Revolutionary Transformations (Paperback)

Anja Blanke

ISBN 10: 1009304097 / ISBN 13: 9781009304092

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2025

About this Item

Paperback. Using first-hand material from Chinese archives that are no longer open to researchers, and bringing together a leading team of international scholars, this volume is a major contribution to the study of the People's Republic of China. Calling into question existing narratives on the foundational decade of the PRC, these essays present a nuanced consideration of China in the 1950s by integrating two periods that are often considered separately: the relatively 'happy' years 19491956 with the relatively 'unhappy' years from 1957 onwards. Exploring the challenges faced in constructing socialism, the transnational context, and early modes of PRC governance, the contributors highlight the ways in which China was shaped by diversity on all levels and scales in how socialism was enacted and experienced. These essays clearly demonstrate how the unevenness of Party control created discrepancies and variations between different regions and between the center and the locale. Based on first-hand archival material, this volume brings together insightful new essays on the theme of China's revolutionary transformation in the 1950s, calling into question existing narratives on the foundational decade of the People's Republic of China. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781009304092

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Revolutionary Transformations (Paperback)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1009304097
• ISBN 13: 9781009304092
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Using first-hand material from Chinese archives that are no longer open to researchers, and bringing together a leading team of international scholars, this volume is a major contribution to the study of the People's Republic of China. Calling into question existing narratives on the foundational decade of the PRC, these essays present a nuanced consideration of China in the 1950s by integrating two periods that are often considered separately: the relatively 'happy' years 1949–1956 with the relatively 'unhappy' years from 1957 onwards. Exploring the challenges faced in constructing socialism, the transnational context, and early modes of PRC governance, the contributors highlight the ways in which China was shaped by diversity on all levels and scales in how socialism was enacted and experienced. These essays clearly demonstrate how the unevenness of Party control created discrepancies and variations between different regions and between the center and the locale.

About the Authors

Anja Blanke is a Research Fellow at Zeppelin Universität.

Julia C. Strauss is Professor of Chinese Politics at SOAS, University of London.

Klaus Mühlhahn is President and Chair of Modern China studies at Zeppelin Universität.