Educational Media Reviews Online

China’s Capitalist Revolution traces China’s economic transformation since Mao, shedding new light on the man who made it happen – Deng Xiaoping.

Part one, “Opening the Door: How Deng Xiaoping Transformed China’s Economy,” focuses on economic reforms Deng initiated when he came to power in the late 1970s. Against a backdrop of wide-spread poverty and starvation, this segment accurately chronicles Deng’s life and how his break from hard-line communism gradually pushed China toward global integration. From limited private ownership among agricultural cooperatives to special economic development zones, Deng’s reforms set the stage for diplomatic recognition, foreign investment, and modernization.

Part two, “Becoming a Superpower: Deng Xiaoping’s Reforms and Their Legacy,” clarifies and analyzes some of the societal impacts of Deng’s reforms. Under Mao, Chinese citizens were promised cradle-to-grave security – employment, education, and health care. But when Deng’s policies closed unproductive factories and ended price controls, millions felt they were being left out of China’s economic boom. Also, eager foreign investors were willing to provide fees and kickbacks to well-placed Communist Party officials. This rampant corruption coupled with rising unemployment was a springboard to the demands made during the Tiananmen Square protests. Deng’s handling of the crisis and the popular response to the deaths of demonstrators cost him his leadership position. However, when Maoists tried to overturn his reforms, Deng skillfully rescued his policy initiatives. By writing newspaper articles and gaining the military’s support, he performed an end run around government leaders. Ultimately, Jiang Zemin and other officials endorsed Deng’s reforms as the only way to move China forward.

Teeming with archival footage and bolstered by expert testimony, China’s Capitalist Revolution is an insightful history lesson, one that is essential to understanding China’s place in the world today.

Highly recommended for academic, public, and school libraries, China’s Capitalist Revolution is also an excellent resource for courses in Asian studies, history, economics, and politics.