Deng Xiaoping

Deng Xiaoping (1904 - 1997) was a Chinese [[politician and the most important member of the so-called "second generation" in the Communist Party of the Peoples Republic of China.

Deng was a veteran of the Long March and an old fellow combatant of Mao Zedong, who made him General Secretary of the Communist Party soon after he had taken over political power in 1949. He was also prominent in the Anti-Rightist movement in 1957. During the Cultural Revolution, Deng fell out of favor and had to retire from his offices, but returned in 1974. A second downfall in 1976 didn't prevent him from a second return soon after Mao's death in the same year.

By carefully mobilizing his supporters within the Chinese Communist Party, Deng was able to outmanuver Mao's named successor Hua Guofeng who had previously pardoned him and oust him from his leadership positions. In contrast to previous leadership changes, Deng allowed Hua to quietly retire and helped to set a precedent that losing a high level leadership struggle would not result in physical harm.

Until the mid-1990s, Deng was the most influential Chinese leader although he was without official title for most of the period. He initiated the China's transformation into what it's leadership terms a socialist market economy. His most famous quotation in this context is "It is glorious to be rich." At the same time, he advocated strengthening the Chinese Communist Party by regularization of procedure. He is also largely responsible, however, for dispatching troops against the demonstrating students on Tiananmen Square in 1989.

According to journalist Jim Rohwer, "the Dengist reforms of 1979-94 brought about probably the biggest single improvement in human welfare anywhere at any time." This improvement was due to the fact that the reforms effected hundreds of millions of people, and lifted tens of millions of people out of absolute poverty.

He died in Beijing on February 19, 1997.