Leon Trotsky on China. Introduction by Peng Shuzi

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This volume contains a collection of Trotsky's writings on the Chinese revolution of 1925-27 and its aftermath.

This failed revolution ended with the deaths of tens of thousands of communist workers and the total destruction of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as an organised mass movement of the working class. One cannot understand the fundamental problems in modern Chinese history, in particular the nature of the Maoist regime that was established in 1949, without understanding the lessons of 1925-27.

The perspective for the Chinese revolution was at the heart of Trotsky's struggle against the Stalinist bureaucracy. In this struggle, his theory of Permanent Revolution was put to a gigantic test—for the second time. With the support of the Soviet bureaucratic apparatus Stalin prevailed, leading to the betrayal of one of the most promising revolutionary opportunities since 1917. The defeat in China was a decisive blow to the Left Opposition. At the end of 1927, Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and then from the USSR.

The Battle For China’s Past: Mao and the Cultural Revolution

‘A powerful mixture of political passion and original research, a brave polemic against the fashionable view on China … Aims a knockout blow at Jung Chang’s recent book on Mao, which Bush and the conservatives rave-reviewed.’ —Gregor Benton, Professor of Chinese History, University of Cardiff.
‘This important book opens a much needed window onto Chinese perceptions of the country’s post-Mao direction … Highlights the renewal of popular support for socialism and the growing opposition to contemporary state policies.’ —Martin Hart-Landsberg, Professor of Economics, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon.
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