People of the Revolution and the USSR

Activity(set)
Any Political and party leadership 8 Government and administration 2 Economy, finance and planning 2 Agriculture and land policy 1 Social movements and organizing 1 Science and technology 1
Affiliation

Most people

Any People’s Republic of Chinastate 2 Communist Party of China 1

All 2 affiliations

China

Communist Party of China 1 People’s Republic of Chinastate 2
Position
Any Marxism and communism 2
Citizenship
Any China 2
Background
Any China 2
Era(set)
Any

People of the Soviet Union

The old regime and its challengers1905–1917 17 The revolutionary generation1917–1940 20 People of the Stalin era1929–1953 11 People of the thaw and the stagnation1953–1985 7 The last generation1985–1991 20

People of the Chinese revolution and the People’s Republic

The old regime and the Nationalists1894–1949 1 The Chinese revolutionary generation1911–1949 2 The reform generation1976–현재 2

People of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era

The Revolution and the Napoleonic era1774–1830 12

People of the wider world

The age of the Internationals and empires1820–1917 1 The revolutionary wave and the world war1917–1945 109 The Cold War and decolonization1945–현재 102
Government and administration The reform generation 1976–현재 Clear all

Xi Zhongxun

习仲勋
People’s Republic of China Chinese communism China China 1913–2002 ↓ Removed 1962 · natural causes

A founder of the northern Shaanxi base, purged for sixteen years, who opened Guangdong’s special economic zones

He built the Shaanxi–Gansu base with Liu Zhidan that became the Long March's destination, was purged in 1962 and confined for sixteen years, then opened the special economic zones as Guangdong's first secretary in 1978.

From Shaanxi, he founded the Shaanxi–Gansu base with Liu Zhidan, the destination of the Long March. After 1949 he headed the Northwest Bureau and served as State Council secretary-general and vice-premier, but in 1962 Kang Sheng denounced the novel Liu Zhidan as an “anti-party” defence of Gao Gang and Xi was purged, spending sixteen years in confinement and rural exile. Returning as Guangdong first secretary in 1978, he asked the centre for the power to “take one step ahead” to stem the flight to Hong Kong, which led to the Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou special economic zones in 1980. A Secretariat member in the 1980s, he supported Hu Yaobang and opposed his removal in 1987. He was Xi Jinping’s father.

Career timeline
  • 1959–1962Vice-Premier and Secretary-General of the State Council
  • 1978–1980First Secretary of the Guangdong Party Committee

Li Peng

李鹏
People’s Republic of China Chinese communism China China 1928–2019 ○ Natural causes

The premier who declared martial law in May 1989, called “the butcher of Beijing”; Zhou Enlai’s ward

An engineer who became premier in 1987, declared martial law in Beijing on 20 May 1989, and was the government official held responsible for the military crackdown of 3-4 June.

From Sichuan, he was raised under the protection of Zhou Enlai and his wife after the Nationalists executed his father in 1931. Trained in hydroelectric engineering at the Moscow Power Institute, he rose through the electricity ministry and succeeded Zhao Ziyang as premier in 1987. After the televised dialogue with student representatives collapsed on 18 May 1989 he declared martial law in Beijing on 20 May and was the government’s responsible official for the crackdown of 4 June. As premier he pushed through the Three Gorges Dam, and he chaired the National People’s Congress Standing Committee from 1998 to 2003. He died in 2019.

Career timeline
  • 1987–1998Premier of the State Council
  • 1998–2003Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee