Warlord Soldiers: Chinese Common Soldiers 1911-1937

Contemporary China Institute Publications

by Diana Lary

Armies are made up of a small number of officers and a large number of ordinary soldiers, recruited from the working class or peasantry. When the military dominates a society, as it did in Warlord China, it is these ordinary soldiers who become the direct agents of oppression and terror. Asking who these men were, and why they turned on their own society, this book looks at the origins, training and behaviour of the soldiers of Warlord China. It thus provides a case study of the misery inflicted by military regimes on civilian societies. Military control in China was long drawn out, and fragmented. The Warlord period, in the first years of Republican China, has been designated as the darkest of Modern Chinese history. The soldiers who served in the warlord armies were considered to be the lowest of the low, and have not for that reason been a subject for study, but their impact on their society was enormous. Their parallels in other, contemporary societies are equally influential. Diana Lary's book includes in translation documents of the period to illuminate the human side of her theme.

Genres: China, Nonfiction

177 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1985

Reviews

[Ted Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief, glimpse into the lives of common Chinese soldiers during one of China's darkest times. Lary provides thoughtful analysis that explains why soldiers were hated, why they fought as mercenaries, and how the Nationalists and the Communists were able to dramatically change the military culture between 1924-1949. I appreciated how Diana Lary provides perspective into the lives of everyday soldiers. Her academic work was quick and to the point. She wasn't trying to waste the reader's time, and for that, I salute her.