This book examines the various stages of China's development, in the economic, social and political fields, relating theories and models of development to what is actually occurring in China, and discussing how China's development is likely to progress going forward. It argues that China's modernisation hitherto can be characterised as "authoritarian development" – a fusion of mixed economic institutions of varying types of ownership with social stability and political cohesiveness - and that the present phase, where more emphasis is being given to social issues, is likely to lead on to a new phase where a more mature civil society and a more extensive middle class are likely to look for greater democratisation. It presents an in-depth analysis of China's changing social structure and civil society, explores the forces for and processes of democratisation, and assesses the prospects for further democratisation in the light of changing social structures.