After the 1911 fall of the Manchus came the most hideous breakdown in Chinese history. Sheridan, a Northwestern University scholar, concentrates on the Kuomintang movement of Chiang Kai-shek, insisting that we judge a political force by whether it solves the problems posed to it, not, as Chiang's partisans prefer, by means of what-if's. Sheridan's focus on the KMT brings more to light than do many surveys of Mao's revolutionaries. The KMT failed either to create an effective dictatorship or to mobilize fascist passions ...
Read More
After the 1911 fall of the Manchus came the most hideous breakdown in Chinese history. Sheridan, a Northwestern University scholar, concentrates on the Kuomintang movement of Chiang Kai-shek, insisting that we judge a political force by whether it solves the problems posed to it, not, as Chiang's partisans prefer, by means of what-if's. Sheridan's focus on the KMT brings more to light than do many surveys of Mao's revolutionaries. The KMT failed either to create an effective dictatorship or to mobilize fascist passions which could ensure willingness to "sacrifice." Thus the difficulty in squeezing enough wealth out of the peasantry to meet a foreign debt which totaled half the national revenue. The KMT did ensure that forced opium production took up at least a fifth of Chinese cropland by the 1929-1933 period, and they consolidated a soldier recruitment system that approximated Nazi roundups. However, the book underlines Chiang's failure to give the masses a ""Strength through Joy"" spirit; and, as wartime inflation of 300% gave way to postwar collapse, the anti-Communist pitch became emptier and emptier. The Kuomintang turned into a mere holding operation and faded into chaos. Sheridan gives a strong sense of the rapine of the warlords who were Chiang's off-and-on allies, and of the feeble heritage of Sun Yat-sen's patriotic platitudes. He leaves out explicit investigation of the international context while underlining, more than most writers, Chiang's commitment to repay external debt at the expense of the Chinese people. A sound and striking approach to these decades of desperation in the lives of a quarter of the human population--if not bypassed in the glut of "China books," it may encourage students and academics to go further. -- Kirkus Reviews
Read Less
Add this copy of China in Disintegration: the Republican Era in Chinese to cart. $2.00, very good condition, Sold by Books From California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Simi Valley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1975 by Free Press.
Add this copy of China in Disintegration: the Republican Era in Chinese to cart. $2.22, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1975 by Free Press.
Add this copy of China in Disintegration, 1912-49 to cart. $4.00, very good condition, Sold by Becker's Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Houston, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1976 by Free Press.
Add this copy of China in Disintegration: the Republican Era in Chinese to cart. $5.84, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1975 by Free Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of China in Disintegration: the Republican Era in Chinese to cart. $5.94, very good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1975 by Free Press.
Add this copy of China in Disintegration: the Republican Era in Chinese to cart. $7.00, good condition, Sold by Dunaway Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Saint Louis, MO, UNITED STATES, published 1975 by Free Press.
Add this copy of China in Disintegration (Transformation of Modern China to cart. $7.29, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Free Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Add this copy of China in Disintegration: the Republican Era in Chinese to cart. $12.00, good condition, Sold by JB Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Garrison, ND, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Free Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good. Book A detailed history of republican China prior to the communist takeover in 1949, discussing the issues of natioanl integration and revolution, the birth fo the republican form of government there, urban intellectualism, coalitions and competition between political and economic elites, warlordism, the war with Japan, the rise of communism, much more. Softcover, contains map, notes, suggesting reading list, indexed, 338pp., some pages show highlighting or underlinings. A very good reading and working copy. Size: 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall.
Add this copy of China in Disintegration (Transformation of Modern China to cart. $12.49, good condition, Sold by FirstClassBooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Little Rock, AR, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Free Press.
