Epilogue: The Demilitarization of Chinese Socialism

Summary

The epilogue analyzes the CCP’s shift away from the Maoist developmental model behind the Third Front in the wake of Sino-American rapprochement. With the warming of Sino-American relations, Party leaders no longer thought that China had to undertake a big industrialization drive in preparation for war. Beijing, however, vacillated about how close it should become to Washington until Mao died in 1976, and Deng Xiaoping placed China firmly on the American side in the Cold War. In this new international climate, CCP leaders felt secure enough to publicly mention the Third Front for the first time. The Chinese people were also no longer required to be developmental soldiers who disregarded personal comfort and participated in militaristic campaigns to shore up Chinese industry. At peace with the United States, the Chinese Communist Party drew down its Cold War ramparts and made China into a nation of civilians.