Discover the strategies of political terrorism and ideological control that support regime survival in contemporary China
A non-democratic regime faces two problems that make its political survival more difficult than other regimes: How does the ruler share power with members of the political elite? How does the regime control society? A Tight Fist examines the strategies used by China's current, longest-serving president, to resolve these issues and consolidate his leadership of the world's second-most populous country.Wen-hsuan Tsai explores the president's method of concentrating decision-making power in his hands through political hegemony and ideological control while increasing the avenues of advancement available to popular cadres.
As long as they show good political performance, they can achieve rapid promotion at the local level. As a result, China's leader was able to expand social control while minimizing its cost to the regime. In both cases, the leader of Communist China used innovative measures to signal his threats and promises, and to deter any resistance.
