ABSTRACT
Deng’s political fortunes from 1952 to 1956 were directly connected with Mao, just as his thinking and behavior were primarily linked to those of Mao. Deng won his political power through astute speculation on Mao’s state of mind rather than through his own practical achievements. The last couple of months of 1956 had witnessed the Chinese communist leaders’ competing with one another to speed up the socialist reform campaign. During this socialist reform campaign, Deng once again showed himself the most active figure in the party’s central leadership. Having been promoted by Mao repeatedly in the recent past, Deng could not but follow Mao, even if it was somewhat at the expense of his own intelligence and conscience. Between left and right, Deng would choose to be left rather than right, mainly to please Mao. Deng’s mentality and public behavior at that time was characterized as “exuberance after consecutive promotions”.
