makeup and jewelry worn by Chinese youth; the disco music blaring from radios and loudspeakers on Chinese streets; the television antennas mushrooming from both urban apartment complexes and suburban peasant housing; the bustling free markets selling meat, vegetables and clothing in China's major cities—reflect a fundamental shift in the government's policy toward the economy and political life.
Although doubts about the long-term commitment to reform arose after the student protests in December 1986 and the dismissal of Party General Secretary Hu Yaobang in January 1987, the scope of reform has been so broad and the pace of change so rapid, that the post-Mao era fully warrants Den Xiaoping's description of it as the ""second revolution"" undertaken by the Chinese Communist Party.

About this title

About the Author

Harry Harding, a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies program at Brookings since 1983, has written several books on China, including Organizing China, the 1986 recipient of the Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Prize. He is coeditor with B

From the Back Cover

China has, since 1976, been enmeshed in an extraordinary program of renewal and reform. The obvious changes-- the T-shirts, blue jeans, makeup, and jewelry worn by Chinese youth; the disco music blaring form radios and loudspeakers on Chinese Streets; the televisor antennas mushrooming form the urban apartment complexes and suburban peasant housing; the bustling free markets selling meat, vegatabels, and clothing in Chin's major cities-- reflect a fundamental shift in the government's policy toward the economy and political life.

Reviews

The pace and scope of reform in China over the past nine years have made standard interpretations date quickly. Harding (Brookings Institution) brings us up to the minute with an excellent assessment of Deng Xiaoping's reforms. He describes the origin, content, and future of the reforms and argues that proponents must continue to produce positive results or they will be replaced. He also notes how comparisons will be made with similar efforts to reform Leninist socialism in the Soviet Union and Western Europe. A highly readable and useful account, recommended for public, school, and university libraries. David D. Buck, Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
• Publication date: 1987
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0815734611
• ISBN 13: 9780815734611
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 391