Chinese biography book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Chinese biography book review - Essay ExampleIn fact, they allege that Maos penury since he was a young boy was power, and this led to the murder and arrest of most of his political opponents whether they were his friends or not. They contend that Stalins patronage in the 20s and 30s was responsible for(p) for his ascent to the Communist Partys chairmanship, while the Long March and the decisions he took at the time were not heroic as has been stated by many Chinese scholars. The authors wrote the book to debunk Maos mythical status as the Chinese governments emblem that remains the selfsame(prenominal) to the present day. According to the authors, those areas that were controlled by the Communists in the Civil War were financed by the sale of Opium, which allowed the Communists to rule by terror (Chang & Halliday 156). Sacrificing over five thousand soldiers to resign the party of his enemies and rivals, they assert that Mao was not even responsible for the initial plan to fig ht off invaders from Japan. His wealthy background ensured that he had no touch on for Chinese peasants, which they support by detailing his determination to make the Great Leap Forward successful, leading to the death of millions of Chinese from famine. Maos occasion in the revolution and the Long March was also exaggerated, tweaked throughout years of rule by the Communist Party to make him the leader of the revolution. The autobiography authors claim that he only commanded a small force and was almost left behind, majority of those who marched alongside him disliked him, and came up with flawed strategy and tactics. Mao, along with another(prenominal) elite Communist leaders, is also accused of being privileged and protected from the hardships that his subordinates were going through. Contrary to mythology surrounding the revolution, the biography contends the Luding Bridge Battle was a evasiveness and that the heroic crossing was complex propaganda. According to the book, a witness named Li contended that the bridge was never set on fire, nor was there any fighting on the bridge (Chang & Halliday 160). Using battle plans from the Kuomintang, the authors show that those forces on the bridge guarding it were pulled back prior to the attack by the Communists. One major allegation the authors make in the biography is that Mao was in support of opium production and its trade in those areas that the Communists controlled. The trade, according to some sources from Russian archives, generated some $100 million every year for Mao and the Communists (Chang & Halliday 165). The only reason that the production was stopped was because they overproduced the opium, which had a negative impact on the price, rather than the commonly held belief that Mao stopped it collectible to its immoral nature. They also allege that Mao put those under his command through torture in order to rid the party of those against him. For example, Zhang Guotao was sent into the Gobi rel inquish with a platoon of soldiers on a mission that was hopeless, following which all survivors were ordered killed due to ineptitude. Other ways he used to get rid of his opponents include general purges and cultural revolutions. In comparison to Chinese official information, the authors disclaim the fact that the Communists under Chairman Mao waged guerilla warfare on the Japanese. Instead, they claim that Maos main concern was saving his troops to take on the