ABSTRACT
When many of the fundamental verities of post-1949 Chinese political theory and ideology were decried as "sham Marxism" by Party reformers, several nagging questions floated to the surface. First, and most obviously, what theory and ideology was to replace the discredited radical version of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought? What could be salvaged from the "socialism" practiced under late Maoism, and what needed to be jettisoned? Second, what role should ideology play in guiding the extensive reforms considered necessary in developing "true socialism"? Third, what were the theoretical and ideological lessons to be drawn from the Cultural Revolution ''catastrophe''? What new relationship between leaders and led—between the Party and society-was necessary in the era of the Four Modernizations? The readings in this section address these questions.
