China Social Relations and Public Life Under Mao Zedong and Deng Essay

China Social Relations and Public Life Under Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping - Essay Example Moreover, the strategy was to open China to the rest of the world through the adoption of various reconstruction policies. Moreover, Deng Xiaoping in the second half of 20th century put various policies that saw China become an economic hub and one of the main contributors in global economy. Consequently, China is now posing a great challenge to major economies of the world and the already existing superpowers. A China foreign relation has changed tremendously since 1949. This was to ensure the issue of national interest prevails and to safeguard its diplomacy status. Both Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping were part of these foreign changes and important symbols of Chinese history at this period. The history of republic of China can be divided into reign of Mao Zedong (1949-1976) and the reign of Deng Xiaoping (1978-1997) (Hephaestus Books 80-84). This paper seeks to compare and contrast China’s social relations and public life under Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. Under the leadersh ip of Mao, China saw a change in foreign relations strategies. Mao foreign strategies were mostly to safeguard the security interest of the people republic of China. Moreover, Mao ensured that there was protection of China’s state sovereignty and its territory from countries surrounding it especially Japan. Mao foreign strategies can therefore, be summarized as a means of survival and security maintenance (Slavicek 28-35). However, in Deng Xiaoping’s era the strategies adopted by Mao changed significantly. In his reign, the priorities of foreign relations changed significantly. Consequently, Deng purpose was to ensure there was international sobriety so as modernization could be achieved in the republic of China. Moreover, Deng fought for the founding of the latest worldwide political and economic systems. Deng issues of modernization were aimed at overseeing China unification through the return of Taiwan, resistance of hegemonies and ensure sustenance of world peace. Furthermore, economic construction was the underlying factor of these set goals (Kau and Marsh 337-345). In addition, Mao foreign relations strategies were based on war and revolutions. In contrast, theme of peace and development strategies characterized Deng era. Mao was generally influenced by a protracted revolutionary war in establishing communism in China. Mao Zedong take on China was that it was a revolutionary country and therefore could support revolution in other parts of the world. Mao believed that world could only be shaped through revolution (Slavicek 56-60). However, there was a change in this policy during Deng’s era. Deng advocated for peace and had a notion that world war could be belated and avoided. Deng also believed that world status could only be achieved through peace and developments (Kau and Marsh 75). In addition, under the leadership of Mao, foreign relations were achieved through the perspective of an international united front. This was one of the three factors instituted under the communist revolution and regime of Mao Zedong. The unitary system was to ensure there was success in fighting a common enemy and therefore, involved forming allies with friendly nations (Slavicek 72). However, in the era of Deng Xiaoping, the issue of alliance was dropped from the policies and autonomy and non-alliance was part of this administration. Under Deng, China’s relation with two superpowers became minimal and fought to have an edge in the global arena. There was no formal recognition of any