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    The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957
    The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957
    The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957
    Audiobook14 hours

    The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957

    Written by Frank Dikötter

    Narrated by Bruce Mann

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    About this audiobook

    Following the defeat of Chiang Kai-shek in 1949, after a bloody civil war, Mao hoisted the red flag over Beijing's Forbidden City, and the world watched as the Communist revolution began to wash away the old order. Due to the secrecy surrounding the country's records, little has been known before now about the eight years that followed, preceding the massive famine and Great Leap Forward.

    Drawing on hundreds of previously classified documents, secret police reports, unexpurgated versions of leadership speeches, eyewitness accounts of those who survived, and more, The Tragedy of Liberation bears witness to a shocking, largely untold history. Interweaving stories of ordinary citizens with tales of the brutal politics of Mao's court, Frank Dikötter illuminates those who shaped the "liberation" and the horrific policies they implemented in the name of progress. People of all walks of life were caught up in the tragedy that unfolded, and whether or not they supported the revolution, all of them were asked to write confessions, denounce their friends, and answer queries about their political reliability. One victim of thought reform called it a "carefully cultivated Auschwitz of the mind." Told with great narrative sweep, The Tragedy of Liberation is a powerful and important document giving voice at last to the millions who were lost, and casting new light on the foundations of one of the most powerful regimes of the twenty-first century.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJul 21, 2020
    ISBN9781705221884
    Author

    Frank Dikötter

    Frank Dikötter is Chair Professor of Humanities at the University of Hong Kong and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. His books have changed the way historians view China, from the classic The Discourse of Race in Modern China to his award-winning People's Trilogy documenting the lives of ordinary people under Mao. He is married and lives in Hong Kong.

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    Reviews for The Tragedy of Liberation

    4.5/5

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    • 5/5
      Good overview of Chinese history from Communist takeover to Great Leap. Good use of original source material.
    • 5/5
      Amazing book. Markets are the best resource allocation mechanism and are superior to state quotas for production.