The Challenge of Pragmatic Policy Adjustment
Abstract
see report In the late 1960s, faced with a rapidly changing balance in the global power structure, the Communist leadership in the People's Republic of China was forced to re-evaluate the threat to national security. The changing world scene created new vulnerabilities for China which had to be dealt with successfully if China was to survive. The leadership, including the venerable Chou En Lai, sought ways to avoid the apparent dangers of the future, hopefully without abandoning the ideological underpinnings of the revolution. After the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution and the `% Great Leap Forward" the domestic political situation was delicate, at best. The already weak economy was deteriorating while the internal ideological debates continued to flare up, impeding recovery. The People's Army was also drawn into the turmoil; heavily politicized and greatly weakened in the process. It fell to Chou En Lai, the most pragmatic of the Chinese "Old Guard", to deal with a serious threat to continued national development and, arguably, the existence of the regime in China.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 18, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA440785
Entities
People
- Bard O'neill
- Joseph E. Hayes
Organizations
- National War College