Can China be the transition model to twenty-first-century socialism?

Abstract

The essay examines the dangers of the integration of emerging powers into the world system. It then analyses the methodological possibility of scientific prediction of the evolution of global society in the twenty-first century. The key to that prediction is the deciphering of the ‘DNA’ of social evolution, that is, its specific mode of production and superstructure. We identify both for twenty-first-century socialism. The evolutionary context of Deng Xiaoping's development strategy is described and the causes for the erosion of the Soviet model and the failure of Perestroika are analyzed. A reflection of the class character of the Chinese model follows. Finally, the essay discusses the conditions under which the Chinese way to socialism might become a general transition model for twenty-first-century socialism.