A History of Modern Tibet, 1913-1951

The Demise of the Lamaist State

Melvyn C. Goldstein

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9780520075900
• eBook ISBN: 9780520911765
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Asian History
• Index: History

The "Tibetan Question," the nature of Tibet's political status vis-à-vis China, has been the subject of often bitterly competing views while the facts of the issue have not been fully accessible to interested observers. While one faction has argued that Tibet was, in the main, historically independent until it was conquered by the Chinese Communists in 1951 and incorporated into the new Chinese state, the other faction views Tibet as a traditional part of China that split away at the instigation of the British after the fall of the Manchu Dynasty and was later dutifully reunited with "New China" in 1951. In contrast, this comprehensive study of modern Tibetan history presents a detailed, non-partisan account of the demise of the Lamaist state.

Drawing on a wealth of British, American, and Indian diplomatic records; first-hand-historical accounts written by Tibetan participants; and extensive interviews with former Tibetan officials, monastic leaders, soldiers, and traders, Goldstein meticulously examines what happened and why. He balances the traditional focus on international relations with an innovative emphasis on the intricate web of internal affairs and events that produced the fall of Tibet. Scholars and students of Asian history will find this work an invaluable resource and interested readers will appreciate the clear explanation of highly polemicized, and often confusing, historical events.


The "Tibetan Question," the nature of Tibet's political status vis-à-vis China, has been the subject of often bitterly competing views while the facts of the issue have not been fully accessible to interested observers. While one faction has argued that T

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• CONTENTS
• ILLUSTRATIONS
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• EXPLANATION OF ROMANIZATION AND ABBREVIATIONS
• PREFACE
• INTRODUCTION: TIBETAN SOCIETY, 1913-1951
• 1 THE EARLY YEARS OF THE 13TH DALAI LAMA
• 2 TIBET AND THE NEW REPUBLIC IN CHINA
• 3 THE DALAI LAMA, THE ARMY, AND THE MONASTIC SEGMENT
• 4 THE DEATH OF THE 13TH DALAI LAMA
• 5 THE FALL OF KUMBELA
• 6 IN SEARCH OF A NEW TIBET: LUNGSHAR’S REFORM PARTY
• 7 THE MISSION OF GENERAL HUANG MU-SUNG
• 8 THE BRITISH, THE CHINESE, AND THE PANCHEN LAMA
• 9 RETING TAKES CONTROL, THEN RESIGNS
• 10 CONCLUSION TO PART ONE: THE RETING YEARS
• 11 THE EARLY YEARS OF THE TAKTRA REGENCY: 1941-1943
• 12 CHANGE AND CONFRONTATION IN THE TWILIGHT OF WORLD WAR II
• 13 THE SEEDS OF REBELLION
• 14 THE RETING CONSPIRACY
• 15 THE VICTORY CONGRATULATIONS MISSION, 1945-1946
• 16 FURTHER ATTEMPTS AT INTERNATIONAL VISIBILITY
• 17 TIBET AFTER THE FALL OF THE KUOMINTANG
• 18 THE PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY INVADES
• 19 AFTER THE FALL OF CHAMDO
• 20 TIBET CAPITULATES: THE SEVENTEEN-POINT AGREEMENT
• 21 THE DALAI LAMA RETURNS TO LHASA
• CONCLUSION: THE DEMISE OF THE LAMAIST STATE
• POSTSCRIPT
• APPENDIX A ANGLO-CHINESE CONVENTION OF 1906
• APPENDIX B ANGLO-RUSSIAN CONVENTION OF 1907
• APPENDIX C THE SIMLA AGREEMENTS OF 1914
• GLOSSARY OF TIBETAN TERMS
• REFERENCES
• CORRECT TIBETAN SPELLINGS
• Index