Origins of the Chinese Revolution, 1915-1949 (French Edition)

The original French edition of this book, published in 1967, was widely acclaimed as the best introduction to Chinese Communism ever published. A fresh, bold interpretative survey, it focuses on the dynamic social forces underlying the Chinese Communists' rise in three short decades from obscurity to power. The author seeks above all to relate the events of this tumultuous period to certain tentative generalizations about the nature and course of the revolution. He is concerned less with the May Fourth Movement as such, for example, than with the revolution's intellectual origins, less with the Communist party's early political history than with the place of Marxist ideology in that history, less with the military aspects of the war of 1937-45 than with the influence of nationalism in the growing success of the Communists. An important part of the book deals with the various governmental and non-governmental attempts at reform during the Kuomintang era, which the author shows were too little too late to dam the swelling flood of revolution. The conclusion evaluates the crucial role of imperialism, the peasantry, and the army in the Chinese "formula" for revolution and re-examines the relationship between Marxism and the Chinese Revolution. Examination Of The Origins Of The Chinese Revolution From The Early Years Of The Red Army And The Communist Party To The 1960s. Includes Discussion Of Hte Intellectual And Social Aspects. The End Of A World -- Intellectual Origins Of The Chinese Revolution -- The Early Years Of The Communist Party -- Social Causes Of The Chinese Revolution -- Reform Or Revolution? -- Nationalism And Revolution -- The Red Army Triumphs -- Conclusion. Translated From The French By Muriel Bell. Translation Of Les Origines De La Révolution Chinoise, 1915-1949, Revised By The Author. Includes Bibliographical References. Contents Foreword Author’s Preface 1. The End of a World 2. Intellectual Origins of the Chinese Revolution 3. The Early Years of the Communist Party 4. Social Causes of the Chinese Revolution 5. Reform or Revolution? 6. Nationalism and Revolution 7. The Red Army Triumphs Conclusion Suggested Readings Index Analyzes the internal pressures and social crises that fostered the beginnings of the Chinese Revolution