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Warfare and History
Modern Chinese Warfare, 1795-1989
Why did the Chinese empire collapse and why did it take so long for a new government to reunite China? Modern Chinese Warfare, 1795-1989 seeks to answer these questions by exploring the most important domestic and international conflicts over the past two hundred years, from the last half of the Qing empire through to modern day China. It reveals how most of China's wars during this period were fought to preserve unity in China, and examines their distinctly cyclical pattern of imperial decline, domestic chaos and finally the creation of a new unifying dynasty.
By 1989 this cycle appeared complete, but the author asks how long this government will be able to hold power. Exposing China as an imperialist country, and one which has often manipulated western powers in its favour, Bruce Elleman seeks to redress the views of China as a victimised nation.
By 1989 this cycle appeared complete, but the author asks how long this government will be able to hold power. Exposing China as an imperialist country, and one which has often manipulated western powers in its favour, Bruce Elleman seeks to redress the views of China as a victimised nation.
376 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2001
About the author
Bruce A. Elleman
40 books5 followersBruce Allen Elleman is William V. Pratt Professor of International History at the Naval War College. He received his B.A. in 1982 at UC Berkeley, completed his M.A. and received the Harriman Institute Certificate in 1984, his Master of Philosophy in 1987, the East Asian Certificate in 1988, and his Ph.D. at Columbia University in 1993. In addition, he completed the Master of Sciences at the London School of Economics in 1985, and the Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies (with Distinction) at the U.S. Naval War College in 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 29, 2022
Over the past two centuries China has undergone a radical transformation. In that time, the imperial government that had lasted for two millennia was swept away and eventually replaced by the Communist Party regime in power today. Far from being a peaceful development, it was one punctuated throughout the era by conflicts that reflected the broader changes taking place while influencing the direction which they took. In this book Bruce Elleman recounts these wars and their impact upon subsequent events. Though them he argues for a cyclical pattern that stresses considerable continuity between the imperial government and its Communist successor, with China’s post-1949 conflicts reflecting an attempt to reassert the longstanding dominance of China over its neighbors.
Elleman divides his examination of this era into five parts, the first two of which chronicle the decline and fall of the old imperial order over the course of the 19th century. Throughout this period he spotlights the tension between the Manchu ruling elite and the larger Han population, viewing it as an underlying dynamic that defined much of the conflicts the Qing dynasty faced throughout these decades. This could be seen not only in many of the internal rebellions the Qing faced, but in the Opium War as well, in which the British supported the rights of Han Chinese merchants over Manchu restrictions on trade. Each conflict posed an existential challenge to Manchu rule, as defeat threatened to undermine the perceptions that the dynasty possessed the “Mandate from Heaven” which was a vital ideological prop to their legitimacy. Maintaining this prompted the Manchu to pursue military reforms, which helped them persevere against rebellions but were insufficient against the mounting challenge from the Western powers.
In this respect the first Sino-Japanese War proved a key turning point. China’s humiliating defeat at the hands of a former tributary and the sacrifice of Korea’s tributary status sparked an increase in demands from other powers. The pace of reforms increased, with the growing numbers of Western-trained officers increasingly regarding the imperial government as an obstacle to the changes needed. The overthrow of the Qing dynasty in 1912 led to the third period Elleman identifies, in which regional warlords dominated the countryside and fighting was endemic. Though the Nationalists gradually came to terms with the warlords, they were less successful in addressing additional encroachments on Chinese sovereignty by the Soviet Union and Japan, the latter of which pursued greater control over their spheres of influence in response to fears of being eclipsed by the Soviets. This forced the Nationalists to pause their civil war against the Communists, and led to a conflict which eventually became a part of the larger global struggle of the Second World War.
In the aftermath of Japan’s defeat, the Communists successfully exploited Soviet support to triumph over the Nationalists and establish the People’s Republic of China (PRC). With their control over China secured, the PRC sought to reestablish China’s hegemony in the region. Here Elleman emphasizes the continuity with the old imperial foreign policy, to the extent of labeling it a “resurgence” of the old imperial approach. He argues that by this standard China’s wars during this period – its intervention in the Korean War, its border dispute with India in 1962, and its clashes with the Soviet Union in 1969 and Vietnam ten years later – were highly successful in reasserting China’s claims as the dominant power in East Asia. The Tiananmen massacres in 1989 provided another commonality in the form of the domestic unrest that often heralded a decline in the regime, suggesting that the People’s Republic had not defied the patterns of Chinese history but was part of another cycle of it.
Describing the history of two centuries of Chinese warfare is a formidable challenge, encompassing as it does a range of internal and external conflicts against a variety of opponents. To do it he draws upon a considerable range of literature in both English and Chinese to explain developments. His description is efficient, conveying the basic developments each war and reform effort within the framework of his underlying arguments about Chinese history during these years. While not all of his arguments are convincing (for example, he downplays the impact of the first Opium War more so than is probably warranted), overall his book is an extremely useful, if dated survey of his subject. Anyone interested in learning about modern Chinese military history would find his book a useful starting point.
Elleman divides his examination of this era into five parts, the first two of which chronicle the decline and fall of the old imperial order over the course of the 19th century. Throughout this period he spotlights the tension between the Manchu ruling elite and the larger Han population, viewing it as an underlying dynamic that defined much of the conflicts the Qing dynasty faced throughout these decades. This could be seen not only in many of the internal rebellions the Qing faced, but in the Opium War as well, in which the British supported the rights of Han Chinese merchants over Manchu restrictions on trade. Each conflict posed an existential challenge to Manchu rule, as defeat threatened to undermine the perceptions that the dynasty possessed the “Mandate from Heaven” which was a vital ideological prop to their legitimacy. Maintaining this prompted the Manchu to pursue military reforms, which helped them persevere against rebellions but were insufficient against the mounting challenge from the Western powers.
In this respect the first Sino-Japanese War proved a key turning point. China’s humiliating defeat at the hands of a former tributary and the sacrifice of Korea’s tributary status sparked an increase in demands from other powers. The pace of reforms increased, with the growing numbers of Western-trained officers increasingly regarding the imperial government as an obstacle to the changes needed. The overthrow of the Qing dynasty in 1912 led to the third period Elleman identifies, in which regional warlords dominated the countryside and fighting was endemic. Though the Nationalists gradually came to terms with the warlords, they were less successful in addressing additional encroachments on Chinese sovereignty by the Soviet Union and Japan, the latter of which pursued greater control over their spheres of influence in response to fears of being eclipsed by the Soviets. This forced the Nationalists to pause their civil war against the Communists, and led to a conflict which eventually became a part of the larger global struggle of the Second World War.
In the aftermath of Japan’s defeat, the Communists successfully exploited Soviet support to triumph over the Nationalists and establish the People’s Republic of China (PRC). With their control over China secured, the PRC sought to reestablish China’s hegemony in the region. Here Elleman emphasizes the continuity with the old imperial foreign policy, to the extent of labeling it a “resurgence” of the old imperial approach. He argues that by this standard China’s wars during this period – its intervention in the Korean War, its border dispute with India in 1962, and its clashes with the Soviet Union in 1969 and Vietnam ten years later – were highly successful in reasserting China’s claims as the dominant power in East Asia. The Tiananmen massacres in 1989 provided another commonality in the form of the domestic unrest that often heralded a decline in the regime, suggesting that the People’s Republic had not defied the patterns of Chinese history but was part of another cycle of it.
Describing the history of two centuries of Chinese warfare is a formidable challenge, encompassing as it does a range of internal and external conflicts against a variety of opponents. To do it he draws upon a considerable range of literature in both English and Chinese to explain developments. His description is efficient, conveying the basic developments each war and reform effort within the framework of his underlying arguments about Chinese history during these years. While not all of his arguments are convincing (for example, he downplays the impact of the first Opium War more so than is probably warranted), overall his book is an extremely useful, if dated survey of his subject. Anyone interested in learning about modern Chinese military history would find his book a useful starting point.
January 14, 2017
The first half of the book covering the 1800s was a captivating read, whereas the latter half was less interesting. Possibly because I was already reasonably familiar with that part of the history. Some parts were a bit heavy on mundane details, but it shines in the analyses and observations. It offers some explanation for why China to this date is fearful of organized movements of all kinds, and why China was so slow at becoming a military superpower.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews