During the Sino-Japanese war of 1937-1945, the Chinese people suffered great degradation at the hands of the Japanese. The spectacle of China's debasement as well as the very real prospect of the restoration of alien rule incensed nationalist passions throughout China. As the military, economic, and political crises deepened, three different Chinese regimes emerged--the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT), and the pro-Japanese government headed by Wang Jingwei--all competing for nationalist legitimacy. Through an exhaustive and meticulous examination of available resources, John Garver here illuminates the complicated relationship between these different variants in Chinese nationalism and the Soviet Union during this period. In doing so, Garver elucidates the diplomacy of Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese Nationalists, the inner history of Chinese Communist relations with the Soviet Union, and the intersection of these two themes within the
larger context of international relations in East Asia and the world.
Industry Reviews
"With this important work, John W. Garver...has filled a fifty-year gap in the literature on foreign relations during the Second World War....As the first author, writing in English, who has extensively worked with Chinese sources, Garver brings a fresh perspective to the historical study of the war-time relations between the Chinese and the Russians. The book will be must reading for professional historians and students of diplomacy."--History: Reviews of
New Books
"A superb study on a subject of unusual importance."--Journal of Asian Studies
"Deserves high praise for originality and scholarly impartiality....Garver weaves the tale masterfully....Garver has opened wide a window to the West on the internal maze of modern Chinese politics and diplomacy."--The Historian
"Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in twentieth-century Chinese history."--Journal of International Affairs
"This welcome contribution enhances our understanding of a momentous era in Chinese-Soviet relations....[It] provides historical insights and suggests several themes of contemporary interest."--Asian Affairs: An American Review
"With this important work, John W. Garver...has filled a fifty-year gap in the literature on foreign relations during the Second World War....As the first author, writing in English, who has extensively worked with Chinese sources, Garver brings a fresh perspective to the historical study of the war-time relations between the Chinese and the Russians. The book will be must reading for professional historians and students of diplomacy."--History: Reviews of
New Books
"A superb study on a subject of unusual importance."--Journal of Asian Studies
"Deserves high praise for originality and scholarly impartiality....Garver weaves the tale masterfully....Garver has opened wide a window to the West on the internal maze of modern Chinese politics and diplomacy."--The Historian
"Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in twentieth-century Chinese history."--Journal of International Affairs
"This welcome contribution enhances our understanding of a momentous era in Chinese-Soviet relations....[It] provides historical insights and suggests several themes of contemporary interest."--Asian Affairs: An American Review
"A singular and ambitious contribution."--International History Review
"An insightful and informative account of the maneuverings of Stalin, Chiang Kai-shek, and Mao Zedong as they sought to serve the interests of their nations according to their own individual perceptions....Garver provides the reader with a unique opportunity to understand both Chinese Nationalist and Communist perspectives regarding Soviet intentions....Highly recommended. A must for the scholar and the student in the field."--Choice
"Garver's book is the authoritative study on this period of Sino-Soviet relations and a major contribution to the history of Chinese foreign relations. A model of scholarship, rich in fascinating detail and bristling with provocative interpretations, it transforms our understanding of a hitherto murky era. More than that, it is simply the best book we now have on any period of Chinese-Soviet relations."--Steven I. Levine, The American
University
"Garver has exploited a rich new vein of Chinese-language source materials, including notably official documents, memoirs, and scholarly accounts. The result is a fresh and in-depth treatment of wartime Chinese policy."--Michael H. Hunt, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
"Dr. Garver's multiarchival and meticulous research brilliantly illuminates previously dark passages in Nationalist China's relations with the Soviet Union. Wholly objective and dispassionate, he offers shrewd insight into the diplomatic record of an obscure but important period in Sino-Soviet relations."--Allen S. Whiting, University of Arizona
