The Transition of Power to Deng, 1976–81

For two years after the death of Chairman Mao on 9 September 1976 there was a fierce internal struggle for the control of China's government. The Gang of Four had dominated politics during the era of the Cultural Revolution and had virtually governed in Mao's name during the last years of his life when he was too frail to be in command. However, they were hugely unpopular within the Politburo and, without Mao's imprimatur, they lacked authority and respect. Mao's immediate successor as party chairman and premier was Hua Guofeng, whom the Gang of Four hoped would prove to be a mere figurehead who would allow them to rule the country as before. However, Hua was keen to secure his own power base and, with the help of the army, had the four of them arrested on the pretext that they were planning a military coup in Shanghai. In 1978, Hua seemed to embrace limited reform when he proclaimed there would be a 10-year programme of rural and industrial development. However, apart from greater use of foreign investment to finance heavy industry, the plan was very similar to previous Maoist state schemes and took little account of the gathering forces for more radical reform.

Over the next two years the Maoist old guard was steadily outpaced and outwitted by Deng Xiaoping, that great survivor of an earlier era, who had oscillated in and out of favour. Now he had emerged as the dominant force in the country and as a most skilful, experienced leader. In July 1977, he was reinstated in his old post of Communist Party general secretary. He had shown sense in the dark days of the Great Leap Forward and had made genuine attempts to tackle the famine and the real economic problems facing China in the post-war era. He had a popular base within the party and had astutely kept close links with the military chiefs, so that when Mao died Deng had an established network of support in the highest echelons of the government. He was also Zhou Enlai's secretary for many years and as an international statesman was able to bring much-needed skill and respect to Chinese diplomacy, restoring China's reputation in the global community.