Elite conflicts in Chinese politics: A comparative note

Abstract

Politics in less competitive political systems often focuses on relationslai'ps among the few leading political figures. This focus of attention follows from the characteristically highly centralized decisionmaking process, the top-heavy elite structure, and the lack of input from mass opinion wit:h regard to the direction of the political system. As a consequence, political scientists interested in studying authoritarian or totalitarian political systems may be tempted to direct their attention to the background, the career, and the political orientation and style of top-ranking leaders as a short-cut to understanding and predicting political developments in those systems. In the China field, a great many studies 'have been made of the important political leaders of mainland China. This number increased after the years of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Various models have been developed 'to describe and analyze relationships among Man Tse-tung, Chou En-lai, Liu Shao-ch'i, TSng Hsiao-p'ing, Lin Piao, Chiang Ch'ing, Wang Hung-wSn, and other political leaders? For example, the red vs. expert model attempts to picture