Modernization and Revolution in China

"Extensively revised and fully updated in this fifth edition, this popular textbook conveys the drama of China's struggle to modernize against the backdrop of a proud and difficult history. It features new analysis of the issues facing China's fifth generation of leaders, including the current economic climate, China's relations with its neighbours and the United States, the latest Tibetan crisis, and the election of Xi Jinping. Incorporating new analytical summaries in each chapter and updated suggested readings, this new edition covers: - The breakdown of imperial China in the face of Japanese and Western encroachments - The early struggles between the ideologies and armies of Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong - China's bitter and costly war with Japan - The final shootout that sent Chiang to Taiwan and Mao to Beijing - The turbulent first decades of the People's Republic - The triumphant hosting of the 2008 summer Olympics and the dramatic shift to a globalizing economic strategy. Spanning the years from China's defeat in the Opium Wars to its current status as a potential superpower, the fifth edition of Modernization and Revolution in China is essential reading for courses on Modern Chinese History, Chinese Politics and Modern East Asia"--