The Year 1989 and the Historical Roots of Neoliberalism in China

One could almost say that the twentieth century was summed up a bit early, in 1989, even as history since thenhas proceeded apace. In that year the events inBeijing became a spark for the breakup of the SovietUnion and ofEastern Europe, which in turn marked the beginning of the global domination of neoliberalism in economic and political structures. China did not undergo the sameprocess of breakupasdid theSovietUnion andEasternEurope, and as a result, transformations in its social structure appear rather as a continuation of the events of 1989. If we characterized this process simply (bearing in mind that it is not yet complete), wemight say that, upon the premise of a continuity of its political system, China has promoted radicalmarketization; in addition, under the guidance of state policy, China has become one of the most enthusiastic participants in the global economy. This continuity and discontinuity has lent a special character to Chinese neoliberalism. Indeed, Chinese neoliberalismhas at times expressed its contradictionswith the state