HST3198: Mao and the Making of Twentieth Century China

40 credits (semesters 1 and 2)

Module Leader: Dr Tehyun Ma (2024-25)

Module Summary

In 2015, citizens in Henan Province erected a 120-foot gold statue of Mao Zedong, which was swiftly torn down on government orders. Why does Mao still provoke such strong feelings? To some he is a monster: history's greatest mass murderer. But recently historians have painted a richer picture of Mao's China, trying to understand its social character, political culture, and role in Cold War rivalries. Focusing on the origins, character, and legacy of Maoist rule, and devoting most of our attention to the period between the declaration of the People’s Republic in 1949 and Mao's death in 1976, we will use translated primary sources, a rich visual culture, and a burgeoning scholarly literature to explore Maoist thought and its critics; major upheavals like the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution; and everyday life under 'Communism with Chinese characteristics'.

Selected Reading

General Reading

Rebecca Karl, Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World: A Concise History (Durham, 2010). [ebook]
Maurice Meisner, Mao's China and After: A History of the People's Republic (New York, 3rd ed., 1999).
Timothy Cheek (ed), A Critical Introduction to Mao (Cambridge, 2010). [ebook]
Andrew Walder, China under Mao: A Revolution Derailed (Cambridge, MA, 2015).
Philip Short, Mao: A Life (New York, 1999).
Frank Dikötter's People's Trilogy - Mao's Great Famine (2011); The Tragedy of Liberation (2014); The Cultural Revolution (2016).
Cambridge History of Modern China, vols. 12-13 (Republican China); vols. 14-15 (PRC) [ebook]

Assessment

Please see this page for further information about assessment.