Post-Mao China: an alternative to ‘The end of history’?

Abstract

The authoritarian regime in China emerged after Mao’s rule. It was successful not despite brutality, but precisely because of brutality. It was a regime policy that insured stability and provided economic growth and military buildup for the future. In the future generations, China could be stronger than the USA. The ideology of the regime was a successful blending of nationalism with Marxism. Unlike Russia, that followed the Western prescriptions and failed to pull itself from the crisis, post-Mao China is a viable alternative to Western liberal capitalism. At the same time, the success of China actually depends on one man—the leader.