Deng: A Political Biography / Edition 1

by Benjamin Yang

Overview

A comprehensive exposition of the life of Deng Xiaoping, the pre-eminent leader of late 20th-century China, from his birth in 1904 to the present. Written by an insider, this study is notable for the detail it provides on elite-level Chinese Communist Party politics and Deng's changing relations with his party colleagues in the jockying for power that constitutes a significant aspect of CCP politics. This biography combines intimate details, and the sweep of history that encompasses the struggles of 20th-century China. This text provides both political and personal information that may be of interest to students of Chinese history, as well as providing an insight into the man who has influenced the social, political, and economic development of China.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781563247224
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/31/1997
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Benjamin Yang came in 1981 from Beijing University to Harvard, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1986. Since then he has until recently worked with Harvard’s John King Fairbank Center for East Asian Research and distinguished himself as a serious scholar and author of several influential academic writings. Yang is currently professor of international politics at the Chinese People’s University in Beijing.

Table of Contents

Foreword, Benjamin Yang; Preface, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 1 Prologue: Why Deng?, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 2 Like Father, Like Son, 1904–1918, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 3 Bound for Abroad, 1918–1920, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 4 French Capitalists Make Chinese Communists, 1921–1925, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 5 Russia and Beyond, 1926–1929, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 6 The Unfortunate Royal Commissioner, 1929–1931, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 7 Bad Luck Turns into Good Fortune, 1932–1936, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 8 Battlefield as “Safe Haven,” 1937–1945, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 9 Battlefield as “Gold Mine,” 1945–1949, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 10 The Lord of the Southwest, 1949–1952, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 11 The Shoulders of Victims Form Rungs on the Ladder of Official Success, 1952–1956, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 12 Exuberance after Consecutive Promotions, 1956–1959, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 13 Fatigue after Leaping Forward, 1960–1965, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 14 Bornbardment from Within the General Headquarters, 1965–1972, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 15 The Capitalist Roader Back on the Road, 1973–1975, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 16 The Year of the Dragon, 1976, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 17 Back to Supreme Power, 1976–1980, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 18 The Pinnacle of Name and Fame, 1981–1984, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 19 Unsuccessful Successors, 1985–1988, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 20 Bloodshed at the Gate of Heavenly Peace, 1989, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 21 The Influential Retiree, 1990–1993, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 22 Supreme Maturity, 1994–1996, Benjamin Yang; Chapter 23 Epilogue: Communist China with or without him, Benjamin Yang;

Editorial Reviews

Deng Xiaoping entered the inner circle of the Chinese Communist elite by ingratiating himself with Mao Zedong. After he became China's paramount leader in 1978, Deng jettisoned Mao's legacy and surfed the waves of post-Mao reform. Yang's richly detailed biography portrays him as a pure political animal drawn to the scent of power but without any firm political compass other than expediency. Yet, according to the author, his positive accomplishments outweighed his mistakes. Yang (The Rise to Power of the Chinese Communist Party, M.E. Sharpe, 1995) brings an insider's knowledge of Chinese communism to his account, which is strong on elite politics but weak on the larger context of China. He offers few synthesizing judgments and little analysis. Most China scholars acknowledge the difficulty of deciphering Chinese politics. Yang fancies himself unique in his superior understanding of Deng and smugly criticizes other biographers, although he himself is not infallible. For academic and larger public libraries.Steven I. Levine, Boulder Run Research, Hillsborough, N.C.

Library Journal

A deeply researched and authoritative biography of the second ruler of the Communist period in China's history, by a scholar who arrived in the US from mainland China shortly after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Paper edition (unseen), $21.95. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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