Will China Democratize? The Road From Socialism

Class politics is an ever more important reality, but the growth of capitalism is not likely to produce pressures for democratization.

The same technologies that are making traffic flow faster, cities run better, and ad-targeting more precise are also helping authoritarian governments to crush protests, hunt dissidents, and control their populations.

This article assesses the historical record and current practice to argue that a form of autonomy that is appropriately grounded in China’s Constitution and international human rights practice may offer…