Democracy Paradox Podcast
About the Episode:

In this episode of Democracy Paradox, Justin Kempf speaks with China scholar Minxin Pei about his book The Broken China Dream: How Reform Revived Totalitarianism and his argument that China under Xi Jinping has shifted from authoritarianism back toward totalitarianism. They explore the missed opportunities for political reform in the 1980s, the party’s post-Tiananmen survival strategy, and how Xi consolidated power through purges, ideological revival, and expanded social control. The conversation also reflects on what China’s trajectory reveals about the strengths – and fragility – of democracy itself.

 

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Show Notes:

In this episode of Democracy Paradox, host Justin Kempf speaks with China scholar Minxin Pei about his new book, The Broken China Dream: How Reform Revived Totalitarianism, which argues that China under Xi Jinping has moved beyond authoritarianism and back into totalitarianism. 

Pei explains why this claim is controversial, outlining the key distinctions between authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. For Pei, totalitarianism is not simply extreme repression; it requires a Leninist party-state, an all-encompassing ideology, systematic use of terror, a personality cult, and pervasive control over society, the economy, and information. While contemporary China does not check every box, he contends it fulfills enough of these criteria to justify the label.

The conversation revisits the 1980s as a pivotal and often misunderstood decade in Chinese politics. Pei describes a genuine, though narrow, window for political liberalization during the reform era under Deng Xiaoping, particularly around 1987, when leaders such as Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang sought to pair economic reform with meaningful political change. However, internal party resistance and the events surrounding Tiananmen in 1989 foreclosed that path. In the aftermath – especially following the collapse of the Soviet Union – China’s leadership doubled down on market reforms while rejecting democratization, embracing capitalism as a strategy to preserve one-party rule rather than loosen it.

Pei traces how the post-Mao system evolved from what scholars once called “post-totalitarian” into a more resilient authoritarian regime – only to see that system gradually redirected under Xi. Beginning with sweeping anti-corruption purges, followed by tighter social controls, ideological revival, crackdowns in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and expanded state intervention in the private sector, Xi consolidated personal authority and revived practices associated with Mao-era rule. Pei argues that the institutions of totalitarianism never disappeared; they remained intact but dormant, making revival possible without revolution. Xi’s ascent, while shaped by factional politics and contingency, reflects deeper structural dynamics within a Leninist system that struggles to constrain power.

Looking ahead, Pei assesses China’s mounting economic and demographic challenges, from debt and slowing growth to geopolitical tensions and technological decoupling. While China retains significant resources and capacity, he questions whether current leadership can adapt without undermining its own authority. The episode concludes with a reflection on what the study of China reveals about democracy: despite its imperfections, democracy’s defining strength lies in its ability to remove bad leaders and institutionalize rules that protect individual liberty. In that contrast, Pei argues, the enduring value of democratic governance becomes clear.

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