Recent analyses suggest Xi Jinping's ascent signifies a move away from China's reform-era pragmatism towards Mao-era totalitarianism, driven by structural features of the political system.

<p>Under Xi Jinping, China is moving steadily away from the pragmatic authoritarianism of the reform era toward the restoration of Mao-style totalitarianism. Two recent books argue that Xi's political ascent was no historical accident, but a structural feature of China’s political system.</p>