People's China: A Brief History

By Craig Dietrich

Book Overview

This standard text has been updated to take into account China's increasing economic liberalization along with its continuing authoritarianism in the late 1990's. Beginning with the sweeping changes which occurred when Mao Zedong and the Communists defeated Chiang Kai-shek in 1949 and took over a China which was still reeling from World War II, People's China introduces us to the unique characters and events which have shaped recent Chinese history. With remarkable economy, People's China chronologically unpacks the essential story of modern China -- the historical background, the ideologies, the grand economic achievements, and the cruel repression.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195106288
• ISBN13: 9780195106282
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 1.0" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Good introduction for students and curious general readers

The purposes of Dietrich's book should be kept in mind. The book is not a detailed scholarly book and does not pretend to be. It is, however, a fair-minded and useful introduction to the PRC's history for students at the beginning undergraduate level. Students and China buffs must begin somewhere, after all, and Dietrich's book is as good as any (and much better than many) for this purpose. I have happily used the book for introductory classes I have taught in major U.S. and Canadian universities.