China: From Permanent Revolution to Counter-Revolution

by John Peter Roberts

This book answers the - What was the class composition and class nature of the Chinese Communist Party when it took power in 1949? - What forces pushed the Mao regime, despite its explicitly class-collaborationist strategy, to take measures which were objectively socialist and to establish the Chinese workers' state? - The Chinese Revolution was a practical test of both Trotsky's theory of permanent revolution and Mao's theory of uninterrupted revolution by stages. Which theory matched reality? - The degeneration of the Chinese People's Republic has confirmed that without a political revolution, a Stalinist regime will inevitably return to capitalism, but how did that process unfold? The author also argues that the policies adopted by the Chinese Communist party towards women were a direct measure of its revolutionary commitment. Throughout the book, how the activities of the CCP impinged upon the mass of Chinese women is used as a measure of its socialist credentials. This book also describes how the return to capitalism has meant that many of the gains made by Chinese women have been, and are being, taken away.

Genres: China, History, Nonfiction, Politics

520 pages, Paperback

Published January 21, 2016

Reviews

[Liza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well researched and detailed piece analyzing the Chinese revolutions and what happened in before and after 1925-27, in 1949, during the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, the rise of Deng Xiaoping, and in general China's long ride to capitalism. The book talks about the degeneration of the Chinese Communist Party and whether or not the CCP had such a bureaucratic outlook. Some of the other central questions discussed in this book: Who was Mao, his position in the CCP and how did he take power and transform Chinese history. In particular, the author wrote extensively about the position of women before and after 1949, where the Chinese Revolution eliminated feudal-era practices such as foot binding and for the first time in history, landlordism, imperialism and capitalism were abolished. The author extensively writes about the relationship among the stride for women liberation, the role of the family and the role of the CCP in achieving it. The role of Stalinism in China resulted in limitations due to the idea of socialism in one country which ultimately resulted in China degenerating back to capitalism over a long period of time. What is China now as a modern capitalist state and is there a possibility of another revolution? What is the role of the Chinese working class where world capitalism is at an impasse? The author talks about the current workers struggle fighting CCP's crude capitalist policies and its potential in the future. To rephrase Napolean, once the Chinese working class takes power, they will transform the world. Definitely recommend reading!

[dell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a read! This was my first detailed excursion into Chinese history and politics and it did not disappoint. From the major facts of all 3 official Chinese revolutions, political careers of each most important Chinese revolutionaries & politicians, comparisons to both Western political arenas as well as to the Russian revolution and connections to other Asian & colonial nations, this book was the perfect introduction to one of the most important nations in the world today.

Cramming 120 years of history from a nation as old and complex as China was no easy task, let alone turning it into a thrilling read that holds many answers to questions posed in the 10 years since its publishing. This book is a treasure trove of information about Asia as a whole, revolutionary movements in colonial countries, and comparing various political currents, material conditions, and international events against one another in a clear and accessible way.

John Peter Roberts you will always be famous… what a time to be a member of the RCI

[Ben Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and concrete in its analysis. One thing I would have appreciated is a brief section on Maoism itself, especially the perceptions (mostly positive) of Mao by some “leftists”. Answers to questions such as:
Why does Mao have the reputation of killing landlords when his whole intent was allying with the national bourgeoisie and the KMT, and leaving large landholders alone? Perhaps it stems from his treatment of the large peasant landholders?
Since the book describes China and Maoism as Stalinist, how does Maoism claim to differentiate itself from Stalin? Or does it?
These are likely questions for a different book. Either way the book is great.

[Thomas Soud]

Comprehensive Analysis of China from 1900-2016

A very accessible and comprehensive work into the history of China for the past 100 years. Roberts explains and defends a Marxist analysis of a country which has seen all sorts of contradictory movements.

[Juan Pablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has answered so many questions for me & further solidifies what I understand to be why Stalinism isn’t valid & how it has set the movement back tremendously. This is an important read to understand where the movement is today & learn from the mistakes of the past so as to not to commit fatal errors.

The book goes from the Revolution in the 20’s up to China & how it functions in the present day. It highlights the importance of having workers in control & having them properly organized. Class Collaboration is not the way. That is the way of the Stalinist model & it pushes Socialist Revolution to some distant time in the future, meanwhile the workers are still exploited & don’t get what they need to subsist.

Mao’s actions every step of the way were a betrayal of the working class & concrete events are what forced his hand in regard to aligning with the peasants post WW II, not action flowing from a legit Marxist analysis meant to follow the will of the working class. Every move was made to maintain the privileges & riches of the Bureaucracy & nothing else. It serves is another example outside of the U.S.S.R. not only as to why the Stalinist model is not one to follow, but also as confirmation of Trotsky’s understanding that the establishment & maintenance of the bureaucracy in what is or should be a worker’s state, can pave the way for capitalist restoration which is what has happened in Russia & China & Cuba could be well on its way soon if it’s not on it’s way already.

You can move forward, but not without the people.

[Ben Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye-opening read highlighting the contradictions of China as a ‘socialist revolutionary state’ under Mao. The book explains how class-collaboration and counter-revolutionary policy essentially destroyed china’s chances of a proletarian revolution, and set the stage for China’s return to capitalism.
The book includes an insightful analysis into the flawed Stalinist theory of revolution in stages, and proposes that Trotsky’s theory of uninterrupted revolution was not truly tested in China.
An essential read for anybody wanting to understand the factors leading to the return of China to capitalism in the late 20th and early 21st century.

[Aleks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting account of the Chinese revolution through a Marxist analyst. My conclusion: real communism has never been tried. All bad things that have happened under supposed Communist regimes were because they weren't actually Communist or Communist enough.

When will Marxists learn that the development of a bloated, corrupt bureaucratic state is the end result of a Marxist revolution rather than a tragic byproduct or a derailing? It is as predictable as any of the results of a capitalist economy.

[Solov · Rating 5 out of 5]

这是我读到的第一本托派视角的中共党史，过去我已经阅读过毛派、官方、自由派以及国外视角的相关史书。
过去仅存的对毛以及毛主义的错误幻想都被这本书打破了，是时候将毛主义抛弃在历史的长河里，用更加正确的理论指导自己前进了。