One recent Western biographer of Deng Xiaoping wondered whether any other 20th- century leader would have such a large and lasting influence on world history as the Chinese statesman who died in 1997.
Deng never held the position of Party leader, but everybody knew who was actually running the country. He became known as China's Paramount Leader, coming to power in 1978 and not completely stepping down until 1992.
The de-facto controller of the world's largest nation implemented economic reforms which saw China emerge from the long shadow cast by the cultural revolution and earlier policies of Chairman Mao Zedong.
The one-time 1920's immigrant to France earns his place among our list of the ten most important influencers of the last 30 years primarily by virtue of his key role in pursuing reforms which have produced an economic miracle; turning China into an industrial and eventually military powerhouse rivalling the US and having a significant impact on the defense policy in Washington, Tokyo and elsewhere.
The short and bloody conflict with Vietnam in 1979 highlighted Chinese military shortcomings, and many of the reforms that have enabled a previously unimpressive Chinese military to eventually emerge as a super power are attributable, in part, to Deng.
Nevertheless, the military was never the priority. Deng opted to develop agriculture, industry and research-and-technology sectors, relegating defense's importance under China's Four Modernizations plan starting in the 1970s.
"Deng made it clear to the military they were going to be at the back of the queue and that military modernization was going to be predicated on economic success," according to Nigel Inkster, the director of future conflict and cyber security at the International Institute of Strategic Studies think tank in London.
"He saw [military] modernization as integral to his overall strategy, but for a long time and well into the 1990s, the PLA was basically left to fund itself, which it did by engaging in various business ventures," said Inkster, an expert on China.
"The legacy of Deng in relationship to the People's Liberation Army was primarily in putting together and implementing a successful development policy that eventually provided the economic basis for military modernization, which came after Deng had gone," he said.
Time magazine was sufficiently impressed by his impact in navigating the communist regime into the late 20th century that they twice voted him "Man of the Year."
It's worth pointing out, though, that Time has also nominated the likes of Hitler and Stalin, so it's not always the good guys who get the award.
Deng's legacy qualifies on both counts, good and bad. His reforms helped lift the country out of an economic hole, but, as you would expect from a man who survived the Long March in the mid-1930s, he was no softie either.
In fact, Deng is probably best known in the West for his key role in getting the PLA to put down the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square which resulted in ordering the massacre of students in 1989.
The deaths sparked outrage in the West. Among other things, it led to an arms embargo by the United States and the European Union which remains in place to this day.
Inkster said Deng was instrumental in crafting a post-Tiananmen Square policy that allowed China to eventually emerge as a superpower.
"It’s much harder to see China emerging as a major global power after Tiananmen Square without Deng. He came up with the strategy saying China should keep a low profile in international affairs and that’s pretty much what they did for the next 15 years."
This article is part of a larger Defense News 30-year anniversary project, showcasing the people, programs and innovations from the last three decades that most shaped the global security arena. Go to defensenews.com/30th to see all of our coverage.
Andrew Chuter is the United Kingdom correspondent for Defense News.
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