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Lesson 13 min 20 XP

Succession Politics

How power has been transferred in the CCP from Mao to Xi, the norms Xi has broken by abolishing term limits, and the dangerous uncertainty that one-man rule creates for the future.

The Norms Xi Destroyed

After the chaos of Mao's personality cult and the Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping established informal norms to prevent the recurrence of one-man rule. Leaders would serve a maximum of two five-year terms. A successor would be identified and groomed during the incumbent's second term. Collective leadership through the Politburo Standing Committee would prevent any single individual from accumulating unchecked power. Retirement ages would be respected.

These norms produced two orderly transitions: from Jiang Zemin to Hu Jintao in 2002-2003, and from Hu to Xi Jinping in 2012-2013. Each successor was identified years in advance, given time to build relationships with military and political leaders, and assumed power smoothly. The system appeared to have solved the succession problem that plagues authoritarian regimes.