For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of …showed first 75 words of 945 total…

…showed last 75 words of 945 total…must increasingly build consensus for new policies among party members, local and regional leaders, influential non-party members, and the population at large. However, control is often maintained over the larger group through control of information, propaganda and censorship. Historically, under Maoist period, Stalinist terror campaigns and purges were also important part of maintaining conformity with the political centre, but during the reform period these methods have been used in a more restricted and targeted manner.