Part 4/9:
By the late 1970s, tensions between the remnants of Mao's radical policies and the need for modernization came to a head. Deng, upon seizing power, opened the universities, prioritized merit-based admissions, and sought inspiration from Western industrial practices to guide the country's economic reform efforts. His philosophy eschewed the ideological dogma of the Cultural Revolution, marking a departure from the era of radical upheaval and ushering in a new chapter of Chinese governance.