China's Communist Revolutions: Fifty Years of The People's Republic of China - Hardcover

During its fifty years of existence the People's Republic of China has seen dramatic changes, from the proclamation of the independent state through the period of the Communist Revolution, the Cultural Revolution, the Reform Period. These changes are analysed from the political, economic and social points of view, chllaenging accepted orthodoxy. Throughout, the emphasis is on change in the context of contemporary China, and as part of the Chinese Communist Party's search for paths to development.

This volume presents papers by international scholars on the economic, social and political environments out of which the PRC emerged and the socio-political impact of communist power since then. The contributions present interpretations of key aspects of reform such as economic structures, foreign policy and political change, and the socio-political impact of communist power. The book challenges the accepted orthodoxy about the Cultural Revolution. Throughout, the emphasis is on change in the context of 20th century China, and as part of the Chinese Communist Party's search for paths to development: hence the title that speaks in the plural about revolutions. This review of social and political change is highly topical in view of the PRC's recent 50th anniversary.