cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/1482955
Ideally something covering at least the time leading up to the revolution up until now. I'm skeptical of Western accounts, and I'm having trouble finding leftist reviews of books like "The Search for Modern China" to show that they're not full of propaganda.
Any suggestions?
Perhaps Socialism with Chinese Characteristics: A Guide for Foreigners by Roland Boer. It's quite theoretical, though. Maybe not quite what you're looking for.
I started this book a while ago but didn't finish. Not really what I'm looking for right now but definitely someone I plan to read.
Maurice Meisner's "Mao's China and After" is incredibly enlightening.
Meisner is a Marxist and sympathetic to Mao and the CPC. He is, however, an "anti-Stalinist" and that springs up now and again. Still a good read I think.
Thanks! I saw that book, but didn't realize that Meisner was a Marxist. I'll pick it up.
I read it in a a reading group with two other comrades, it helped a lot of it hit home.
In my personal opinion, I am flabbergasted that anyone with any knowledge of what the KMT did (during their supposed united anti-imperialist front) to CPC members, unionist sympathizers, workers' advocates, etc. can come away from the situation believing the CPC is the worse of the "two evils" or whatever.
We are talking a purge of unprecedented proportions. We are talking capital m Millions of workers being arrested and wantonly murdered by the Nationalists.
This is not to even touch on the atrocities committed by Japan and other empires, ruthlessly ended by the communists.
There were excesses, of course, and we'd be fools to ignore them. The more foolish maneuver, I believe, is to maintain the idea that the CPC is anything but the vanguard that liberated China from unfathomable levels of violent repression from forces hostile to the People from within and without. It's inspiring.
