Other editions of book China: From Empire to People's Republic, 1900-49

In 1900 China was politically undeveloped and economically exploited by western colonial powers. Over the next fifty turbulent years it had rejected its imperial past, welcomed republicanism, survived Japanese occupation, w itnessed civil war and embraced a Marxist revolution. These extraordinary developments are examined in this book which combines a factual narrative with up-to-date analysis of the events.

This text tells the story of China's extraordinary transition from the empire of the Manchu dynasty to the People's Republic of Mao Tse-Tung. Each chapter offers a structured analysis of a particular theme or aspect of China's history during these 50 turbulent years. The text examines and explains how China undertook its "revolution against the world to join the world".