A History of Modern Tibet, 1913-1951 : The Demise of the Lamaist State

V. 1. The 'tibetan Question, ' The Nature Of Tibet's Political Status Vis-a-vis China, Has Been The Subject Of Often Bitterly Competing Views While The Facts Of The Issue Have Not Been Fully Accessible To Interested Observers. While One Faction Has Argued That Tibet Was, In The Main, Historically Independent Until It Was Conquered By The Chinese Communists In 1951 And Incorporated Into The New Chinese State, The Other Faction Views Tibet As A Traditional Part Of China That Split Away At The Instigation Of The British After The Fall Of The Manchu Dynasty And Was Later Dutifully Reunited With New China In 1951. In Contrast, This Comprehensive Study Of Modern Tibetan History Presents A Detailed, Non-partisan Account Of The Demise Of The Lamaist State. Drawing On A Wealth Of British, American, And Indian Diplomatic Records; First- Hand-historical Accounts Written By Tibetan Participants; And Extensive Interviews With Former Tibetan Officials, Monastic Leaders, Soldiers, And Traders, Goldstein Meticulously Examines What Happened And Why. He Balances The Traditional Focus On International Relations With An Innovative Emphasis On The Intricate Web Of Internal Affairs And Events That Produced The Fall Of Tibet. Scholars And Students Of Asian History Will Find This Work An Invaluable Resource And Interested Readers Will Appreciate The Clear Explanation Of Highly Polemicized, And Often Confusing, Historical Events.--publisher's Description. V. 2. It Is Not Possible To Understand Contemporary Politics Between China And The Dalai Lama Without Understanding What Happened During The 1950s. This Book Presents An Understanding Of That Period. It Furnishes Portraits Of These Major Players And Unravels The Fateful Intertwining Of Tibetan And Chinese Politics Against The Backdrop Of The Korean War. V. 3. It Is Not Possible To Fully Understand Contemporary Politics Between China And The Dalai Lama Without Understanding What Happened In The 1950's. The Third Volume In Melvyn Goldstein's History Of Modern Tibet Series, The Calm Before The Storm, Examines The Critical Years Of 1955 Through 1957. During This Period, The Preparatory Committee For A Tibet Autonomous Region Was Inaugurated In Lhasa, And A Major Tibetan Uprising Occurred In Sichuan Province. Jenkhentsisum, A Tibetan Anti-communist Emigree Group, Emerged As An Important Player With Secret Links To Indian Intelligence, The Dalai Lama's Lord Chamberlain, The United States, And Taiwan. And In Tibet, Fan Ming, The Acting Head Of The Ccp's Office In Lhasa, Launched The Great Expansion, Which Recruited Many Thousands Of Han Cadres To Lhasa In Preparation For Beginning Democratic Reforms, Only To Be Stopped Decisively By Mao Zedong's Great Contraction Which Sent Them Back To China And Ended Talk Of Reforms In Tibet For The Foreseeable Future. In Volume Iii, Goldstein Draws On Never-before Seen Chinese Government Documents, Published And Unpublished Memoirs And Diaries, And Invaluable In-depth Interviews With Important Chinese And Tibetan Participants (including The Dalai Lama) To Offer A New Level Of Insight Into The Events And Principal Players Of The Time. Goldstein Corrects Factual Errors And Misleading Stereotypes In The History, And Uncovers Heretofore Unknown Information On The Period To Reveal In Depth A Nuanced Portrait Of Sino-tibetan Relations That Goes Far Beyond Anything Previously Imagined-- [v. 1.] 1913-1951, The Demise Of The Lamaist State -- V. 2. The Calm Before The Storm, 1951-1955. V.3. The Storm Clouds Descend: 1955-1957. Melvyn C. Goldstein. Vol. 1 Written With The Help Of Gelek Rimpoche. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Frontmatter List of Illustrations (page xi) Acknowledgments (page xv) Explanation of Romanization and Abbreviations (page xvii) Preface (page xix) Introduction: Tibetan Society, 1913-1951 (page 1) I: THE ERA OF THE 13TH DALAI LAMA AND RETING, 1913-1941 1. The Early Years of the 13th Dalai Lama (page 41) 2. Tibet and the New Republic in China (page 65) 3. The Dalai Lama, the Army, and the Monastic Segment (page 89) 4. The Death of the 13th Dalai Lama (page 139) 5. The Fall of Kumbela (page 146) 6. In Search of a New Tibet: Lungshar's Reform Party (page 186) 7. The Mission of General Huang Mu-sung (page 213) 8. The British, the Chinese, and the Panchen Lama (page 252) 9. Reting Takes Control, Then Resigns (page 310) 10. Conclusion to Part One: The Reting Years (page 364) II: THE ERA OF TAKTRA AND THE 14TH DALAI LAMA, 1941-1951 11. The Early Years of the Taktra Regency: 1941-1943 (page 369) 12. Change and Confrontation in the Twilight of World War II (page 405) 13. The Seeds of Rebellion (page 427) 14. The Reting Conspiracy (page 464) 15. The Victory Congratulations Mission, 1945-1946 (page 522) 16. Further Attempts at International Visibility (page 560) 17. Tibet after the Fall of the Kuomintang (page 611) 18. The People's Liberation Army Invades (page 638) 19. After the Fall of Chamdo (page 698) 20. Tibet Capitulates: The Seventeen-Point Agreement (page 737) 21. The Dalai Lama Returns to Lhasa (page 773) Conclusion: The Demise of the Lamaist State (page 815) Postscript (page 825) Appendix A. Anglo-Chinese Convention of 1906 (page 827) Appendix B. Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 (page 829) Appendix C. The Simla Agreements of 1914 (page 832) Glossary of Tibetan Terms (page 843) References (page 845) Correct Tibetan Spellings (page 855) Index (page 883) The 'tibetan Question,' The Nature Of Tibet's Political Status Vis-a-vis China, Has Been The Subject Of Often Bitterly Competing Views While The Facts Of The Issue Have Not Been Fully Accessible To Interested Observers. While One Faction Has Argued That Tibet Was, In The Main, Historically Independent Until It Was Conquered By The Chinese Communists In 1951 And Incorporated Into The New Chinese State, The Other Faction Views Tibet As A Traditional Part Of China That Split Away At The Instigation Of The British After The Fall Of The Manchu Dynasty And Was Later Dutifully Reunited With New China In 1951. In Contrast, This Comprehensive Study Of Modern Tibetan History Presents A Detailed, Non-partisan Account Of The Demise Of The Lamaist State. Drawing On A Wealth Of British, American, And Indian Diplomatic Records; First- Hand-historical Accounts Written By Tibetan Participants; And Extensive Interviews With Former Tibetan Officials, Monastic Leaders, Soldiers, And Traders, Goldstein Meticulously Examines What Happened And Why. He Balances The Traditional Focus On International Relations With An Innovative Emphasis On The Intricate Web Of Internal Affairs And Events That Produced The Fall Of Tibet. Scholars And Students Of Asian History Will Find This Work An Invaluable Resource And Interested Readers Will Appreciate The Clear Explanation Of Highly Polemicized, And Often Confusing, Historical Events. -- Publisher's Description. The Era Of The 13th Dalai Lama And Reting, 1913-1941 -- The Era Of Taktra And The 14th Dalai Lama, 1941-1951. Melvyn C. Goldstein ; With The Help Of Gelek Rimpoche. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 845-854. The "Tibetan Question," the nature of Tibet's political status vis-à-vis China, has been the subject of often bitterly competing views while the facts of the issue have not been fully accessible to interested observers. While one faction has argued that Tibet was, in the main, historically independent until it was conquered by the Chinese Communists in 1951 and incorporated into the new Chinese state, the other faction views Tibet as a traditional part of China that split away at the instigation of the British after the fall of the Manchu Dynasty and was later dutifully reunited with "New China" in 1951. In contrast, this comprehensive study of modern Tibetan history presents a detailed, non-partisan account of the demise of the Lamaist state. Drawing on a wealth of British, American, and Indian diplomatic records; first-hand-historical accounts written by Tibetan participants; and extensive interviews with former Tibetan officials, monastic leaders, soldiers, and traders, Goldstein meticulously examines what happened and why. He balances the traditional focus on international relations with an innovative emphasis on the intricate web of internal affairs and events that produced the fall of Tibet. Scholars and students of Asian history will find this work an invaluable resource and interested readers will appreciate the clear explanation of highly polemicized, and often confusing, historical events.