3 Review(s)

Originally published in 1970, this volume consists of essays by twelve leading scholars from the United States and Britain, all of whom concentrated their studies on the problems of China. Their papers were originally written for a conference on the Chinese Communist Party, held at Ditchley Park, England, in July 1968. During the discussions, a number of themes emerged as the factors governing the evolution of the Party. These related to problems of leadership, power and the revolutionary struggle within the Party and their effect on Chinese society. The authors subsequently revised their papers, highlighting these problems within the realm of their own subject, ranging from the power elite and the Central Committee to the village leadership and the role of the Army. The editor, in his introduction, throws further light on the leadership and power struggle, on Mao's role and on the effects of the Great Cultural Revolution.