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Deng Xiaoping

1909 – 1997

dead

Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China from 1978 to 1989 and architected the country's transition from Maoist autarky to a market-based economy. In June 1989 he ordered the People's Liberation Army into Beijing's Tiananmen Square to crush the student-led pro-democracy movement, killing hundreds and possibly thousands of unarmed protesters and bystanders. He retained final political authority well past his nominal retirement, including direction of the rapid economic acceleration following his 1992 "Southern Tour."