Re: What's Going on in China?
Reply #50 –
There never was such unwritten rule. Mao re-arranged his close circle every once in a while, like Stalin. After Mao's death, his ambitious last wife was brought down from power. Etc. The question is not (only) that of corruption, but whether the top notch in the party has the balls to be dictatorial or is he more collegial.
Not in the Party. Mao lost his power base in the Party after the Great Leap Forward, but fought back using the Cultural Revolution to destroy the Party. The Politburo, the top leadership of the Party, dwindled to insignificance under Mao. If you want to see what China had been like under Mao, look to North Korea, where family dynasty beats Party. Or, if you prefer historical parallels, the Roman Emperors and the Senate.
By Deng the Party was back in power. He institutionalised the current rules, with two term limits and division to prevent another
emperor Mao. The Party is a self-recruiting elitist organisation, and there are power factions at the top. Exactly which factions there are and their relative power is a matter of conjecture.