China and the World since 1945: An International History

by Chi-kwan Mark

The emergence of China as a dominant regional power with global influence is a significant phenomenon in the twenty-first century. Its origin could be traced back to 1949 when the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Zedong came to power and vowed to transform China and the world. After the ‘century of humiliation’, China was in constant search of a new identity on the world stage. From alliance with the Soviet Union in the 1950s, China normalized relations with America in the 1970s and embraced the global economy and the international community since the 1980s. This book examines China’s changing relations with the two superpowers, Asian neighbours, Third World countries, and European powers. China and the World since 1945 offers an overview of China’s involvement in the Korean War, the Sino-Soviet split, Sino-American rapprochement, the end of the Cold War, and globalization. It assess the roles of security, ideology, and domestic politics in Chinese foreign policy and provides a synthesis of the latest archival-based research on China’s diplomatic history and Cold War international history This engaging new study examines the rise of China from a long-term historical perspective and will be essential to students of Chinese history and contemporary international relations.

Genres: China

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jessica]

In a book which tries to cover as much information in so short a space as this one does, clarity is important. However I found 'China and the World Since 1945: An International History' to be crowded, confusing at times, awkwardly worded on a consistent basis, and occasionally downright grammatically incorrect. Although probably the most compact version of this subject available, prospective readers might want to opt towards a longer but better constructed account.

[Andrew Daniels]

Disappointing and lacking insight

This book covers some 'surface' headlines about China, but says pretty much nothing worthwhile

I was shocked the author lazily talked about the Chinese Olympics of 1998 -- Those were in Japan
That was a pretty basic error

[Boris Kharchenko]

Brilliant book, showing the evolution of China and transformation of the China Communist Party.

[Nick Harriss]

An excellent and concise history of modern China. If you want a better understanding of this increasingly important country I would strongly recommend reading this.

[Neil Connolly]

Very interesting book.