Written at the end of what was in retrospect the height of US imperialist global hegemony and the lowest point for the world socialist movement in a century. Even as socialism suffered major setbacks in the 1990s Deng Xiaoping saw the path ahead clearly, he held true to Marxism-Leninism, set China on the course to becoming a powerful and prosperous socialist society, and explained that the historical destiny of humanity despite twists and turns still lies inevitably toward communism.