The second installment in 'The People's Trilogy', the groundbreaking series from Samuel Johnson Prize-winning author Frank Dikötter 'For anyone who wants to understand the current Beijing regime, this is essential background reading' Anne Applebaum 'Essential reading for all who want to understand the darkness that lies at the heart of one of the world's most important revolutions' Guardian 'Dikötter performs here a tremendous service by making legible the hugely controversial origins of the present Chinese political order' Timothy Snyder In 1949 Mao Zedong hoisted the red flag over Beijing's Forbidden City. Instead of liberating the country, the communists destroyed the old order and replaced it with a repressive system that would dominate every aspect of Chinese life. In an epic of revolution and violence which draws on newly opened party archives, interviews and memoirs, Frank Dikötter interweaves the stories of millions of ordinary people with the brutal politics of Mao's court. A gripping account of how people from all walks of life were caught up in a tragedy that sent at least five million civilians to their deaths.

The story of how China's modern development rests on the tragically supressed struggle for true socialism.

In 1949 Mao Zedong hoisted the red flag over Beijing's Forbidden City. Instead of liberating the country, the communists destroyed the old order and replaced it with a repressive system that would dominate every aspect of Chinese life. In an epic of revolution and violence which draws on newly opened party archives, interviews and memoirs, Frank Dik�tter interweaves the stories of millions of ordinary people with the brutal politics of Mao's court. A gripping account of how people from all walks of life were caught up in a tragedy that sent at least five million civilians to their deaths.

The Chinese Revolution is long in the making, an unfolding process that has spanned most of the twentieth century. This comprehensive and ready-reference guide will help students and interested readers to understand the process and the events that have contributed to the ongoing revolution in the most populous nation on earth. Seven essays provide information and analysis of the revolution from the first decades of this century through 1998. Ready-reference components include lengthy biographical sketches of the seventeen most important and influential leaders in twentieth-century Chinese history, and the text of nine primary documents provides direct access to their words, which shaped the Revolution. A timeline of significant events, a glossary of selected terms, and an annotated bibliography of suggested reading for students add value to the guide. The first essay puts the Chinese Revolution into the context of Chinese culture and practice, especially in light of Confucian teaching, and examines national and international events that contributed to the Revolution. Five essays examine specific aspects of the Chinese Revolution: the thought of Mao Zedong; the political philosophy of Deng Xiaoping; the multiethnic character of China; China's relations with the United States and the Soviet Union; and China's interest in Hong Kong and Taiwan. A concluding essay assesses the consequences of the Chinese Revolution. The essays, biographical sketches, primary documents, timeline, and annotated bibliography all contribute to this comprehensive yet accessible student's guide.