Mao: A Reinterpretation

by Lee Feigon

Overview

Mr. Feigon argues that the movements for which Mao is almost universally condemned today-the Great Leap Forward and especially the Cultural Revolution-were in many ways beneficial for the Chinese people. While not glossing over Mao's mistakes, he contends that the Chinese leader should be largely praised for many of his later efforts. In reevaluating Mao's contributions, this interpretive study reverses the curve of criticism. "Feigon performs a service by reclaiming the historical context of Mao's crazed era. He has written a concise work that forces the reader to recall the circumstances that abetted Mao's reign."-Far Eastern Economic Review.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781566635226
Publisher:	Dee, Ivan R. Publisher
Publication date:	07/24/2003
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	983,074
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

Lee Feigon's earlier books, China Rising (on the Tiananmen Square uprising) and Demystifying Tibet, were widely praised for their authoritative presentation. Mr. Feigon is professor of East Asian Studies at Colby College, and lives in Waterville, Maine, and Winnetka, Illinois.

Table of Contents

1	The Image	3
2	Growing Up Normal	13
3	Party Man	26
4	Rethinking Mao--The Long March	45
5	Becoming the Chairman	67
6	The People's Republic of China	89
7	The Great Leap into Cataclysm	109
8	The Cultural Revolution Revisited	139
9	An Assessment	179
	Acknowledgments and A Note on Sources	185
	Notes	189
	Index	219

Editorial Reviews

A controversial biography with provocative arguments.

An interesting and accessible reinterpretation of existing knowledge. Expertly summarizes the life of a shining example in that category of human being now extinct as the dodo bird.

In a study bound to provoke controversy, Feigon makes his arguments lucidly.... Readers will find his new summary...helpful.

Thoughtful and thought-provoking reinterpretation that examines both his colorfully eventual life and the lasting effects of his ideals upon his nation and upon the world community.

From the Publisher

Thoughtful and thought-provoking reinterpretation that examines both his colorfully eventual life and the lasting effects of his ideals upon his nation and upon the world community.

Wisconsin Bookwatch

In a study bound to provoke controversy, Feigon makes his arguments lucidly.... Readers will find his new summary...helpful.

American Historical Review

An interesting and accessible reinterpretation of existing knowledge. Expertly summarizes the life of a shining example in that category of human being now extinct as the dodo bird.

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

A controversial biography with provocative arguments.

Booklist

A controversial biography with provocative arguments.

Booklist

An interesting and accessible reinterpretation of existing knowledge. Expertly summarizes the life of a shining example in that category of human being now extinct as the dodo bird.

Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists

[Feigon] has written a concise work that forces the reader to recall the circumstances that abetted Mao's reign.

Far Eastern Economic Review

In a study bound to provoke controversy, Feigon makes his arguments lucidly...Readers will find his new summary... helpful.

AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW

Thoughtful and thought-provoking reinterpretation that examines both his colorfully eventual life and the lasting effects of his ideals upon his nation and upon the world community.

WISCONSIN BOOKWATCH

...Illuminate[s] China and Sino-American relations with a rare blend of seasoned expertise and scrupulous care.

BULLETIN OF ATOMIC SCIENTISTS

In recent years, with newly released official documents and insights from those who knew Mao Zedong personally, China scholars have written biographies of Mao for general consumption. Two such books are Jonathan Spence's Mao Zedong and Philip Short's Mao: A Life. In the present biography, Feigon (China Rising) presents what most China scholars undoubtedly will consider an incorrect portrait of Mao-as a man who cared deeply about his family, tried to implant Stalin's ideas in the Chinese mind, and, upon realizing his mistake in doing that, led the nation into the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which Feigon asserts was truly responsible for carving the current path toward economic advancement in China. He posits that Mao, not Deng Xiaoping, was open to establishing a relationship with the United States. Though Feigon's interpretation is wrong, he develops innovative ideas about how to understand the man's life. For example, scholars generally agree that Mao was committed to education-but how does that play out in practice against political struggles in China? Although Feigon constantly points out that Mao was "different from" Stalin, he does not follow through with convincing analysis. Perhaps a review of both leaders' activities within their respective cultures and bureaucracies (see Klaus Mehnert's classic study, Peking and Moscow) would provide a starting point. An optional purchase.-Peggy Spitzer Christoff, Library of Congress Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

An interesting and accessible reinterpretation of existing knowledge. Expertly summarizes the life of a shining example in that category of human being now extinct as the dodo bird.

Bulletin of The Atomic Scientists