The great chinese revolution 1800-1985 book review

It is a chronological account of the county’s quest for modernity. There are several themes discussed in the book to explain China’s history. The book explains how China’s democracy developed from the time Ming Dynasty, with several revolutions including those in the times of Mao, into Deng era. While some are minor themes, others are important themes. The major items of the book are some of the things that Fairbank has been preaching in the recent past. He also links the country’s communism in the past with the present day by suggesting that “today’s all providing, all controlling work unit is an update of the old family system” (358). Fairbank explains several steps that led to the establishment of communism in modern China.

He tells that the activities of the Cultural Revolution, led by Mao Zedong; that primarily aimed at eliminating remnants of capitalism in China. It was also aimed at establishing communism. The movement that was launched in 1966 led to public humiliations, torture and other effects such as displacement of people from the urban to the rural areas. Besides, the author uses the Chinese names to explain to the audience that he understands the past and the social structure of the people well. He uses words such as “Deng Hsiaop'ing. ” Also, he uses the similarities that existed between the Lotus White Rebellion and Taipei Rebellion. The author also provides definitive evidence that suggest his argument too. Fairbank describes China as it was and China as it is today.

Some of his ideas about continuity seem to be parallel to one another. He, for example; suggests that Deng’s post-Mao reforms “won public acceptance” (342). He also adds that reforms by Tang also won public acceptance “after the grandiose excess of the Sui” (343). Such parallels are not effective for simplifying continuity that is necessary for understanding a particular history. The parallels mislead rather than clarifying and may explain the unchanging nature of China. His main argument is that the West influenced China's history. However, he thinks that the influence that the West had on China is far less than previous scholars believed. Whether the West heavily or slightly influenced China's is a whole topic of discussion. However, it needs not to have any bearing on the moral worth of the Chinese.