ABSTRACT
The Great Leap Forward, is of special interest to transition studies because it relates to a debacle of economic reform, resulting from Mao Zedong’s self-perception as philosopher-king. When one speculates about whether or not Russia or China can survive the admittedly predatory and valueless aspects of the capitalism accompanying contemporary transition, it appears that these countries, veterans of worse catastrophes, can well survive capitalism, hostage as it is to new expectations. Young intellectuals, once discredited in the Cultural Revolution, and further disillusioned by Tianenman Square, are welcome and joining the Party, another chapter in the fluid China story. Another unique transition strategy for China was the establishment of town and village enterprises. The pre-existing conditions and present differences that separate China from the former superpower Russia and the once-capitalist Hungary, Poland, and Czech Republic seem reasonably clear. Deng Xiaoping, further down the ladder, already known for favoring private plots of land and market initiatives for China’s battered economy, avoided confrontation.
