Question

After Mao Zedong died in 1976, Deng Xiaoping became China’s leader and adopted
collectivization
as the country’s main goal.

Answer 1

That statement is incorrect.

After Mao died in 1976, Deng Xiaoping gradually returned to power by 1978 and led a major break with Maoist economic policy. Rather than re‑adopting collectivization, Deng moved China away from the commune system and toward de‑collectivization and market‑oriented reforms. Key steps included:

- Third Plenum of the 11th Central Committee (Dec 1978): the decision to prioritize economic modernization and “reform and opening up.”
- Household Responsibility System (late 1978–early 1980s): communes were broken up into household contracts, letting families keep or sell surplus produce — a major driver of rural growth.
- Promotion of township‑and‑village enterprises (TVEs) and relaxation of central planning controls, encouraging local and private enterprise.
- Creation of Special Economic Zones (from 1980, e.g., Shenzhen) to attract foreign investment and technology.
- Continued gradual market reforms through the 1980s and reaffirmed by Deng’s 1992 “Southern Tour.”

China did not privatize rural land outright — land remained collectively owned and used under long‑term contracts — but the era under Deng was clearly one of de‑collectivization and market liberalization, not renewed collectivization.