The Origins of the Cultural Revolution, Volume 2 [Paperback]

Roderick MacFarquhar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1983 | ISBN-10: 0231057172 | ISBN-13: 978-0231057172 0

The second volume in a trilogy which examines the politics, economics, culture and international relations of Chines from the mid-1950s to he mid-1960s, this volume tells the story of the Great Leap Forward -- Mao's utopian attempt to propel China economically and socially into the twenty-fist century by mobilizing his nation's greatest asset: its disciplined, manpower. The effort produced economic disaster and political dissension, and helped to precipitate the Sino-Soviet split. Today's leaders point to it as the beginning of two decades of national trauma, which ended only after the death of Mao and the purge of the Gang of Four. Those leaders have recently authorized the release of a mass of new documentation in the form of political reminiscences, economic statistics, and leaders' speeches. This volume is the first scholarly work to use the new material comprehensively, weaving it into the narrative along with the contemporary record and the revelations published in Red Guard newspapers during the cultural revolution. The result is the most detailed account and analysis to date of what went wrong and why.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An authoritative, exhaustively researched political history. . . . By far the best treatment of this subject in a Western language and probably any language. -- Review

Review

"This is a distinguished book. Finding his way beneath the protective formulas PRC bureaucrats used to say things, MacFarquhar places back into historical context what was taken out of context and criticized in the Cultural Revolution. Together, the three volumes are the most detailed, reliable, astute history [of this period] available of Chinese elite politics...in any language." -- Andrew J. Nathan, author of China's Transition

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 470 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231057172
• ISBN-13: 978-0231057172
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,677,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative Sourcebook, March 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Origins of the Cultural Revolution, Volume 2 (Paperback)

Professor MacFarquhar presents an extremely thorough and readable account of elite politics in China from 1958-1960. While writing this book nearly two decades ago, he had access to hitherto unavailable memoirs and other personal accounts of the events surrounding the Great Leap Forward. He gives the reader a very balanced picture of Chairman Mao - an extremely complex leader who (I disagree with the previous reviewer on this) cannot be called "evil." Mao was no Stalin. Mao was no Hitler. The book reveals that the decision to launch the Great Leap Forward, while ultimately Mao's responsibility, was pushed along by external events and ambitious cadres. My only criticism of the book is that it focuses too much on elite politics. I would love to know more about what was going on in the countryside. All in all, however, THE ORIGINS OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION, VOL.2 is an excellent read. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in modern Chinese politics.

11 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Biased research, September 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Origins of the Cultural Revolution, Volume 3 (Hardcover)

I find this book as well as most of MacFarquhar's books (I have read several) to be fairly biased, though well-written. Here is MacFarquhar's strength and weakness. He is a good story-teller yet I find the work, from an academic standpoint, to be shoddy. He makes claims that are unsubstantiated as to what political elites in China were thinking. Basing his research on accounts written by others in a political system that is notorious for back-biting leaves me a bit concerned as to the veracity of his conclusions sine they are founded on perhaps erroneous information.

I would have liked to have seen him conduct more interviews with the actual people he is writing on -- the ones that are still alive at least -- or with relatives of the people he is writing on. Then, he could triangulate these interviews with is sources to determine as close to the truth as possible. Unfortunatley, his work is way too dependent on one or two sources.

Alas, MacFarquhar's books are the best on elite Chinese politics of the 60s and 70s -- only because no one else has really written on it. I would read the book for some fo the info but I would be wary of the conclusions and veracity of some ofthe arguments.

15 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars misleading book, December 30, 1998

By 

BP (Herndon, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Origins of the Cultural Revolution, Volume 2 (Paperback)

Anyone hoping to gain an objective insight into the complex tragedy of the GLF should avoid this book at all costs. Despite the author's reputation as a noted scholar in the field, he makes sweeping, generalized claims that are simply not documented. In discussing the negative aspects of the GLF, for example, all efforts are made to present Mao as not responsible--somehow separated from the policy-making process and therefore not responsible for the terrible consequences. The millions of deaths that resulted are acknowledged, but the author quickly points out that Mao did inspire millions of workers in China to work for the common good, as if this somehow compensated for the maniacal toll on the country. I don't know why Mr. Macfarquhar is such an apologist for Mao, but it clearly interferes with the balance of his analysis and would outrage any sensible student of Chinese history.