Politics in China: An Introduction, Second Edition

by William A. Joseph (editor)

On October 1, 2009, the People's Republic of China (PRC) celebrated the 60th anniversary of its founding. And what an eventful and tumultuous six decades it had been. During that time, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), China was transformed from one of the world's poorest countries into the world's fastest growing major economy, and from a weak state barely able to govern or protect its own territory to a rising power that is challenging the United States for global influence.

Over those same years, the PRC also experienced the most deadly famine in human history, caused largely by the actions and inactions of its political leaders. Not long after, there was a collapse of government authority that pushed the country to the brink of (and in some places actually into) civil war and anarchy.

Today, China is, for the most part, peaceful, prospering, and proud. This is the China that was on display for the world to see during the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The CCP maintains a firm grip on power through a combination of popular support largely based on its recent record of promoting rapid economic growth and harsh repression of political opposition. Yet, the party and country face serious challenges on many fronts, including a slowing economy, environmental desecration, pervasive corruption, extreme inequalities, and a rising tide of social protest.

Politics in China is an authoritative introduction to how the world's most populous nation and rapidly rising global power is governed today. Written by leading China scholars, the book's chapters offers accessible overviews of major periods in China's modern political history from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, key topics in contemporary Chinese politics, and developments in four important areas located on China's geographic periphery: Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Genres: China, Politics, Nonfiction, History, Asia, Political Science, Academic

576 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2010

Reviews

[Peter Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let the textbook-like title turn you off. "Politics in China" is the best book I have ever read on Chinese politics. Edited volumes can been extremely uneven, but each chapter in this book is consistently excellent. Given that China has such a complex, opaque and multifaceted polity, having each chapter written by a specialist on the given topic is a wise choice.

The book is also truly comprehensive and extremely well organized. The first half actually makes a fine book all by itself: Part 1 explores the salient aspects of China's (political) history, while Part 2 provides the nuts and bolts of what makes the Chinese state tick. However, it is the second half of the book that really sets in apart from other books: Part 3 covers a range of fascinating issue areas, while Part 4 focuses on China's periphery (Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan). Harvard's "The China Questions" was published more recently, but it really only supplements this fine work. I look forward to the Third Edition!

[Thomas Ray]

JQ1510 P655 2010 College Library rm 1191, has 1st edition 2010 only

[Bertrand · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good textbook on post-Mao politics in China. Nothing extraordinary, but an effective and accessible (though dry) introduction to the topic. We start with a very short introduction to China's pre-communist history, move on to an overview of the CCP rule up to Mao's death, and then to the Deng Xiaoping era. The next three chapters are thematic, concerned with the place of Marxism (and other doctrines) since the reform era, the CCP's structure and Chinese economy (a little dated). The following chapters explore specific themes, Urban and Rural China first, followed by (too) short case-studies on the arts and the environment, and more substantial ones on healthcare and population control. The last part examines China's 'peripheries', with chapters on Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong (and Macau), and finally Taiwan.
The book is balanced and to the point; I don't have enough knowledge of the subject to pass a conclusive judgement on what was picked versus what was left out, but I found in there what I was looking for.

[Jitendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is excellent book for beginners to learn about recent(last 300 yrs)Chinese political history. The book is divided into four parts. First part is about political history of China, this part excellently explains fall of Qing dynasty followed by economic & political instability, origin of Chinese Communist Party (CCP), civil war and CCP forming People's republic of China, infamous Mao's 'Experiments and disasters' and also Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms that led massive growth in Chinese economy.

Second part covers CCP's ideology, governance and political economy. This part gives you glimpse of structure of china's governing body as well as structure CCP and how CCP wields its control over China. Third part is dedicated to China policy toward Rural and Urban China. Later case studies were done in the field of Art, environment, public health and population. Fourth part that is last part covers politics on China's periphery specifically Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, also how China deals with it.

In summary, This is really good book to start with if you want to learn about politics in China. No prior knowledge of China is required.

[Alexander W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will never regret buying this textbook. Gives you a digestible and easy-to-approach overview on the history, political philosophy, public policy, and major issues surrounding one of the world's most enigmatic countries. With the recent rise of China, this is a must read to understand its political machine.

[Rajiv]

need to read this book earliest

[isabelle ‘izzy’ kratz:)]

Very insightful for someone who had zero previous knowledge about China's political system, their relationships with Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and their history with Mao. A bit dry at times, but it's part history part politics, so that's par for the course.
Regardless, I learned a lot.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good overview of Chinese politics, from the history to ideology to relevant current topics in the political system.