ABSTRACT
In the mid-1970s, Chinese state and society was trying to come to terms with the enormous upheavals created by the Cultural Revolution launched by Mao Zedong in 1966. The reforms launched under Deng Xiaoping's leadership in 1978 have led to enormous changes in virtually every facet of Chinese life. This chapter covers legacy inherited by Deng Xiaoping and his supporters, their programme for change, the breakdown of the reforms and its consequences for the future. Deng Xiaoping's second political resurrection was completed in July 1977 and together with his supporters, he set about putting together a new programme that would place China on the path of self-sustaining economic growth. The political breakthrough for Deng came at the third plenum of the eleventh Central Committee held in December 1978. By this time, Deng had formed an alliance with pragmatic planners, in particular Chen Yun, accepting their views of an alternative approach to economic development.
