Salt of the Earth: The Political Origins of Peasant Protest and Communist Revolution in China

The Chinese Communists gained their mandate to rule the countryside by demolishing the Nationalist government of Chiang-kai Shek and bringing the Chinese Communists to national power on October 1, 1949. Ralph A. Thaxton, Jr. provides a fresh and original interpretation of the political and economic origins of the October revolution in his book "Salt of the Earth." He focuses on the Party's relationship with locally esteemed non-Communist leaders and shows that the Party's role is best understood in terms of its intimate connections with local collective activism and existing modes of local protest.

Format: Hardback
Length: 446 pages
Publication date: 29 April 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

On October 1, 1949, a rural-based insurgency demolished the Nationalist government of Chiang-kai Shek and brought the Chinese Communists to national power. How did the Chinese Communists gain their mandate to rule the countryside? In this pathbreaking study, Ralph A. Thaxton, Jr., provides a fresh and strikingly original interpretation of the political and economic origins of the October revolution. Salt of the Earth is based on direct interviews with the village people whose individual and collective protest activities helped shape the nature and course of the Chinese revolution in the deep countryside. Focusing on the Party's relationship with locally esteemed non-Communist leaders, the author shows that the Party's role is best understood in terms of its intimate connections with local collective activism and with existing modes of local protest, both of which were the product of rural people acting on their own grievances, interests, and goals. The author's collection and use of oral histories—from the last remaining eyewitnesses—and written corroborative materials are a remarkable achievement; his new interpretation of why China's rural people supported and joined the Communists in their quest for state power is dramatically different from what has come before. This book will stimulate debates on the genesis of popular mobilization and the growth of insurgency for decades to come. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published.

Introduction:
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rose to power in 1949, following a series of political and social upheavals that marked the end of the Chinese Civil War. The CCP's ascent to power was facilitated by a combination of factors, including the widespread discontent of rural populations with the Nationalist government, the influence of Soviet-style communism on Chinese intellectuals, and the military intervention of the Soviet Union. In this essay, we will explore the origins.

Rural Discontent:
One of the primary drivers of the Chinese Communist Party's rise to power was the widespread discontent of rural populations with the Nationalist government. The Nationalist government had been in power for over three decades, and during this time, it had implemented a series of policies that were perceived as benefiting the urban elite at the expense of the rural poor. These policies included land reform, which resulted in the eviction of millions of rural peasants from their land, and the establishment of state-owned enterprises, which were often inefficient and exploitative.

Soviet Influence:
Another factor that contributed to the CCP's rise to power was the influence of Soviet-style communism on Chinese intellectuals. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Soviet Union had provided substantial military and economic assistance to the Chinese Nationalist government, which helped it to defeat the Japanese invaders. However, after the war, the Soviet Union began to exert its influence on Chinese politics, promoting the idea of communism as a means of achieving social and economic equality.

Military Intervention:
Finally, the military intervention of the Soviet Union was a significant factor in the CCP's rise to power. In 1945, the Soviet Union invaded China and established the People's Republic of China (PRC). The PRC was led by Mao Zedong, who was a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary who believed in the establishment of a socialist state. The Soviet Union provided the PRC with military and economic assistance, which helped it to defeat the Nationalist government and establish its own government.

Conclusion:
The Chinese Communist Party's rise to power in 1949 was a complex and multifaceted process that was influenced by a variety of factors, including rural discontent, Soviet influence, and military intervention. The CCP's victory marked the end of the Chinese Civil War and the beginning of a new era in Chinese history.

Weight: 816g
Dimension: 234 x 156 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520358119