The Origins of Chinese Communism
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Book Overview
Based on a wealth of archival material released after Mao's death, this book offers a revisionist account of the introduction and triumph of Marxism in China. Dirlik shows that, in 1919, at the outset of the May Fourth Movement, anarchism was the predominant ideology among revolutionaries and intellectuals and Marxism was virtually unknown. Three years later, however, the Communist Party of China had emerged as the unchallenged leader of the Left. Dirlik disputes long-held beliefs about the domestic origins of Chinese Communism to argue that Communist thought and organization were brought into radical circles by the Comintern. Though Chinese radicals would not have turned to Communism unassisted, he concludes, Marxist ideology took hold easily when introduced from the outside. This book will prove indispensable to scholars of Chinese history and politics, Asian studies, Marxism, and comparative communism.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0195054547
ISBN13:9780195054545
Release Date:January 1989
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Length:336 Pages
Weight:1.10 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
A profound description of the origins of Chinese Communism
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
This is a masterful and indepth look at the emergence of Chinese Chinese communism. This book is not an easy read, but it is facinating and well written. Dirlik argues that Marxism and Communism were merely another couple of Western ideas that Chinese radicals were examining at the begining of the 20th century. Dirlik examines the influence of anarchism and other philosophies on Chinese thinking, and then tracks how Marxism and then Communism came to dominate radical thinking. He arguse that Marxist philosophy did not cause the creation of Communist groups, but rather that groups formed to study and then to propigate Bolshivism while they were still struggling to understand Marxism. If one wants to REALLY understand the how Communism sprouted in China, this is the book to read.
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