In the 90s it was seen as a backwater with growing power. There was a sense that China’s economic growth would push it towards democracy. Tiananmen Square seemed like proof of that.
With the rise of reformists like Deng Xiaoping and Hu Yaobang, it all looked like China will turn around the corner and become a democracy. Even after Tiananmen, which was a direct consequence of Yaobang’s death, it looked like the old guard was loosing ground and we would see a free China in the XXI century.
It is strange to consider that most of what is now working in China, was thanks to people like Zhao Ziyang, whom are forgotten and forbidden.
Now I’m worried if it will be the end of democracy as we know it instead.
I think that trying to predict what would have happened if the Tiananmen revolt had been successful would be going straight into alt-history, but for a brief moment there was a chance for a democratic China.
I remember a 90s Newsweek issue centered around China becoming the tiger in the next century. Believed that since then, and history seems to be bearing that opinion out. I just didn’t see America crashing so hard, only China slowly overtaking us.
In the 90s it was seen as a backwater with growing power. There was a sense that China’s economic growth would push it towards democracy. Tiananmen Square seemed like proof of that.
With the rise of reformists like Deng Xiaoping and Hu Yaobang, it all looked like China will turn around the corner and become a democracy. Even after Tiananmen, which was a direct consequence of Yaobang’s death, it looked like the old guard was loosing ground and we would see a free China in the XXI century.
It is strange to consider that most of what is now working in China, was thanks to people like Zhao Ziyang, whom are forgotten and forbidden.
Now I’m worried if it will be the end of democracy as we know it instead.
I imagine that was motivated by the mistaken idea that more capitalist markets would mean more democracy automatically
I think that trying to predict what would have happened if the Tiananmen revolt had been successful would be going straight into alt-history, but for a brief moment there was a chance for a democratic China.
Which is ironic, considering that democracy and capitalism are opposed to each other in certain fundamental ways.
(One of the Alt-Right Playbook videos explains it, but I’m not in a position to go look up which one it is at the moment.)
I remember a 90s Newsweek issue centered around China becoming the tiger in the next century. Believed that since then, and history seems to be bearing that opinion out. I just didn’t see America crashing so hard, only China slowly overtaking us.