[quote=“BigJohn”]I am primarily interested in hearing from those well versed on the subject.
My questions are:
What were Mao’s relations like with the West (in this case, the Brits, French, Yanks etc) before WW2?
What were they like during WW2?
What were they like in the years between 1945 and 1949?
Was the animosity between Mao and the West mainly a result of a) ideology b) support for the KMT c) support for S Korea? d) Other?
Can you recommend a good book on Mao that deals in detail with his foreign relations throughout his career?
Thanks![/quote]
I very much liked the Private Life of Chairman Mao. It was written by his doctor and gives a very detailed insiders account of Mao’s life and relationships within his party. It also lets you in on his personal habits which were fairly eccentric. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Private_Life_of_Chairman_Mao
Another good book not so much on Mao but very insightful into the politics of the time is the Song Sisters by Seagraves about Charlie Soongs daughters --one married Sun-Yat Sen, one Chiang-Kai Shek, and the other a rich banker called Dr. Kung. He details each of their stories and the relationship between the US and many other countries through the period such as the French and the Brits. I think it starts off the the French Concession. He also details the relationship between Big Eared Tu and CKS, the kidnapping of Mei-Ling by the communists and her help from Zhou Enlai (I think) of all people. It is an excellent read.
Or perhaps too many at one time? (before WW2, after WW2, 1945, 1949, Brits, Yanks, …) I’m sure there are learned Forumosans out there (somewhere) with some info on the topic, but they do need some time (some even have jobs that occupy them in the afternoon). This isn’t a Wikipedia search, after all. You just have to bump the topic (as I am doing now), for a while.
Or perhaps too many at one time? (before WW2, after WW2, 1945, 1949, Brits, Yanks, …) I’m sure there are learned Forumosans out there (somewhere) with some info on the topic, but they do need some time (some even have jobs that occupy them in the afternoon). This isn’t a Wikipedia search, after all. You just have to bump the topic (as I am doing now), for a while.
Okay - I see Fox has already hit the spot. [/quote]
Thanks Fox! I’ve read the Seagrave stuff (the man has no qualms about colourful descriptions) and would like to read the Private Life. Would you happen to have a copy I could borrow?
Other than that, I’d really like to see a good analysis of the evolution of Mao’s thinking about foreign policy and the external and internal factors that shaped them.
I have the Jung Chang’s Mao. It’s pretty in-depth, but she does really write it like she has a grudge against the guy and who can blame her. I read Wild Swans, but I never finished this one. I will some day.
before WW2–practically nonexistent. mao wasn’t well known at all until edgar snow’s book was published, red star over china was it, maybe in 1936? some contacts began at this point.
things picked up during the war. the us strong-armed chiang into allowing contacts with and support of the ccp in the interest of cooperating against the japanese.
after the war things fell apart as china’s civil war intensified, and the ccp’s interests began to blend with moscow’s. there was ambivalence on the part of the west towards mao until 1949, as the kmt fell further and further out of favor. not everyone thought a communist victory was necessarily that bad a thing. 1949 brought the end of that, with expulsions of foreigners, the onset of mcarthyism in the us–in large part precipitated by mao’s victory–and the excesses of mao’s government beginning in full view.
