Xi Jinping Intensifies Purges and Cult of Personality

Xi Jinping's Authoritarian Approach

Chinese President Xi Jinping employs authoritarian tactics reminiscent of Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong to consolidate power and remove rivals. Over 14 years in office, he has dismissed dozens of senior officials, including his own protégés, signaling a drive for absolute control. Xi also actively promotes a personality cult and demands unwavering loyalty from subordinates. Notably, despite his authoritarian style, he avoids the widespread terror and violence that characterized his predecessors.

Political Purges and Their Impact

Now 73, Xi has overturned post-Mao conventions designed to prevent one-man rule. His vision of socialism with Chinese characteristics is already enshrined in the party charter and constitution alongside Mao's ideology. State media have revived the title 'people's leader' for Xi, underscoring his efforts to solidify his public status.

China has recently seen its largest military purge since Mao's era. According to Joseph Torigian,

'The more successful you become, the more enemies fear and mobilize to destroy you, so the more purges you must carry out.'

'the scale, intensity, and brutality of Stalin's purges during the Great Terror far exceeded Xi's own efforts to impose order within the Chinese Communist Party.'

Thus, Xi continues to use authoritarian methods to maintain power, emphasizing his role as a communist theorist while stopping short of the extreme measures his predecessors employed.

This situation in China reflects a rise in authoritarianism under Xi Jinping, which could have serious implications for the country's domestic politics and international relations. The escalation of political purges and the cultivation of a personality cult may affect regime stability and draw scrutiny from the global community, which is closely watching these developments. It remains an open question how these changes will impact economic growth and social conditions in the country.