Deng Xiaoping

Deng Xiaoping
邓小平
Deng during a visit to the US in 1979
Chairman of the Central Advisory Commission
In office 13 September 1982 – 2 November 1987
President	Li Xiannian
Premier	Zhao Ziyang
Deputy	Bo Yibo Xu Shiyou Tan Zhenlin Li Weihan Wang Zhen Song Renqiong
General Secretary	Hu Yaobang Zhao Ziyang (acting)
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Chen Yun
Chairman of the Central Military Commission
In office Party Commission: 28 June 1981 – 9 November 1989
Deputy	Ye Jianying Zhao Ziyang Yang Shangkun Liu Bocheng Nie Rongzhen Xu Xiangqian
General Secretary	Hu Yaobang Zhao Ziyang Jiang Zemin
Preceded by	Hua Guofeng
Succeeded by	Jiang Zemin
In office State Commission: 6 June 1983 – 19 March 1990
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Jiang Zemin
3rd Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
In office 8 March 1978 – 18 June 1983
Preceded by	Zhou Enlai (until 1976)
Succeeded by	Deng Yingchao
Additional positions Secretary-General of the Central Secretariat In office 13 September 1956 – 25 March 1967 Party Chairman Mao Zedong Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Hu Yaobang (from 1980) Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army In office 5 January 1975 – 7 April 1976 Preceded by Huang Yongsheng (until 1971) Succeeded by Himself (from 1977) In office 7 July 1977 – 2 March 1980 Preceded by Himself (until 1977) Succeeded by Yang Dezhi Minister of Finance In office 18 September 1953 – 19 June 1954 Premier Zhou Enlai Preceded by Bo Yibo Succeeded by Li Xiannian
Personal details
Born	Deng Xiansheng (鄧先勝) (1904-08-22)22 August 1904 Guang'an, Sichuan, Qing China
Died	19 February 1997(1997-02-19) (aged 92) Beijing, China
Political party	Chinese Communist (from 1924)
Spouses	Zhang Xiyuan (张锡瑗) ​ ​ (m. 1928; died 1929)​ Jin Weiying (金维映) [zh] ​ ​ (m. 1931⁠–⁠1939)​ Zhuo Lin (卓琳) ​ (m. 1939)​
Children	6, including: Deng Pufang Deng Nan Deng Rong
Relatives	Deng Zhuodi (grandson)
Signature
Website	cpc.people.com.cn
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	邓小平
Traditional Chinese	鄧小平
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dèng Xiǎopíng
Military service
Allegiance	People's Republic of China
Branch/service	Chinese Red Army Eighth Route Army People's Liberation Army
Years of service	1929–1952 (in the Chinese Red Army, Eighth Route Army and PLA) 1975–1980 (in the PLA)
Rank	Political Commissar (1929–1952) Chief of the General Staff (1975–1976, 1977–1980) Chairman, Central Military Commission of China
Unit	Chinese Red Army Eighth Route Army Second Field Army People's Liberation Army General Staff Department
Battles/wars	Chinese Civil War Second Sino-Japanese War
Central institution membership 1975–1976, 1977–1987: 10th, 11th, 12th Politburo Standing Committee 1956–1967: 8th Politburo Standing Committee 1975–1976, 1977–1987: 10th, 11th, 12th Politburo 1956–1967: 8th Politburo 1945–1967, 1973–1976, 1977–1987: 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th Central Committee 1954–1967, 1973–1976, 1977–1989: 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th Central Military Commission 1978–1997: 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th National People's Congress 1959–1964: 2nd National People's Congress Other political offices held 1977–1982: Vice Chairman, Central Committee 1977–1980: 1st-ranked Vice Premier 1975–1976: Vice Chairman, Central Committee 1975–1976: 1st-ranked Vice Premier 1973–1975: Vice Premier 1964–1965: Head, Organization Department 1954–1967: Vice Premier 1953–1954: Director, Office of Communications Military offices held 1977–1981: Vice Chairman, Central Military Commission 1975–1976: Vice Chairman, Central Military Commission 1954–1967: Vice Chairman, National Defense Commission Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China ← Hua Guofeng Jiang Zemin →

Deng Xiaoping (Chinese: 邓小平^[a]; 22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After Chinese Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong's death in 1976, Deng rose to power and led China through its process of Reform and Opening Up and the development of the country's socialist market economy. Deng developed a reputation as the "Architect of Modern China" and his ideological contributions to socialism with Chinese characteristics are described as Deng Xiaoping Theory.

Born in Sichuan near the end of the Qing dynasty, Deng went to France in 1921 on a work-study program that placed students in factory jobs; seeing working conditions he became attracted to the theories of Vladimir Lenin, and in 1924 he joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In early 1926, Deng travelled to Moscow to study political science, becoming a commissar for the Red Army upon his return to China. Near the end of 1929, Deng led local Red Army uprisings in Guangxi. In 1931, he was demoted within because of his support for Mao, but was again promoted during the Zunyi Conference. Deng was an important figure throughout the Chinese Civil War (1927–1949), including during the Long March (1934–1935) and in fighting against the Japanese (1937–1945). He, Liu Bocheng and Chen Yi led the newly formed People's Liberation Army (PLA) into the former Kuomintang capital of Nanjing during the final stretch of the civil war.

Following the proclamation of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949, Deng served in Tibet and southwestern China as the regional party chief, working to consolidate party control. In 1952, he returned to Beijing and held a central position in the State Council. As the party's Secretary-General under Chairman Mao Zedong, and Vice Premier under Premier Zhou Enlai during the 1950s, Deng presided over Mao's Anti-Rightist Campaign and became instrumental in China's economic reconstruction following the Great Leap Forward (1958–1960). However, his right-leaning political and economic stances eventually caused him to fall out of favor with Mao, and he was the target of purges twice during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). Following Mao's death in September 1976, Deng outmaneuvered Mao's chosen successor Hua Guofeng, and became China's paramount leader during the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee in December 1978.

Upon coming to power, Deng began a massive overhaul of China's infrastructure and political system. Because of the institutional disorder and political turmoil from the later Mao-era, he and his allies launched the Boluan Fanzheng program which sought to restore order by rehabilitating veteran CCP leadership as well as millions of people who were persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. He also initiated a Reform and Opening-up program that introduced elements of market capitalism to the Chinese economy by designating special economic zones throughout the country. In August 1980, Deng embarked on a series of political reforms, setting constitutional term limits for state officials and other systematic revisions, which were incorporated in the country's third constitution (1982). Deng later championed a one-child policy to deal with China's perceived overpopulation crisis, helped establish China's nine-year compulsory education, and oversaw the launch of the 863 Program to promote science and technology. The reforms carried out by Deng and his allies gradually led China away from a planned economy and Maoist ideologies, opened it up to foreign investments and technology, and introduced its vast labor force to the global market thereby transforming China into one of the world's fastest-growing economies.^[5]

Still embroiled in the Sino-Soviet split that began during the 1960s, Deng's China fought a one-month war with Vietnam. On 1 January 1979, the PRC officially established diplomatic relations with the United States after years of prelude, and Deng became the first paramount leader of China to visit the US. In the 1980s, Deng also proposed the One Country, Two Systems principle for the governance of Hong Kong and Macau, as well as the future unification with Taiwan.

Despite never holding office as either the PRC's state representative or head of government nor as the head of CCP, Deng is generally viewed as the "core" of the CCP's second-generation leadership, a status enshrined within the party's constitution.^[6] During the course of his leadership, he was named the Time Person of the Year for 1978 and 1985.^[7][8] Under Deng's leadership, his protégés Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang were head of the party and the government, but both were later ousted from power. However, by November 1989, Deng ultimately stepped down from all his official positions in the wake of the protests in Tiananmen Square.

Deng and his chosen successors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao significantly contributed to China becoming the world's second-largest economy by nominal GDP in 2010.^[9][10] He was praised for his reaffirmation of the reform program in his Southern Tour of 1992 as well as the reversion of Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997 and the return of Macau in 1999. Nevertheless, he was criticized for ordering a military crackdown in response to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests as well as the important role he played during the Anti-Rightist Campaign.

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