POST-MAOISM IN CHINA (Literature & Language Essay)

POST-MAOISM IN CHINA
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Introduction
The post-Maoism era is the period after the rule of Mao. The rise of Deng Xiapong saw with it the introduction of new policies in the country, including capitalism and socialism, to replace communism. These policies led to economic development in China and urban growth. Arguably, the end of the Maoism era brought about economic advancement and urban advancement, which created some challenges for migrating into urban areas.
China’s Transition from the Maoism Era to the Neoliberal Post-Mao Market Reforms
One of the most compelling aspects of China's transition from the Maoism era is capitalism's introduction. Deng encouraged theories such as the "use of capitalist means and methods to attain future socialist ends” . This was a sanctioning derived from Marxist theories. According to this argument, for a society to be genuinely socialist, society must be built first on the foundations of capitalism. Moreover, Mao Zedong had a very dismissive attitude towards the formulas introduced during the eighth congress. He instead preferred class struggle ideology and therefore placed a certain amount of renewed emphasis on it. On the other hand, after Maoism, Den Xiapong decided to bring back the 1956 Eighth congress thesis. This became the most crucial ideological orthodoxy after the Maoism era. Therefore, he gave most of his energy towards developing the country's economy at a rapid rate by all means. This includes the introduction of a capitalist market in the country.[Meisner, Maurice. Mao's China and After: A History of the People's Republic. 3rd ed., Simon & Schuster, 1999, 454] [Ibid., 454]
Another compelling aspect is the effort made to improve the economic conditions of the citizens of China. First, Deng made sure to increase the peasants' prices from the sale of agricultural products. This included "a 20 percent rise in prices for compulsory grain deliveries to state stores and a 50 percent premium for above-quota sales”. The workers in urban areas also benefited from bonuses and schemes that aimed towards sharing profits, but this could not be compared to the rewards that the peasants had received. The initial economic policies introduced by Deng saw an increased production in the agriculture and light industries. The production and importation of consumer goods were increasing in quantity. The citizens dwelling in urban and rural areas had the power to purchase them, owing to their relatively increased incomes. Deng also encouraged investment in private entrepreneurship in the whole country. These enterprises were thriving at this period, and therefore the purchasing power of the people in urban and rural areas increased considerably. Several people were now going into the streets as vendors, and there was a rapid increase in the establishment of barbershops and other small enterprises in the urban areas.[Ibid., 454]
On the political side, Deng made several changes post-Mao. One of the significant changes introduced was the "abolition of the four great freedoms”The citizens of China were not allowed to speak out freely, as the freedom of speech was one of the four freedoms that were abolished. Moreover, citizens were no longer allow...