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jchilds05's review against another edition
4.0
This is a solid history book on all fronts: it is written in a way that's easy to understand, with fairly good structure, and is a great overview for someone who doesn't know a lot about the subject. Most notable, however, is the author's absolutely fantastic use of research. Dikötter uses an immense breadth of sources, in particular a variety of first hand accounts and actual records of the CCP. Within this, he presents a broad range of voices and perspectives, including people of all backgrounds, ideologies, and experiences; however, he doesn't rely solely on eyewitness accounts. He is up front about the credibility of his sources, while also backing them up with hard evidence and brilliantly illustrating his point. Dikötter's pursuit and presentation of the truth, especially about a regime so obsessed with lies and false realities, is incredibly important and should be something authors of all historical subjects look to.
abeweb's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
dom_millennium's review against another edition
4.0
THE GOOD: Well-research, in-depth look at a very small portion of a country's history.
THE BAD: This is only part 1 of a long 3 part series.
THE UGLY: The atrocities and needless suffering by the people who could not escape.
scipio_africanus's review against another edition
4.0
Man. What a heavy read with no breaks in the torment. Volume 1 of 3 on the Chinese Communist revolution. Gonna need to take a moment before tackling volume 2. Very in depth account of the CCP Revolution. Hundreds of pages of violence, torture, famine, and all around misery. The depths of human depravity and callous cruelty. Could be a bit of a grind at times but got through it.
binstonbirchill's review against another edition
4.0
In The Tragedy of Liberation Frank Dikotter runs through the civil war, land reform, the Korean War and the Bamboo Curtain, thought control, Mao’s emulation of Stalin’s Soviet Union, the impact of Khrushchev’s Secret Speech, and once Mao saw the criticism that he invited the book ends with his purging of the “rightists.”
Throughout his general overview of these events Dikötter provides statistics as well as individual stories of hope (often brief) and despair (often final). The impact of Stalin’s Soviet Union cannot be underestimated. The conditions were different but the same roadmap was used, with predictable results.
“One of the first tasks of the work team was to divide the villagers into five classes, closely mirroring what had been done in the Soviet Union: ‘landlords', 'rich peasants', 'middle peasants', poor peasants and labour-ers. This took place in endless meetings in the evening, as the work teams pored over the life stories of each and every villager with information gathered from newly recruited activists. The challenge was that none of these artificial class distinctions actually corresponded to the social landscape of the village, where most farmers often lived in roughly similar conditions.”
There is a lot of information but a knowledge of the Soviet model will make this rather easy to digest. This is first of Dikötter’s trilogy chronologically but the second by publication date. I’m reading them chronologically with the hope that a more in depth look at Mao is included in the next (or first) book Mao’s Great Famine.
3.8 stars
Throughout his general overview of these events Dikötter provides statistics as well as individual stories of hope (often brief) and despair (often final). The impact of Stalin’s Soviet Union cannot be underestimated. The conditions were different but the same roadmap was used, with predictable results.
“One of the first tasks of the work team was to divide the villagers into five classes, closely mirroring what had been done in the Soviet Union: ‘landlords', 'rich peasants', 'middle peasants', poor peasants and labour-ers. This took place in endless meetings in the evening, as the work teams pored over the life stories of each and every villager with information gathered from newly recruited activists. The challenge was that none of these artificial class distinctions actually corresponded to the social landscape of the village, where most farmers often lived in roughly similar conditions.”
There is a lot of information but a knowledge of the Soviet model will make this rather easy to digest. This is first of Dikötter’s trilogy chronologically but the second by publication date. I’m reading them chronologically with the hope that a more in depth look at Mao is included in the next (or first) book Mao’s Great Famine.
3.8 stars
cantordustbunnies's review against another edition
5.0
Meticulously researched and appropriately academic, this book is definitely a worthwhile read for anyone. A little on the dry side, but the subject matter is so horrifying that anything other than a mostly objective delivery could come across as inappropriate. The author does make a concerted effort to bring forth personal accounts and to humanize the statistics which pays off and keeps the book engaging on both an emotional and an intellectual level. It is considered "second" in the series the author has written on China but first chronologically and it is better to read the books in chronological order. It is almost unbelievable to think that these things happened. The information is presented well and Dikötter allows it to speak for itself for the most part, he is unobtrusive as an author and presents things in a clear manner.
fourtriplezed's review against another edition
4.0
A very good read by Frank Dikötter. He covers from the time of the civil war up to the Great Leap Forward. Civil wars are rarely anything but brutal, 2.5 million deaths is a figure bandied by various sources. Dikötter covers this early and not with too much length but once past he delves deeply into the early years of CP rule with initial purging of those not connected with the regime, the beginnings of the Bamboo Curtain, collectivisation measures and the attempt to reform thought. Political prisoners, made up of not just those that opposed the CP but those that failed to conform, was very interesting reading indeed. For anyone interested in this period of Chinese history this is a must read. In the end I have come out of this book, and also refer back to his brilliant, tragic and griping Mao's Great Famine, wondering if the present day Chinese consider these brutal years of Mao and reflect on the present prosperity under the CP. I look forward to Dikötter's next book on the Cultural Revolution
readers_block's review against another edition
4.0
A super interesting look at the Communist takeover of China after the Civil War.
I'm extremely interested in this period of history so I'm planning on reading all three of these, and this was my first. Found it to be super insightful, extremely disturbing and focused enough on the on the ground situation (rather than fully focused on the politics), to make it a great read for me.
I'm extremely interested in this period of history so I'm planning on reading all three of these, and this was my first. Found it to be super insightful, extremely disturbing and focused enough on the on the ground situation (rather than fully focused on the politics), to make it a great read for me.