Paradoxes Of Chinese Socialism

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Deng inherited ills of Mao's era. However, the remedies Deng suggested took China to a different direction. Deng and his associates fell into the trap of "China's Americanization". Deng's remedies created "classes" in socialist China. Surprisingly, Deng tried to enrich socialism by using capitalist techniques. Deng allowed privatization to blossom. Deng followed an inequalitarian developmental strategy; and as result, a ruling elite emerged in China. True, land still belongs to the state. However, in the classical sense, China cannot be called a "socialist state". Yes, Deng is very popular in China; more popular than Mao. Yet, one dares to profess that Deng made a historical blunder by introducing privatization. Privatization is an antithesis of socialism. Privatization and socialism cannot go together. Privatization, foreign capital, corruption, and the revival of Confucianism have already started eating into the vitals of Chinese socialism. Economically, with nine percent growth and $1 trillion foreign reserves, China looks very impressive. However, ideologically China is decaying rapidly. While the wealthy China is facing a "crisis of faith", the poor China is sitting at the top of a volcano. Chinese rulers are in a hurry to catch up with the west; they are determined to create an urban civilization at the cost of 9,60,000 villages. The "peasant unrest" is posing a serious threat to the stabilitiy of China. The CPS is aware of the problems but in vain. China's nouveau riche and the middle class are quite happy with the outcome of Deng's developmental strategy. A revolutionary party has become a mere ruling party. Private property is no longer a bourgeois ill in China.

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Ravindra Sharma, joined radical politics at a very early age. Disillusioned with the outcome of JP Movement, he joined the five-year course on Chinese language at JNU, New Delhi (1979-84). Politically, in early 1980, he was associated with the radical socialistsled by Kishan Patnaik. In mid-1980s, he joined the radial left movement, and pursued M Phil course in Chinese studies at the University of Delhi. Throughout 1990s, he was ceaselessly active on various fronts of the radical left movement and completed his PhD. His articles and reviews on China have appeared in leading magazines, newspapers and journals such as Patriot, the Times of India, China Report, Mainstream, India Today, The Indian Historical Review, Contemporary India and Asia Pacific Panorama. He also follows the political developments of South Asia. Currently, he is a faculty member at the East Asian Studies University of Delhi. His forthcoming books are; Whither China; Kari Marx on India and China: An Assessment of Marx's Writings and Left and Democratic Politics in India. He has passion for books and obsession with radical politics. He has visited China twice. His first book titled China from Marxism to Modernisation: Post-Revolution Documentary History of the Revolution Documentary History of the CPC (1956-2002) was widely acclaimed.