Leadership, legitimacy, and conflict in China : from a charismatic Mao to the politics of succession

Teiwes investigates leadership politics at the apex of the Chinese system. He raises a series of questions about conflict in the most authoritative body, the Politburo, and more broadly among the senior leaders of China's various organizations. What are the sources of power and authority at the top? What has been the nature of the relationship between the leader-most importantly Mao but also in recent years Deng Xiaoping-and his Politburo colleagues? What tensions have emerged among those ranking elite members serving under the leader? How do the fortunes of such figures interact with the various institutional interests of contemporary China and the massive bureaucracy as a whole? Inquiries such as these are necessarily speculative, but given the difficulties of perceiving and analyzing the interactions of leaders in a closed system such as China's, Teiwes' assessments are both knowledgeable and provocative. Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 3-9 Chinese Politics 1949–1965....Pages 10-42 The Legitimacy of the Leader....Pages 43-92 Normative and Prudential Rules Under and After Mao....Pages 93-131 Back Matter....Pages 133-167