Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Basic Books (2012), Edition: 1, 528 pages
Description
Examines China's role in the world in recent centuries to demonstrate how its past is shaping its future, explaining how Western influences have reinforced traditional Chinese mores while establishing potential partnerships.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Whiskey3pa
Very useful and well written. English language chinese history is not the easiest find, making this an even better book to own.
LibraryThing member Scapegoats
Westad writes a wide ranging analysis of China's relations with the rest of the world since 1750. Its scope is impressive. It covers both diplomatic and non-official interactions that China had with the entire world. It is very easy to read and very useful. My main reservation with it is that its
Westad is one of the preeminent historians of China's foreign relations, so his interpretations carry a lot of weight. One of the most interesting of them is the thrashing he gives to Mao's diplomacy. He blames China's isolation on Mao's deliberate intention to prevent foreign contamination. He puts the Sino-Soviet split completely at Mao's feet, arguing that Mao wanted it and achieved it. He similarly blames the Sino-Indian war on Mao, although the details on it are somewhat sparse.
I found Westad most convincing when he discussed the rapprochement with the US. He makes an excellent case for the desperation of the Chinese in both the early and late 1970's that spurred the reconciliation and normalization. I also found his discussion of the effect of the end of the Cold War on China to be quite compelling. Because of the recentness of these events, historians have difficult time getting good information, but Westad appears to have done that, showing that the Chinese were unhappy at the fall of the Soviets and the new US preeminence in the world.
His treatment of Tiananmen Square is a bit weak. Since he is not shy on criticizing the PRC government, I believe this was mainly because of space. I would say it was because it wasn't technically an international incident, but Westad is more than happy in the rest of the book to discuss how domestic issues in China and elsewhere affected China's relationship with other countries.
The book is definitely weighted towards the Communist era, with the last three chapters on the post-Mao. "China's America" is a very interesting one where he discusses the ambivalent relationship the Chinese people have with the US and its culture. "China's Asia" talks about how China has reengaged with Asia. This chapter is both excellent and unsatisfying at once. Westad manages to discuss most of the major countries in east, south and central Asia and how its relationship with China is developing. It is the only work of that breadth I have read. But it is only one chapter so each country gets about a page. If the show business idea of "always leave them wanting move" is appropriate to history, that is a job well-done. But I suppose that is more of a job for a political scientist than a historian anyway.
Overall, this book was excellent. It's amazing scope in time and geography forces Westad to move quickly, particularly prior to the establishment of the PRC. It can be frustrating but should not detract for how useful this book can be. I am planning a course on China and the World which will use this as the basic textbook. It will need a lot of supplemental readings, but this is a great starting point for students to get the larger narrative.
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scope is too ambitious, so it moves very quickly over some important issues. At times, it reminds me of a lecture where the professor has tried to pack in too much information and has to gloss over most of it. Westad is one of the preeminent historians of China's foreign relations, so his interpretations carry a lot of weight. One of the most interesting of them is the thrashing he gives to Mao's diplomacy. He blames China's isolation on Mao's deliberate intention to prevent foreign contamination. He puts the Sino-Soviet split completely at Mao's feet, arguing that Mao wanted it and achieved it. He similarly blames the Sino-Indian war on Mao, although the details on it are somewhat sparse.
I found Westad most convincing when he discussed the rapprochement with the US. He makes an excellent case for the desperation of the Chinese in both the early and late 1970's that spurred the reconciliation and normalization. I also found his discussion of the effect of the end of the Cold War on China to be quite compelling. Because of the recentness of these events, historians have difficult time getting good information, but Westad appears to have done that, showing that the Chinese were unhappy at the fall of the Soviets and the new US preeminence in the world.
His treatment of Tiananmen Square is a bit weak. Since he is not shy on criticizing the PRC government, I believe this was mainly because of space. I would say it was because it wasn't technically an international incident, but Westad is more than happy in the rest of the book to discuss how domestic issues in China and elsewhere affected China's relationship with other countries.
The book is definitely weighted towards the Communist era, with the last three chapters on the post-Mao. "China's America" is a very interesting one where he discusses the ambivalent relationship the Chinese people have with the US and its culture. "China's Asia" talks about how China has reengaged with Asia. This chapter is both excellent and unsatisfying at once. Westad manages to discuss most of the major countries in east, south and central Asia and how its relationship with China is developing. It is the only work of that breadth I have read. But it is only one chapter so each country gets about a page. If the show business idea of "always leave them wanting move" is appropriate to history, that is a job well-done. But I suppose that is more of a job for a political scientist than a historian anyway.
Overall, this book was excellent. It's amazing scope in time and geography forces Westad to move quickly, particularly prior to the establishment of the PRC. It can be frustrating but should not detract for how useful this book can be. I am planning a course on China and the World which will use this as the basic textbook. It will need a lot of supplemental readings, but this is a great starting point for students to get the larger narrative.
Show Less
LibraryThing member michael.confoy.tamu
The book begins with the Qing Empire in 1750. The Quings where the Manchus from Manchuria who had conquered the Chinese Empire from the Ming Dynasty. Through the Quings, China as a nation had focused around the imperial dynasty even if the emperor was not actually from the majority Han or even
Interesting Facts
China should have the world’s biggest economy in the 2030s.
India’s population will be 50% greater than China’s in the 2050s unless China changes its one child policy.
South Korea’s biggest trading partner is China.
The Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation, HSBC, was formed in Hong Kong in 1865.
Germany provided most of the training for Chiang Kai-shek’s Republican army up to 1938, when Germany and Japan became allies.
In 1882, Congress banned all immigration from China. This is the only time immigration has been banned from a specific country. This ban was not removed until 1943, over a year after China had been our ally against Japan.
Today, about 15% of Peruvians have some Chinese background. All the Chinese that immigrated to Peru where male workers.
The Italian city of Prato in Tuscany now has about 25,000 Chinese living there.
Lenism inspired Chinese Communism not Marxism. Marx’s Das Kapital had not even been fully translated to Chinese before 1937.
It is estimated that between 4 and 5 million Chinese were executed under Mao, a number much larger than Stalin ever achieved.
When Mao implemented his “Great Leap Forward” in 1958, even his Soviet advisers warned him that it would cause mass hardships which infuriated Mao. In the end, and estimated 45 million Chinese, mostly peasants, died of hunger, exhaustion or disease. This was the beginning of the the fracturing of the Chinese-Soviet friendship.
By the late 1960s, China’s leaders were preparing for war with the Soviet Union. In order to access Soviet intentions, Mao ordered an attack on an island in the Ussuri River in March of 1969. About 30 Soviet soldiers were killed. Mao refused to take calls from the Soviet premier. War was possible for several days as the Soviets considered a strike against Chinese nuclear missile installations. Tensions remained tense through 1970 and convinced Mao that he needed an ally — the United States.
China’s short war with Vietnam in 1979 was such a disaster for China, that China became convinced that it needed the United States to modernize its military.
Despite running a pro-Taiwan, anit-China presidential campaign, President Ronald Reagan declared that the United States would sell sophisticated military weapons directly to Beijing. This included sophisticated aviation and missile technology. At the same time in 1982, the United States declared we would phase out such sales to Taiwan.
There are now over 2500 KFC’s in China today including one in the Forbidden City.
By 2000, the socialist economy in China was completely gone. Even state-owned companies now competed in the free-market.
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Chinese in the case of the Mongols. The most important thing to draw from this period is the resentment the Chinese had from the Great Powers’ forced concessions in China. Two opium wars with Britain (the second included France), occupied territory by Britain, Portugal, France, Germany, Russia, and Japan. This resentment would carry through to the Republic of China under Chiang Kai-shek, through the Peoples Republic of China. Today China is communist in name only. It is actually a totalitarian free-market state.Interesting Facts
China should have the world’s biggest economy in the 2030s.
India’s population will be 50% greater than China’s in the 2050s unless China changes its one child policy.
South Korea’s biggest trading partner is China.
The Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation, HSBC, was formed in Hong Kong in 1865.
Germany provided most of the training for Chiang Kai-shek’s Republican army up to 1938, when Germany and Japan became allies.
In 1882, Congress banned all immigration from China. This is the only time immigration has been banned from a specific country. This ban was not removed until 1943, over a year after China had been our ally against Japan.
Today, about 15% of Peruvians have some Chinese background. All the Chinese that immigrated to Peru where male workers.
The Italian city of Prato in Tuscany now has about 25,000 Chinese living there.
Lenism inspired Chinese Communism not Marxism. Marx’s Das Kapital had not even been fully translated to Chinese before 1937.
It is estimated that between 4 and 5 million Chinese were executed under Mao, a number much larger than Stalin ever achieved.
When Mao implemented his “Great Leap Forward” in 1958, even his Soviet advisers warned him that it would cause mass hardships which infuriated Mao. In the end, and estimated 45 million Chinese, mostly peasants, died of hunger, exhaustion or disease. This was the beginning of the the fracturing of the Chinese-Soviet friendship.
By the late 1960s, China’s leaders were preparing for war with the Soviet Union. In order to access Soviet intentions, Mao ordered an attack on an island in the Ussuri River in March of 1969. About 30 Soviet soldiers were killed. Mao refused to take calls from the Soviet premier. War was possible for several days as the Soviets considered a strike against Chinese nuclear missile installations. Tensions remained tense through 1970 and convinced Mao that he needed an ally — the United States.
China’s short war with Vietnam in 1979 was such a disaster for China, that China became convinced that it needed the United States to modernize its military.
Despite running a pro-Taiwan, anit-China presidential campaign, President Ronald Reagan declared that the United States would sell sophisticated military weapons directly to Beijing. This included sophisticated aviation and missile technology. At the same time in 1982, the United States declared we would phase out such sales to Taiwan.
There are now over 2500 KFC’s in China today including one in the Forbidden City.
By 2000, the socialist economy in China was completely gone. Even state-owned companies now competed in the free-market.
Show Less
Awards
Bernard Schwartz Book Award (Winner — 2013)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012
Physical description
528 p.; 6.5 inches
ISBN
0465019331 / 9780465019335
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DDC/MDS
| 327.51 |