This book attempts to illuminate some of the trends and conditions in China just prior to, and at the time of the Communist takeover. The conditions that existed just prior to 1949 provided the immediate starting point, the base line, from which the Chinese Communists, once in power, embarked upon their tremendous political, economic, and social

Until recently, Westerners have not adequately understood the structure of the PRC's policymaking process in the post-Mao period. Dr. Barnett's pathbreaking study provides comprehensive information on how China's foreign policy decisions are made. The author draws not only on his past research but also on intensive interviews conducted during 1984 with a wide range of Chinese officials (including Premier Zhao Ziyang), academics, and journalists to describe a major shift in top-level decision making from the Politburo and Standing Committee to the Party Secretariat and State Council. He...