 improved standard of living, growth and development) under its newly liberalized policies became the primary evidence of its legitimacy.In essence, the reforms were a solid move away from a control-oriented economy towards a more market-oriented, capitalist one.The CPC faced a new legitimation crisis with the move toward capitalism, as it violated the terms of the previously established social contract (inflation rose, the income gap widened, job insecurity increased, social welfare programs deteriorated and social evils returned) and the CPC's claim to one-party rule was challenged, as the public began to wonder why they were necessary as a party if socialism had failed and capitalism was the answer; after all, the CPC's leaders were not the most qualified to exercise market-oriented economic reforms.