ABSTRACT
The tempo of China's modernization has increased during the reform and opening up after 1980. The Chinese economy, society, institutions, and ideology are in rapid transition. There are three major goals to modernization in any country, namely, economic growth, social development, and democratization. Particular politico-economic institutions give rise to a definite set of development strategies, policies, and processes. Adopting the Western model usually means that the country will prioritize democratization and marketization and then pursue economic growth and social welfare. In the first two phases of modernization, one would already see the demand for liberalization and democratization grow. The third and final phase of modernization is democratization. During the Mao period, China followed the Soviet model of command economy and centralized power structure. Scholars disagree about the future of Chinese democratization. In recent years, the optimistic view has become a minority one while the pessimistic view has become mainstream among students of China.
