China's Long History Of Defying The Doomsayers -- Stephen Platt & Jeffrey Wasserstrom, The AtlanticLosing legitimacy might not mean the end of the Communist Party. Past Chinese governments have survived worse.
Thirty-six years after "Great Helmsman" Mao Zedong died of a heart attack, leaving his country briefly rudderless during a time of crisis and uncertainty, the Chinese ship of state is still sailing. But is it still seaworthy? Observers are energetically debating whether the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party, which has endured so much, can endure. After all, the government today bases its legitimacy on economic growth, which may well be slowing. We can't predict the future, but we can examine the past, and Chinese history suggests that, even if the Communist Party does face a legitimacy crisis, it would not be out of character for it to survive this particular storm.
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My Comment: What's my take .... being one who lived in China in the 1980s and who has been a China watcher ever since .... the Chinese government will survive. The dissent and unrest that I saw in China in the 1980s are absent this time around. The focus is on the economy .... getting a job .... a home .... etc.. Changing the government is definitely not on the radar screen for most Chinese.
Update: How China's Leaders Steer a Massive Nation -- Spiegel Online