China's Politics in Perspective was first published in 1962. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.
In a concise, readable diagnosis of present-day China, this book provides the perspective which is needed for a realistic view of the Chinese situation today.
Professor Quigley introduces the reader to contemporary political, economic, and social conditions on the mainland and on Nationalist-held Taiwan by briefly reviewing the basic tenets of Confucianism and other classical philosophies, the principal aspects of the imperial system, and the domestic and foreign influences which contributed to the collapse of monarchy in 1911. He recalls the revolutionary doctrine of Sun Yat-sen and surveys the nature and conduct of government under the first and second republics and the forces that operated for and against the transfer of liberal ideals from paper to practice. After showing how the Communist leadership gained its foothold and present control, he discusses the ideologies of Mao Tse-tung and Chiang Kai-shek, the structure and administration of their governments and major parties, their economic, social, and foreign policies, the independence movement on Taiwan, the prospects for democracy and the dilemma in which the United States has been placed by the victory of the Communists over a wartime ally.
In addition to being appropriate for general readers and for study groups interested in contemporary affairs, the book is especially suitable for use as a college text.