China: Morals and the Rush to Wealth

Abstract

In 1976, China seemed in ruins. The ten years of strife called the Cultural Revolution had torn society apart, turning kids against parents, emptying schools and universities, and paralyzing the national government. The economy was a wasteland, and both the United States and the Soviet Union seemed poised to take advantage. Yet somehow the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) managed to renew itself and put China on a path of astonishing economic growth.