Governing China: From Revolution to Reform (Second Edition)

The consumer revolution that has brought China's major urban areas to the forefront of the developed world and created a new middle class
• An expanding private sector that has become the major generator of new employment in the overall economy as the state sector has shed jobs
• The increase in foreign direct investment which has set China on track to becoming the manufacturing center of the world
• An enormous population migration from rural to urban areas and from the interior to the coast that is becoming one of the most massive movements of people in human history, and its significant impact on the environment
• The unprecedented integration into the international economic system as China has joined virtually every major multilateral regime
• The reactions of the top and the bottom of the political system to these recent developments and the continuing struggles between the government's large bureaucratic structures and sporadic popular political movements.

Though limited temporally, this sets the stage for the rise of the Chinese Communists and works allows a reader, without wading through too much minutae, to understand what it was that Mao set out to accomplish, how much Deng undid, and what was actually set into motion within the Party and government when these two historical giants flung the nation at a new idea.


Great book--new edition reportedly in the works   April 9, 2001
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This book is a great introduction to the topic, but is becoming somewhat dated for those who are looking for analysis of the past five years. Lieberthal was busy guiding Clinton's China policy on the National Security Council--no time for writing. Reportedly he has begun work on a new edition.


Great First Step to Chinese Politics   May 7, 1999
klau1@emerald.tufts.edu (Boston, MA,USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

This is an excellent book if someone is looking for an introduction to chinese politics, history and its political economy. It is comprehensive and easy to grasp, and one of the few books of its kind that I actually found difficult to put down. It is not, however, the best book to look to for an in-depth discussion of specific topics. You should look elsewhere - you could start with Lieberthal's bibliography - if your intrests lie within a narrow subject.


Makes things clear   May 4, 2003
Kirk Matthew
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This is a very good book on how China actually works. For those of us who did not know a thing about this country it really sums it up nicley. This book tells how Mao and Deng pushed China to make it better. It goes in depth on how those two pushed the cadres into early retirment to bring in younger workers who new about the mordern technology and who were also more highly educated. I also really enjoyed how the author made clear how China is and can affect the future of the U.S and the entire world.


Makes things clear   May 5, 2003
Kirk Matthew
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is a very good book on how China actually works. For those of us who did not know a thing about this country it really sums it up nicley. This book tells how Mao and Deng pushed China to make it better. It goes in depth on how those two pushed the cadres into early retirment to bring in younger workers who new about the mordern technology and who were also more highly educated. I also really enjoyed how the author made clear how China is and can affect the future of the U.S and the entire world.