Overview

Many books have tried to analyze the reasons for the Chinese communist success in China''s 1945_1949 civil war, but Suzanne Pepper''s seminal work was the first and remains the only comprehensive analysis of how the ruling Nationalists lost that war not just militarily, but by alienating the civilian population through corruption and incompetence.

New Edition

Now available in a new edition, this authoritative investigation of Kuomintang failure and communist success explores the new research and archival resources available for assessing this pivotal period in contemporary Chinese history.

Relevance Today

Even more relevant today given the contemporary debates in Hong Kong and Taiwan over the terms of reunification with a communist-led national government in Beijing, this book is essential reading for anyone seeking a nuanced understanding of twentieth-century Chinese politics.