Mao Dies In 1965

If Mao dies suddenly of heart failure and the more moderate members of the party like Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi successfully take over the cultural revolution will be avoided.

Would the PRC be more prosperous today with the earlier implementation of 'Socialism with Chinese Characteristics'. Could it even have acheived superpower status?
 
Deng and Liu were moderates, not reformers. Deng only became so after the Cultural Revolution. Even so by the late 70s many reformers were calling for a return to pre-CR status quo, before being overruled by Deng.

Had Mao died in 1965 most likely the moderates would move China back to Soviet style planned economy of the 1950s. The Soviet model would have to be discredited before market reform would gain support.

The important difference with OTL would be: 1. Chinese intellectual base and civil society would not be devastated. 2. Warming relations with the Soviet Union. 3. Earlier population control.

The last is perhaps the most important. Chinese intellectuals had been sounding the alarm of over population for years before the CR. Had a two-child policy been implemented in the 60s the population would probably be under a billion now, with the reduced resource demand benefits that goes with that.

Thus I think market reforms would not happen much earlier than it did in OTL. However absent the CR, market reforms would probably be even more successful than OTL. GDP would likely be similar, but real standard of living would be higher. Certainly the political atmosphere would be far healthier.
 
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