Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-281).
Contents:
1. Negotiating at an uneven table National pride, sovereignty and the Sino-Soviet dispute over Dalian -- 2. Rethinking the Chongqing negotiations Concession-making, the trust/distrust paradox, and the biased mediator in China's first post-World War II attempt at peace -- 3. Civil war in the north-east The rhetorical use of 'decisive war' and the Manchurian gamble -- 4. A shattered peace Ambiguous provisions in agreements for ceasefire, the Political Consultative Conference and army nationalisation -- 5. Planting radishes in the desert The Nationalists' handling of the negotiations for Sino-Soviet economic cooperation in Manchuria -- 6. 'China's Madrid' The synonym of civil war -- 7. Towards an all-out civil war in China Short-term solutions, long-term success and the veto players.
Summary:
In China between Peace and War, Victor S. C. Cheng explores the gripping history of peace talks and international negotiations from 1945 to 1947 that helped determine the shape of the Chinese Civil War. The book focuses on the efforts of the two belligerent parties--​the Chinese Nationalists, or Guomindang, and the Communists--to achieve an enduring peace. It presents previously unexplored major elements of the peace talks: ambiguous treaties, package deals and short-term solutions. It identifies the burning challenges that confronted attempts at peacemaking, including the two warring parties' high-risk decision-making styles and the temptation to veto agreements and resume fighting. Cheng argues against popular notions that differences between the two belligerents in the Chinese Civil War were irreconcilable, that the failure of the peace talks was predetermined and that the US government mediators needed to remain neutral. Because the actions around the negotiating table occurred in a developing theatre of war, Cheng also explores the military decision-making of the opposing sides as well as the conflicts that ultimately plunged China into the world's largest military engagement of the seven-plus decades since World War II. China between Peace and War highlights the contradictory role of political leaders who micromanaged the military, including their struggle to connect political objectives and military power, their rhetorical use of the 'decisive war' concept, and their pursuit of radical military-political goals at the expense of a negotiated peace.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.