Why Nations Fail

by

Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson

Mao Zedong Character Analysis

Mao Zedong was the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and the leader of the People’s Republic of China from 1949 to 1976. He built highly extractive economic institutions that spurred extremely fast economic growth but also led to millions of deaths and stifled innovation. Deng Xiaoping rolled back much of his legacy in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mao Zedong Quotes in Why Nations Fail

The Why Nations Fail quotes below are all either spoken by Mao Zedong or refer to Mao Zedong . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Global Inequality and Economic Growth Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

The divergent paths of English, French, and Spanish societies in the seventeenth century illustrate the importance of the interplay of small institutional differences with critical junctures. During critical junctures, a major event or confluence of factors disrupts the existing balance of political or economic power in a nation. These can affect only a single country, such as the death of Chairman Mao Zedong in 1976, which at first created a critical juncture only for Communist China. Often, however, critical junctures affect a whole set of societies, in the way that, for example, colonization and then decolonization affected most of the globe.

Related Characters: Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (speaker), Mao Zedong
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

The changes in economic institutions in China were radical. China broke the mold, even if it did not transform its political institutions. As in Botswana and the U.S. South, the crucial changes came during a critical juncture—in the case of China, following Mao’s death. They were also contingent, in fact highly contingent, as there was nothing inevitable about the Gang of Four losing the power struggle; and if they had not, China would not have experienced the sustained economic growth it has seen in the last thirty years. But the devastation and human suffering that the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution caused generated sufficient demand for change that Deng Xiaoping and his allies were able to win the political fight.

Related Characters: Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (speaker), Mao Zedong , Deng Xiaoping
Page Number: 426
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Why Nations Fail LitChart as a printable PDF.
Why Nations Fail PDF

Mao Zedong Quotes in Why Nations Fail

The Why Nations Fail quotes below are all either spoken by Mao Zedong or refer to Mao Zedong . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Global Inequality and Economic Growth Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

The divergent paths of English, French, and Spanish societies in the seventeenth century illustrate the importance of the interplay of small institutional differences with critical junctures. During critical junctures, a major event or confluence of factors disrupts the existing balance of political or economic power in a nation. These can affect only a single country, such as the death of Chairman Mao Zedong in 1976, which at first created a critical juncture only for Communist China. Often, however, critical junctures affect a whole set of societies, in the way that, for example, colonization and then decolonization affected most of the globe.

Related Characters: Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (speaker), Mao Zedong
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

The changes in economic institutions in China were radical. China broke the mold, even if it did not transform its political institutions. As in Botswana and the U.S. South, the crucial changes came during a critical juncture—in the case of China, following Mao’s death. They were also contingent, in fact highly contingent, as there was nothing inevitable about the Gang of Four losing the power struggle; and if they had not, China would not have experienced the sustained economic growth it has seen in the last thirty years. But the devastation and human suffering that the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution caused generated sufficient demand for change that Deng Xiaoping and his allies were able to win the political fight.

Related Characters: Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (speaker), Mao Zedong , Deng Xiaoping
Page Number: 426
Explanation and Analysis: