The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China

Amazon.com Price: $13.96 (as of 10/11/2019 17:34 PST- Details)

Categories: , , , , , , , , ,

Description

One of the most momentous stories of the last century is China’s rise from a self-satisfied, anti-brand new, decaying society into a global power that promises to someday rival the US. Chiang Kai-shek, an autocratic, larger-than-life figure, dominates this story. A modernist in addition to a neo-Confucianist, Chiang used to be a man of war who led the most ancient and populous country on this planet through a quarter century of bloody revolutions, civil conflict, and wars of resistance against Japanese aggression.

In 1949, when he used to be defeated by Mao Zedong―his archrival for leadership of China―he fled to Taiwan, where he ruled for some other twenty-five years. Playing a key role in the cold war with China, Chiang suppressed opposition with his “white terror,” controlled inflation and corruption, carried out land reform, and raised personal source of revenue, health, and educational levels on the island. Consciously or not, he set the stage for Taiwan’s evolution of a Chinese model of democratic modernization.

Drawing heavily on Chinese sources including Chiang’s diaries, The Generalissimo provides the most vigorous, sweeping, and objective biography yet of a man whose length of uninterrupted, active engagement at the highest levels in the march of history is excelled by few, if any, in brand new history. Jay Taylor shows a man who used to be exceedingly ruthless and temperamental but who used to be also courageous and conscientious in matters of state. Revealing fascinating aspects of Chiang’s life, Taylor provides penetrating insight into the dynamics of the past that lie at the back of the struggle for modernity of mainland China and its relationship with Taiwan.

Related products

Home » Shop » Books » Subjects » Arts and Photography » History and Criticism » History » Asia » China » The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China

Recent Products