Customer Reviews

Mao Zedong and China's Revolutions: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The bulk of this book consists of primary documents from the hand of Mao Zedong. These documents provide the reader with a good understanding of the outlook that Mao employed, and how that outlook evolved over time. Additionally, this book contains a good selection of secondary documents that focus categorically on the good and bad consequences of Mao's leadership as well as the variety of ways in which people have perceived and continue to perceive Mao as a leader.

The introduction to this volume is probably its strongest feature. Timothy Cheek gives an incredibly good run-down of Mao's influence on Chinese history, and he does so in a little more than 30 pages. Cheek roughly covers the years 1915-present, and does so in a way that both the new and more experienced students of Chinese history have something to learn. I really felt the Cheek did a masterful job of combining richness of substance with concise writing. The introduction to this book should probably be included in the syllabus for any modern Chinese history course.

One more note: Cheek's analysis of Mao himself was very even-handed; not too supportive and yet not to critical. His basic thesis in this regard is that Mao started out as a very pragmatic leader who played a big role in restoring China through unification, but then Mao became detached from his party, the people, and reality. This thesis seems solid, and provides a reasonable, disinterested basis for reflecting on Mao as an historical actor.

A friend recommended this book to me for introducing me to the history of modern China, as background for my first trip to China. I found it really helpful to get a good introduction to modern Chinese history and culture. As a result, I certainly got more cultural enrichment and insight out of my trip. So I am passing this recommendation along to others. Mao is fascinating and China is a great country to visit.