A History of Modern Tibet, Volume 2) - The Calm Before the Storm, 1951-1955

It is not possible to fully understand contemporary politics between China and the Dalai Lama without understanding what happened—and why—during the 1950s. In a book that continues the story of Tibet's history that he began in his acclaimed __A History of Modern Tibet, 1913-1951: The Demise of the Lamaist State,__ Melvyn C. Goldstein critically revises our understanding of that key period in midcentury. This authoritative account utilizes new archival material, including never before seen documents, and extensive interviews with Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, and with Chinese officials. Goldstein furnishes fascinating and sometimes surprising portraits of these major players as he deftly unravels the fateful intertwining of Tibetan and Chinese politics against the backdrop of the Korean War, the tenuous Sino-Soviet alliance, and American cold war policy. It is not possible to fully understand contemporary politics between China and the Dalai Lama without understanding what happened—and why—during the 1950s. In a book that continues the story of Tibet's history that he began in his acclaimed A History of Modern Tibet, 1913-1951: The Demise of the Lamaist State, Melvyn C. Goldstein critically revises our understanding of that key period in midcentury. This authoritative account utilizes new archival material, including never before seen documents, and extensive interviews with Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, and with Chinese officials. Goldstein furnishes fascinating and sometimes surprising portraits of these major players as he deftly unravels the fateful intertwining of Tibetan and Chinese politics against the backdrop of the Korean War, the tenuous Sino-Soviet alliance, and American cold war policy. Contents Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Note on Romanization List of Abbreviations Glossary of Key Persons and Terms Introduction: Tibetan Society on the Eve of Incorporation into China Part 1. The Road to a Sino-Tibetan Agreement Part 2. The First Two Years Confrontation and Adjustment Part 3. Cooperation and Change Appendix A. Lobsang Samden’s 1952 Letter to Tsipön Shakabpa Appendix B. Kashag’s 1953 Edict Reforming Debts in Tibet Appendix C. Agreement of the Secret Resistance Organization in India, 1954 Appendix D. List of Correct Tibetan Spellings References Index 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