ABSTRACT
The sweeping impact of Stalinism in the Soviet Union had much to do with the addition of a stark modernization drive to the generalization of a totalitarian rule. The ancient social structures and the tradition-oriented mix of old and Maoist ways, are exposed to the disruptive influence of the reborn market economy, as well as city and Western-oriented models. China's society and development were blocked by Mao's failed attempt at socialist construction and uninterrupted revolution. The chapter shows that systemic constraints were not such that the modernization process could not have included some more drastic changes than the minor, post-1978, political shake-ups, with some room given to management professionalization and autonomized socio-economic processes. The sectoral breakthrough was achieved thanks to the convergence of the three conditions spelled out: economic performance and expediency, appeal to private interests and the relative lack of damage to the regime's overall political balance.
