Reform and Revolution in China: The 1911 Revolution in Hunan and Hubei (Volume 5)

海外中国研究丛书

by Joseph W. Esherick

Conventionally, historians view the 1911 Revolution in China through the activities of professional revolutionaries led by Sun Yat-sen, and they see these revolutoinaries’ propaganda and organizing activities as eventually leading to the Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911.

Reform and Revolution in China challenges that view, arguing that the origins of the revolution must be sought within China, not among the revolutionaries abroad. The internal origins of the revolution began with the New Policy reforms in the late Qing, which created new opportunities for students, intellectuals, gentry, merchants, journalists, and other urban elites as well as junior officers in the New Army to mobilize. When a revolutionary moment arrived in 1911, people in these stations were able to move from collective action to the overthrow of the Qing regime. Further, they were motivated to do so because of a threat of disorder from the lower classes, since the reforms had also imposed burdens on the poorer classes that many found intolerable. The result was significant popular opposition to the reforms, including a major riot in Changsha in 1910. This helped the civil and military elites unite behind the revolution in 1911, forming an essentially conservative alliance to preserve social order even though the Qing would have to fall.

Genres: History, China

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Joseph W. Esherick is an emeritus professor of modern Chinese history at University of California, San Diego. He is the holder of the Hwei-chih and Julia Hsiu Chair in Chinese Studies.

Reviews

[Vincent Fong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid research for different stakeholders during the period.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting argument that the 1911 Revolution was primarily shaped by the interests of the Westernizing gentry elite. The author argues they were primarily interested in reforms that benefited their own local power, with little interest in republicanism otherwise.

Focus is extremely detailed local history of Hubei and Hunan over a 15 year period, which can be a bit dry at times. Explicitly Marxian argument, which always produces distrust in me when present in Chinese history, but still pretty solid and useful.

[AskHistorians]

focuses on the causes of the 1911 revolution, including the new intellectual and social elite who were distinct from the gentry but not what we would call bourgeois. During this time nationalism, feminism, anti-conformist youth movements and Westernization flourished, but in discarding so much of traditional China the new urban elite became unable to relate to the needs of the rest of the country, setting the stage for the success of communism and the end of all of these trends.

[Jessica Zu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Except for his Maoist/Marxist tones and overtones ... the research is solid and still worth digging if you are interested in economic/social history.

[Xie Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book， the distinctice style