Victor C. Shih, ”Coalitions of the Weak: Elite Politics in China from Mao's Strategem to the Rise of Xi," (Cambridge University Press, 2022)

Explore the strategies behind authoritarian rule in this analysis of Coalitions of the Weak, a groundbreaking book examining the leadership dynamics of the Chinese Communist Party. The lecture delves into how Mao Zedong strategically promoted weak, less-networked officials to maintain control, inadvertently creating a power vacuum that Xi Jinping later exploited to consolidate unprecedented authority. Drawing on thousands of historical documents and data, the discussion highlights the implications of these leadership tactics for China's policies and governance. From late-Mao politics to Xi Jinping’s rise, this episode examines the institutional and policy consequences of one-party autocracy and what it means for China’s future. For the first time since Mao, a Chinese leader may serve a life-time tenure. Xi Jinping may well replicate Mao's successful strategy to maintain power. If so, what are the institutional and policy implications for China? Victor C. Shih investigates how leaders of one-party autocracies seek to dominate the elite and achieve true dictatorship, governing without fear of internal challenge or resistance to major policy changes. Through an in-depth look of late-Mao politics informed by thousands of historical documents and data analysis, Coalitions of the Weak uncovers Mao's strategy of replacing seasoned, densely networked senior officials with either politically tainted or inexperienced officials. The book further documents how a decentralized version of this strategy led to two generations of weak leadership in the Chinese Communist Party, creating the conditions for Xi's rapid consolidation of power after 2012. Authoritarian leadership Chinese Communist Party Power consolidation Dictatorship strategies Political succession in China Mao Zedong leadership strategy Xi Jinping rise to power Coalitions of the Weak book analysis Weak leadership in autocracies CCP leadership dynamics Political Science Chinese Politics