What do you think?
Rate this book
China’s Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New Nationalism
Chinese leaders once tried to suppress memories of their nation's brutal experience during World War II. Now they celebrate the "victory"--a key foundation of China's rising nationalism.
For most of its history, the People's Republic of China limited public discussion of the war against Japan. It was an experience of victimization--and one that saw Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek fighting for the same goals. But now, as China grows more powerful, the meaning of the war is changing. Rana Mitter argues that China's reassessment of the World War II years is central to its newfound confidence abroad and to mounting nationalism at home.
China's Good War begins with the academics who shepherded the once-taboo subject into wider discourse. Encouraged by reforms under Deng Xiaoping, they researched the Guomindang war effort, collaboration with the Japanese, and China's role in forming the post-1945 global order. But interest in the war would not stay confined to scholarly journals. Today public sites of memory--including museums, movies and television shows, street art, popular writing, and social media--define the war as a founding myth for an ascendant China. Wartime China emerges as victor rather than victim.
The shifting story has nurtured a number of new views. One rehabilitates Chiang Kai-shek's war efforts, minimizing the bloody conflicts between him and Mao and aiming to heal the wounds of the Cultural Revolution. Another narrative positions Beijing as creator and protector of the international order that emerged from the war--an order, China argues, under threat today largely from the United States. China's radical reassessment of its collective memory of the war has created a new foundation for a people destined to shape the world.
For most of its history, the People's Republic of China limited public discussion of the war against Japan. It was an experience of victimization--and one that saw Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek fighting for the same goals. But now, as China grows more powerful, the meaning of the war is changing. Rana Mitter argues that China's reassessment of the World War II years is central to its newfound confidence abroad and to mounting nationalism at home.
China's Good War begins with the academics who shepherded the once-taboo subject into wider discourse. Encouraged by reforms under Deng Xiaoping, they researched the Guomindang war effort, collaboration with the Japanese, and China's role in forming the post-1945 global order. But interest in the war would not stay confined to scholarly journals. Today public sites of memory--including museums, movies and television shows, street art, popular writing, and social media--define the war as a founding myth for an ascendant China. Wartime China emerges as victor rather than victim.
The shifting story has nurtured a number of new views. One rehabilitates Chiang Kai-shek's war efforts, minimizing the bloody conflicts between him and Mao and aiming to heal the wounds of the Cultural Revolution. Another narrative positions Beijing as creator and protector of the international order that emerged from the war--an order, China argues, under threat today largely from the United States. China's radical reassessment of its collective memory of the war has created a new foundation for a people destined to shape the world.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2020
44 people are currently reading
765 people want to read
About the author
Rana Mitter
13 books130 followersRana Shantashil Rajyeswar Mitter is a professor of modern Chinese history at the University of Oxford and the author of several books including A Bitter Revolution. He is a regular contributor to British television and radio. His writing has appeared in the Financial Times, the Guardian, and elsewhere.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 18, 2020
This volume by Rana Mitter might be thought of as a kind of sequel to his previous work on the Second-Sino Japanese War. Where his other work focused on the lead up to and the course of the war from 1937-1945, this book focuses on the historical memory of the war, and its continued discussion in academia, in popular culture, and its use in narrative framing by the People's Republic of China today.
East Asia today has no NATO. It had no unified Marshall Plan, only separate occupations. In the region, there is a conspicuous lack of international organizations and agreements to foster cooperation or even intergovernmental communication. Even among nations that are both allied to the United States, cooperation is a difficult business, as seen in the near-collapse of an intelligence-sharing agreement between South Korea and Japan last year. This partially has to do with the fact that the wars did not stop in 1945 - first with the Chinese Civil War which saw Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalist government defeated and exiled to Taiwan, and in 1949 with the start of the Korean War. While arrangements were made for China to join international organizations have a greater stake in the postwar arrangement of the world, this fell through with the defeat of the Nationalists and the subsequent chill in relations between Communist China and the United States.
In the first decades of the People's Republic of China, the narrative about the Second World War was to emphasize the role of the Communist forces and downplay the Nationalists. This ignored the much larger Nationalist army, which was involved in almost all of the set-piece battles. But in later decades, as the Chinese Communist Party abandoned revolutionary communism and moved towards promoting its own degree of nationalism and aggrievement at China's past humiliation by foreign powers, this story began to change.
The emphasis on Mao himself and his comrades has given way to a narrative emphasizing all of China's role in combatting Japan and having played a greater role in establishing how the world looks after 1945. Mitter makes a serious investigation into how this story has changed in academic history, in pop culture (the production of so many TV series and movies), and eventually as a narrative framework for foreign policy. Nationalist generals are regarded as more heroic (though it helps to have defected to the Communists later), though movies about the Nationalists' conduct in the war could be pulled if they still step over an unspoken line - see the unexplained delay of a war film on the defense by the 88th Infantry Division in Shanghai in 1937.
But as the last veterans of that war pass away, and the events of 1937-1945 fade from living memory into history, one wonders how much cachet this new story has, and if this change will have any success in terms of communication and sharing mutual values or interests. While it is possible for China to continue to advance itself in terms of international organizations and agreements - the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in November 2020 looks like a success in that area - one must wonder where or how China can communicate its presentation of history to the world.
East Asia today has no NATO. It had no unified Marshall Plan, only separate occupations. In the region, there is a conspicuous lack of international organizations and agreements to foster cooperation or even intergovernmental communication. Even among nations that are both allied to the United States, cooperation is a difficult business, as seen in the near-collapse of an intelligence-sharing agreement between South Korea and Japan last year. This partially has to do with the fact that the wars did not stop in 1945 - first with the Chinese Civil War which saw Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalist government defeated and exiled to Taiwan, and in 1949 with the start of the Korean War. While arrangements were made for China to join international organizations have a greater stake in the postwar arrangement of the world, this fell through with the defeat of the Nationalists and the subsequent chill in relations between Communist China and the United States.
In the first decades of the People's Republic of China, the narrative about the Second World War was to emphasize the role of the Communist forces and downplay the Nationalists. This ignored the much larger Nationalist army, which was involved in almost all of the set-piece battles. But in later decades, as the Chinese Communist Party abandoned revolutionary communism and moved towards promoting its own degree of nationalism and aggrievement at China's past humiliation by foreign powers, this story began to change.
The emphasis on Mao himself and his comrades has given way to a narrative emphasizing all of China's role in combatting Japan and having played a greater role in establishing how the world looks after 1945. Mitter makes a serious investigation into how this story has changed in academic history, in pop culture (the production of so many TV series and movies), and eventually as a narrative framework for foreign policy. Nationalist generals are regarded as more heroic (though it helps to have defected to the Communists later), though movies about the Nationalists' conduct in the war could be pulled if they still step over an unspoken line - see the unexplained delay of a war film on the defense by the 88th Infantry Division in Shanghai in 1937.
But as the last veterans of that war pass away, and the events of 1937-1945 fade from living memory into history, one wonders how much cachet this new story has, and if this change will have any success in terms of communication and sharing mutual values or interests. While it is possible for China to continue to advance itself in terms of international organizations and agreements - the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in November 2020 looks like a success in that area - one must wonder where or how China can communicate its presentation of history to the world.
November 20, 2020
led here by a guest appearance of rana mitter on rachman review
loved it! this book reminds me of all the things i love(d) about history while i was still in school - contentious start/end dates (the start date of the war of resistance has been co-opted by the political body in china to justify their own ideological aims), historiography and memory, famous concepts ('soft power' a la joseph nye, 'present at creation' a la dean acheson, 'liberal leviathan' a la ikenberry -- big tbt to my JC history notes), and obviously the enduring legacy of ww2.
a surprisingly quick and captivating read
loved it! this book reminds me of all the things i love(d) about history while i was still in school - contentious start/end dates (the start date of the war of resistance has been co-opted by the political body in china to justify their own ideological aims), historiography and memory, famous concepts ('soft power' a la joseph nye, 'present at creation' a la dean acheson, 'liberal leviathan' a la ikenberry -- big tbt to my JC history notes), and obviously the enduring legacy of ww2.
a surprisingly quick and captivating read
November 20, 2020
Scholarly work examining the evolving view of WWII in China. Certainly China was heavily involved in WWII as a result of Japan’s attempt to colonize the country. But China’s Civil War just after WWII obscured the events of WWII and drove the focus on the Communist Party’s success in the Civil War. Since Mao’s death, Chinese historians and politicians are re-examining the country’s WWII experience to underpin Chinese ascendance into world leadership. A good book for a graduate class looking at recent Chinese history.
April 11, 2022
Interesting book about how various actors are trying to shape the narrative around China's role in WW2. This includes an interesting set of examples from academic research to Chinese cinema (apparently a film with Bruce Willis) through to Chinese politicians. Generally, they want to pit China as in a heroic fight against Imperial Japan, which involves acknowledging the role of Chiang Kai-shek and glossing over collaboration.
Honestly, I lacked the background knowledge to fully appreciate the work and implications. Still, I'm in awe of how good historical scholarship can be. Makes my own field look like a bunch of charlatans, well we are...
Honestly, I lacked the background knowledge to fully appreciate the work and implications. Still, I'm in awe of how good historical scholarship can be. Makes my own field look like a bunch of charlatans, well we are...
February 1, 2022
Very informative and detailed analysis of the development and changes of the Chinese interpretation of WWII and the possible aims of the Chinese government in shifting narratives around it.
(Maybe I will write a more detailed review later.)
(Maybe I will write a more detailed review later.)
October 5, 2021
As China changes, so does its view of history.
“China’s Good War” analyses the role that the Second World War has started playing, especially in recent years, in both internal Chinese nationalism and in its view of how it should be seen by the world. Its written by Rana Mitter, an authority on modern Chinese history and politics at the University of Oxford.
The author has written 3 other books on modern Chinese history, with the last, well-acclaimed one titled ‘Forgotten Ally’ centring on how China’s role in the War has rarely been acknowledged in the same way that the other Allies, especially US, UK, the Soviets, and European allies’, have been. He can therefore be termed as not just an authority on China (which will be evident to the reader), but also a reasonably sympathetic one.
Starting at the end of the Second World War, Mitter shows how for China the end of the Japanese occupation (WW2 is officially known in China as the War of Resistance to Japan) didn’t lead to a period of peace and growth. This is unlike the case in all the other protagonists of the War, the victors as well as the vanquished, who all enjoyed relative stability and peaceful growth under the new world order.
China’s case was thus rather unique among the major combatants.
The end of the war in China was quickly followed by the climax of a vicious Civil war that had intermittently raged alongside throughout this period. The establishment of the PRC in 1949 led to a period of upheaval with revolutionary ideology and class warfare at the top of the Maoist agenda. Thus followed the disastrous Cultural revolution, collectivisations, and famines, while all the while the political as well as economic model remained autarkic.
An added quirk was that the China that fought with the Allies was the Nationalist China, led by Chiang Kai Shek, whose Kuomintang were defeated by Mao Tse-Tung’s Communists in the Civil War. It was supremely inconvenient for the Communists that their internal archenemy was the face of China to the world during the War – and was likely the main reason why the Americans strongly endorsed the Chinese permanent membership to the UN Security Council. Thus, during this period, the narrative of the war was subsumed by the more politically important narrative of the Communist victory over the Nationalists. This also explains the different treatments of the War and post-war history in Chongqing and Yan’an, respectively the bases for long of the Nationalists and the Communists respectively.
The death of Mao in the Seventies led to a more open and less ideological discussion of the War. The book covers both these periods and analyses the discussions in some detail. Moving forward, it then goes on to show how as China emerged as an economic power, the CCP started moulding the narrative of WW2 into the story of Chinese nationalism. Museums were opened, anti-Japanese feelings were strategically and tactically stoked, and popular (albeit tightly controlled) media such as movies and social media started focussing more on the war stories. More recently, greater efforts have started to reclaim China’s place as a leading player on the victorious side of the war.
The last point handily leads to Chinese expectations, and demands, for a greater say in the current world order. These could be in the form of highlighting the Cairo conference rather than the Yalta, Potsdam and Teheran conferences which resonate more with Western observers and students – Cairo was the only one attended by Chiang, although not by Stalin, arguably a more important global player then. Or in the Chinese claim to sovereignty in the South China Sea, and in putting forward the Belt and Road as a kind of new Marshall Plan.
All of the above is well detailed. Be warned, however, that China’s Good War is not a narrative description, or a breezy pop-history of the kind made fashionable by the likes of Niall Ferguson and William Dalrymple. Instead, this is an academician’s work – a well written one no doubt, and a rigorous one at that. But it is likely to appeal more to someone with a specific research interest in the subject rather than a general reader, who may find some of the minutiae - such as the commonality and differences in the writing style of Du Zhongyuan, the editor of the leading political magazine in 1930’s China, and Fang Jun, a more recent commentator writing in the Nineties. That’s the reason I have given it a three, rather than higher, rating.
“China’s Good War” analyses the role that the Second World War has started playing, especially in recent years, in both internal Chinese nationalism and in its view of how it should be seen by the world. Its written by Rana Mitter, an authority on modern Chinese history and politics at the University of Oxford.
The author has written 3 other books on modern Chinese history, with the last, well-acclaimed one titled ‘Forgotten Ally’ centring on how China’s role in the War has rarely been acknowledged in the same way that the other Allies, especially US, UK, the Soviets, and European allies’, have been. He can therefore be termed as not just an authority on China (which will be evident to the reader), but also a reasonably sympathetic one.
Starting at the end of the Second World War, Mitter shows how for China the end of the Japanese occupation (WW2 is officially known in China as the War of Resistance to Japan) didn’t lead to a period of peace and growth. This is unlike the case in all the other protagonists of the War, the victors as well as the vanquished, who all enjoyed relative stability and peaceful growth under the new world order.
China’s case was thus rather unique among the major combatants.
The end of the war in China was quickly followed by the climax of a vicious Civil war that had intermittently raged alongside throughout this period. The establishment of the PRC in 1949 led to a period of upheaval with revolutionary ideology and class warfare at the top of the Maoist agenda. Thus followed the disastrous Cultural revolution, collectivisations, and famines, while all the while the political as well as economic model remained autarkic.
An added quirk was that the China that fought with the Allies was the Nationalist China, led by Chiang Kai Shek, whose Kuomintang were defeated by Mao Tse-Tung’s Communists in the Civil War. It was supremely inconvenient for the Communists that their internal archenemy was the face of China to the world during the War – and was likely the main reason why the Americans strongly endorsed the Chinese permanent membership to the UN Security Council. Thus, during this period, the narrative of the war was subsumed by the more politically important narrative of the Communist victory over the Nationalists. This also explains the different treatments of the War and post-war history in Chongqing and Yan’an, respectively the bases for long of the Nationalists and the Communists respectively.
The death of Mao in the Seventies led to a more open and less ideological discussion of the War. The book covers both these periods and analyses the discussions in some detail. Moving forward, it then goes on to show how as China emerged as an economic power, the CCP started moulding the narrative of WW2 into the story of Chinese nationalism. Museums were opened, anti-Japanese feelings were strategically and tactically stoked, and popular (albeit tightly controlled) media such as movies and social media started focussing more on the war stories. More recently, greater efforts have started to reclaim China’s place as a leading player on the victorious side of the war.
The last point handily leads to Chinese expectations, and demands, for a greater say in the current world order. These could be in the form of highlighting the Cairo conference rather than the Yalta, Potsdam and Teheran conferences which resonate more with Western observers and students – Cairo was the only one attended by Chiang, although not by Stalin, arguably a more important global player then. Or in the Chinese claim to sovereignty in the South China Sea, and in putting forward the Belt and Road as a kind of new Marshall Plan.
All of the above is well detailed. Be warned, however, that China’s Good War is not a narrative description, or a breezy pop-history of the kind made fashionable by the likes of Niall Ferguson and William Dalrymple. Instead, this is an academician’s work – a well written one no doubt, and a rigorous one at that. But it is likely to appeal more to someone with a specific research interest in the subject rather than a general reader, who may find some of the minutiae - such as the commonality and differences in the writing style of Du Zhongyuan, the editor of the leading political magazine in 1930’s China, and Fang Jun, a more recent commentator writing in the Nineties. That’s the reason I have given it a three, rather than higher, rating.
September 30, 2021
For better or worse, history is often used by politicians to justify domestic decisions and actions on the world stage. For example, a typical person from the United States thinks that the presence of US military bases around the world is reasonable because the US was a victor in World War II and took on the responsibility of maintaining global stability. In recent years, China’s politicians and citizens have also found it useful to draw on their country’s role in World War II to explain present day behavior. What is interesting is that for many years, World War II did not played prominently in the popular narrative about China’s modern history. An obvious reason is that it’s not even called World War II in English - it’s called the War of Resistance Against Japan. However, beyond the naming differences, it has always been tricky for the Chinese government to talk about WWII because, in reality, the Communists were not a prominent player in that effort, not yet having attained control of the country at that time. Also, the Civil War and societal upheavals that occurred in China after 1949 have overshadowed the history before 1945.
Nonetheless, China’s current leaders have found it useful to draw from World War II history because it puts them at the source of the post-war global structure (the creation of the UN, etc). It gives them moral standing, as they fought fascism and imperialism, and they undoubtedly paid a high price in terms of lives lost and human suffering. This recognition of China’s role as a victor in World War II has allowed certain academics, writers, and filmmakers to further explore what happened in China during World War II.
In bringing the World War II years to light, however, some inconvenient truths emerge. For one, a significant number of Chinese people collaborated with the Japanese. Also, the inheritors of the World War II victory - those who accepted Japan’s surrender on the USS Missouri - are in Taiwan, and were kicked out of China In 1949, and have been declared illegitimate by the Communists since the Civil War began.
Rana Mitter’s writing is clear and is the type of writing that makes you want to follow up on his sources, be they movies or books. This is an idea book rather than a history book, and as such, might be more interesting for someone who has a bit of a foundation in Modern Asian history.
Thank you to King County Library for having an electronic copy of this book.
Nonetheless, China’s current leaders have found it useful to draw from World War II history because it puts them at the source of the post-war global structure (the creation of the UN, etc). It gives them moral standing, as they fought fascism and imperialism, and they undoubtedly paid a high price in terms of lives lost and human suffering. This recognition of China’s role as a victor in World War II has allowed certain academics, writers, and filmmakers to further explore what happened in China during World War II.
In bringing the World War II years to light, however, some inconvenient truths emerge. For one, a significant number of Chinese people collaborated with the Japanese. Also, the inheritors of the World War II victory - those who accepted Japan’s surrender on the USS Missouri - are in Taiwan, and were kicked out of China In 1949, and have been declared illegitimate by the Communists since the Civil War began.
Rana Mitter’s writing is clear and is the type of writing that makes you want to follow up on his sources, be they movies or books. This is an idea book rather than a history book, and as such, might be more interesting for someone who has a bit of a foundation in Modern Asian history.
Thank you to King County Library for having an electronic copy of this book.
May 1, 2021
Mitter's examination of how World War II influences Chinese nationalism today is an excellent examination of the subject. If the US and its allies and partners are going to compete with China, it would be useful to understand how historical grievances are used to manipulate public opinion.
Of course, all countries have shifting views of nationalism and governments draw from different segments of their populations to pursue different policy interests. Many countries have trouble developing nuanced understandings of troublesome aspects of their own nationalist narratives, and perhaps even fewer respect the narratives of other countries. This begs the question of why Chinese nationalism is worthy of particular examination and criticism. Part of the reason is that other as writers and scholars in other countries reflect on their country's pasts, the Chinese government is compelling scholars and citizens to adopt contradictory narratives. The most prominent is the contradiction in the CCP co-opting Nationalist military activity in World War II, Chiang Kai-shek diplomatic activities afterwards, and a single map that seems to portray the South China Sea as Chinese territory while continuing to reject the Nationalists' themselves.
I wish that Mitter had examined models of nationalism and compared China to other countries as it would have strengthened his overall narrative. Doing so would have drawn out what makes China unique from countries that support academic freedom and updated narratives of nationalism, even if parts of the population and prominent individuals reject reinterpretations. Delving into the differences between reinterpreting and revisionism in nationalist narratives would be an interesting next project.
Of course, all countries have shifting views of nationalism and governments draw from different segments of their populations to pursue different policy interests. Many countries have trouble developing nuanced understandings of troublesome aspects of their own nationalist narratives, and perhaps even fewer respect the narratives of other countries. This begs the question of why Chinese nationalism is worthy of particular examination and criticism. Part of the reason is that other as writers and scholars in other countries reflect on their country's pasts, the Chinese government is compelling scholars and citizens to adopt contradictory narratives. The most prominent is the contradiction in the CCP co-opting Nationalist military activity in World War II, Chiang Kai-shek diplomatic activities afterwards, and a single map that seems to portray the South China Sea as Chinese territory while continuing to reject the Nationalists' themselves.
I wish that Mitter had examined models of nationalism and compared China to other countries as it would have strengthened his overall narrative. Doing so would have drawn out what makes China unique from countries that support academic freedom and updated narratives of nationalism, even if parts of the population and prominent individuals reject reinterpretations. Delving into the differences between reinterpreting and revisionism in nationalist narratives would be an interesting next project.
May 11, 2024
This book was at times super fascinating to me, and at others a bit boring and detail-heavy. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but given that it was essentially an easy read, I kept at it. It was hard for me to make out the author's ideological slant. My impression was that he was a bit anti-China, especially when it came to his assertion that Japan has fully recognized their wartime legacy. I have a close Japanese friend who has been living outside of Japan for some time now, and she is adamant in her assertion that, in her experience on the ground, Japan has not fully accepted its wartime legacy. The notion that China's grievances with Japan are not entirely in good faith, then, seems to be an attack against China and its intentions. Certainly, these Chinese claims may be self-serving to an extent - there's no denying that. But to discredit the underlying truth behind them paints China in a decidedly unfavorable light.
For that reason, despite recognizing the immense amount of quality research that went into it, I was ready to give the book a less favorable review. However, the conclusion pleasantly surprised me. The author, firstly, was able to summarize the entire book in an easily digestible and neat way. Given that there's so much to learn about in order to understand, insomuch as is possible, history and the current world order, such a neat summary is to be applauded and welcomed. And, finally, the author's assertion that "we are all living in China's postwar" hits home. I believe it is impossible for one to separate him or herself entirely from one's ideology, therefore no matter the author's view on China, this aspect can be forgiven. His final assertion, however, is entirely ideologically neutral - it would be hard to argue against the point he made here.
I have been interested in learning about China as the only serious competitor to the USA's unipolar world. However, I chose to read this book in particular because of the fact that the postwar order is, for the first time since it was created, in serious trouble. Certainly, things have undergone many changes since the creation, such as the collapse of Bretton Woods and later the Soviet Union, or the rise of China and changes in technology and economics. But now, in 2024, I believe we are beginning to see, for the first time, the potential for major conflict on a scale that we have not seen since the period of 1937-1945. The order that was established in the aftermath of 1945, with the ostensible intention of "never again", is under threat.
I do not know what role China will play in affairs going forward. What I do know is that China was present in that previous conflict, even if in a way that was not as decisive as that of other nations like the USA or Russia (USSR). And certainly, as the author indicates in his conclusion: China is and will be present in whatever is going to happen going forward.
For that reason, despite recognizing the immense amount of quality research that went into it, I was ready to give the book a less favorable review. However, the conclusion pleasantly surprised me. The author, firstly, was able to summarize the entire book in an easily digestible and neat way. Given that there's so much to learn about in order to understand, insomuch as is possible, history and the current world order, such a neat summary is to be applauded and welcomed. And, finally, the author's assertion that "we are all living in China's postwar" hits home. I believe it is impossible for one to separate him or herself entirely from one's ideology, therefore no matter the author's view on China, this aspect can be forgiven. His final assertion, however, is entirely ideologically neutral - it would be hard to argue against the point he made here.
I have been interested in learning about China as the only serious competitor to the USA's unipolar world. However, I chose to read this book in particular because of the fact that the postwar order is, for the first time since it was created, in serious trouble. Certainly, things have undergone many changes since the creation, such as the collapse of Bretton Woods and later the Soviet Union, or the rise of China and changes in technology and economics. But now, in 2024, I believe we are beginning to see, for the first time, the potential for major conflict on a scale that we have not seen since the period of 1937-1945. The order that was established in the aftermath of 1945, with the ostensible intention of "never again", is under threat.
I do not know what role China will play in affairs going forward. What I do know is that China was present in that previous conflict, even if in a way that was not as decisive as that of other nations like the USA or Russia (USSR). And certainly, as the author indicates in his conclusion: China is and will be present in whatever is going to happen going forward.
May 30, 2022
China's Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New Nationalism by Rana Mitter is an exploration into the ways in which the People's Republic of China has wrestled with the Second World War. Mitter's work speaks to the artificiality of China's relationship with its history, particularly with regard to history as both a weapon and a tool of great power politics. World War 2 has been made a more important fixture of Chinese history, Japanese atrocities have been magnified, and the Guomindang/KMT has been largely rehabilitated with a purpose in mind, leaving behind older ideas that were politically useful at a time of civil war and early cold war politics. This is a very useful book, but I am a little disappointed with the structure of the book. The first couple of chapters were profoundly useful, while the rest of the book were a more uneven series of thematic essays. Were there good details? Yes. Interviews with former KMT soldiers, WW2 propaganda going so far as to make the war a joke, a discussion of the 1942 famine, and China's reluctance to consider BRI to be a version of the Marshal Plan were all good material, but I would have rather desired the book to have a stronger chronological bent. As it is now, after starting strong, the book meanders some into theme.
87/100
87/100
April 12, 2021
I've been vaguely aware for awhile that there was an ongoing effort in the PRC to try and reintegrate the World War II experience of China into a usable past. Mitter provides the reader with an examination of the roots of this process in the wake of Mao's passing, as upon rejoining the world system, Beijing's Communist politicos needed to step away from their old verities of class warfare and autarchy, and the Nationalist experience was something that could be worked with when making claims upon the system. The issue now is how far can Beijing go demanding what is rightfully theirs, when what they call their right is hegemonic power in the Greater Asian area. The other issue is that the Communist claim to legitimacy is based on having rebuilt national power and provided economic security; what happens when the second falters?
I liked this book but in the apparent political demise of Donald Trump (or will Biden's administration be the blip), and the rising scorn against Beijing's oppression of the Uighurs, this book is already feeling a little dated. It's part of the reason I basically gave up on current-affairs books back in the 1990s.
I liked this book but in the apparent political demise of Donald Trump (or will Biden's administration be the blip), and the rising scorn against Beijing's oppression of the Uighurs, this book is already feeling a little dated. It's part of the reason I basically gave up on current-affairs books back in the 1990s.
August 31, 2023
Studying the history of a country through an international lens can be interesting or entertaining, but never fully realistic or truthful. As a foreigner, you always begin your study with prejudices, sometimes without even realising. Personally, I find that the current cultural surrounding is fundamental, as it's how a nation echoes its past.
That being said, Mitter manages to push the reader into understanding the Chinese post-war studies from a Chinese perspective, using a panoply of different public diplomacy tools, all duly grounded with examples and country-to-country comparisons. As with most academic reads, I found it quite dense sometimes, but nevertheless worth the time. After what I said above, I see the fallacy/irony of choosing an American author, but nevertheless recommend it!
That being said, Mitter manages to push the reader into understanding the Chinese post-war studies from a Chinese perspective, using a panoply of different public diplomacy tools, all duly grounded with examples and country-to-country comparisons. As with most academic reads, I found it quite dense sometimes, but nevertheless worth the time. After what I said above, I see the fallacy/irony of choosing an American author, but nevertheless recommend it!
January 27, 2022
In this book the second world war (or the war of resistance against Japanese aggression) gets to be fought again in the history books and then once more in the movie theatres.
It’s a book with a specific focus, and a thesis which I found a little thin, which make this a pretty dry affair. But it’s a thorough examination of how a repressive society run by authoritarians bends and rewrites history. There’s lots of detail and nuance as we see how the regime waxes and wanes on the complexities of the Nationalists role in WW2. The sections on the interface between academia and the CCP are of some interest though hard going. The chapters on the use and manipulation of mass media to shift the collective memory of a nation are the most engaging.
March 12, 2025
There is a reason why Mitter is the goat of china history. Like in ‘Bitter Revolution’, Mitter revisits the concept of memory in Chinese history now taking a more contemporary focus. As always his mastery of the historiography and scholarship is superb, and his research from Chinese online culture to literature convincingly oscillates between the micro and macro. At points, I felt the stamina of his argument waned and greater cohesion especially at the middle to bring together the many narratives he explored would have been useful given the sheer chronological and geographical depth of analysis.
May 7, 2022
An interesting read that uses a variety of sources, including cultural items like modern movies, to explore how China’s memory and narrative of World War II changed in the postwar period. Most interesting was the rehabilitation of the Nationalists as part of the resistance to Japan in the PRC. Interesting to see how China’s view of itself and this war plays a role in its support for the postwar order in Asia, especially post Trump.
December 17, 2024
Some good info here, however I probably should have started with Modern Chinese History 101. Being a good American, I knew very little and had to google quite a few basics for background… Long story short, China’s view of WWII and the way they present it has changed with the changing needs of the party. Now I need a very good basic history of the Chinese Revolution and the war.
January 10, 2022
A little scattershot, but a very good book and maybe the best book out there on the subject. Forgotten Ally is a great book along the same lines but doesn't have the contemporary focus this one does.
July 2, 2023
Fascinating
December 13, 2023
I was surprised to know that the Chinese don't celebrate its victory in the World War 2 like other Allied Powers just because those who fought the war belonged to the regime communists overthrew.
November 12, 2024
有一点新鲜处是胡乔木在改革开放后抗战史书写中的作用
February 21, 2022
Insightful book on China's narrative on the Second World War, mixing academic debates with analysis on current geopolitical trends and on the evolution of the public discourse around the war and its consequences.
January 20, 2021
For anyone interested in contemporary China, Rana Mitter's book is a must read. Ritter offers a thorough examination of China's efforts to claim its place at the table of Allied victors in WW-II.
This book is an excellent, and in my opinion necessary follow up to Ritter's previous book "Forgotten Ally" (2013). In Forgotten Ally Ritter makes a compelling case for China's important, but too often forgotten (especially in the west) role in defeating Imperial Japan in WW-II. "China's Good War" illustrates the ways that China has in recent years tried to communicate this history in texts, movies, policy, doctrine and many other ways. Ritter's research is thorough. He includes all sides of the story and opinions. This is an enlightening, informative, and often entertaining look into how China is using its WW2 history to shape a new nationalism. I highly recommend it.
This book is an excellent, and in my opinion necessary follow up to Ritter's previous book "Forgotten Ally" (2013). In Forgotten Ally Ritter makes a compelling case for China's important, but too often forgotten (especially in the west) role in defeating Imperial Japan in WW-II. "China's Good War" illustrates the ways that China has in recent years tried to communicate this history in texts, movies, policy, doctrine and many other ways. Ritter's research is thorough. He includes all sides of the story and opinions. This is an enlightening, informative, and often entertaining look into how China is using its WW2 history to shape a new nationalism. I highly recommend it.
December 27, 2021
A fascinating and rigorous book detailing the changing presentation of historical events to fit the goals of power structures. This is specifically about China but the same perspective could easily be applied to other countries and historical events. As it stands, it is a great deep dive into China's development throughout the 1900s with this lens in mind. I found the relationship with soldiers from the nationalistic party of China and how they were portrayed particularly interesting. The book probably benefits from additional reading beforehand such as "Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China".
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews