Deng Xiaoping

Deng Xiaoping {{Audio|zh-Deng_Xiaoping.ogg|listen}} ({{zh-stpw |t=鄧小平 |s=邓小平 |p=Dèng Xiǎopíng |w=Teng Hsiao-p'ing}}; August 22, 1904—February 19, 1997) was a revolutionary elder in the Communist Party of China (CPC) who served as the de facto ruler of the People's Republic of China from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, forming the core of the "second generation" CPC leadership. Under his tutelage, China developed one of the fastest growing economies in the world while the Communist Party retained tight control over the country.

The Tiananmen Square Crackdown

While reforming and opening up the economy, Deng attempted to strengthen the power of the Communist Party by regularization of procedure, but is widely regarded as having undermined his own intentions by acting contrary to party procedure.

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In the late 1980s, Deng Xiaoping attempted the implementation of a system where the Party develops policy and the State executes it, with the President and Party Secretary being two different people, and the President acting as mostly a figurehead. Deng's subsequent actions caused the presidency to have much larger powers than was originally intended. In 1989, President Yang Shangkun was able in cooperation with the then-head of the Central Military Commission, Deng Xiaoping, to use the office of the President to declare martial law in Beijing and order the military crackdown of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. This was in direct opposition to the wishes of the Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang and probably a majority of the Politburo Standing Committee. The decision went ahead regardless, leading to army intervention.

Related Topics:
1980s - Yang Shangkun - Martial law - Beijing - Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 - Zhao Ziyang - Politburo Standing Committee

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Zhao's opposition and "attempts to divide the party" made him disgraced politically. Deng subsequently selected Jiang Zemin over Tianjin's Li Ruihuan as a compromise candidate and other party elders to replace Zhao, who was considered too conciliatory to student protesters. Although not directly involved with the crackdown, Jiang was elevated to central party positions after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 for his role in averting similar protests in Shanghai.

Related Topics:
Jiang Zemin - Tianjin - Li Ruihuan - Shanghai

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Internationally, China was damaged significantly from the crackdown of the Tiananmen Protests, and Deng was charged with the greatest responsibility. Trade embargos were enforced by nations of the European Union, the United States and other countries. China was once again isolated after years of recovery in the area of foreign affairs.

Related Topics:
European Union - United States

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