Rebels And Revolutionaries In North China, 1845-1945

by Elizabeth J. Perry

This wonderful Rebels and Revolutionaries in North China, 1845-1945 by Elizabeth J. Perry, is a brilliant study of China's social history. It would be hard to find a book that addresses itself more squarely to the great task of making contemporary China and late imperial China historically comprehensible in term of each other.

Genres: China, History, Nonfiction

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking back on the late Imperial period, this book discusses how poor and precarious environmental conditions in the countryside of the North China Plain led to the emergence of survival strategies such as banditry, "hederodox" religious groups, secret societies, militias, etc. These groups, constituted outside of state reaches, provided ready-made rebel groups to be mobilized en masse for anti-state rebellions.

This book has really helped to shape my academic path.

[Lyset · Rating 5 out of 5]

五顆星，非常好的學術著作。裴宜理教授通過解讀淮北地區生態環境的影響以及各朝代政府的懶政苛政（如清朝地方政府對淮北生態環境之惡劣漠不關心導致當地經濟持續陷入衰退的境地進而衍生出一大批身無分文的民眾造反當土匪——因為安於時狀即坐以待斃，而劫掠更富者物資則能改善不佳的個人時狀，亦或是民國時期因地方人民無法忍受地方軍閥苛捐雜稅而組織起紅槍會反抗軍閥）來詳細介紹淮北地區捻軍、紅槍會的興起及後來作為「革命者」形象進入淮北的共產黨與紅槍會的恩怨情仇。書中有一點很有意思，即李大釗和陳獨秀曾經想過吸收紅槍會這一組織，使其成為地方共產革命勢力的一部分，可紅槍會的成員大多不在乎所謂「農民革命」，對外部世界漠不關心，只想守護個人利益，甚至對左派思想敵視。認清現實，幻想的徹底破滅，使共產黨對紅槍會存在一定的戒備心理。