The Political Orientation of 20th-Century Research on Modern Chinese History
Features of This Book As an important sub-discipline of Chinese Historiography, the study of Modern Chinese History [1] has inherited the tradition of classical Chinese historiography serving politics. From its inception, it has not been merely a pure historical science; rather, it has been deeply influenced and constrained by the Chinese political context of the time. The dominant research in Modern Chinese History was integrated into the mainstream ideology of the period, serving as a tool to provide historical justification for the legitimacy of the then-ruling regimes. Based on an extensive collection of historical materials, this book examines the political orientation of 20th-century studies of Modern Chinese History from the perspective of the relationship between scholarship and politics, employing a combination of macro-level investigation, case studies, and textual analysis. Through an examination of the "academic-political history" of the formation and development of the disciplinary system of 20th-century Modern Chinese History, this work summarizes the experiences and lessons regarding the relationship between historical research and political development. It provides historical reference for the correct handling of the relationship between Modern Chinese History research and Chinese politics in the 21st century, thereby promoting the disciplinary development of the field.
About the Content This book adheres to the guidance of the Marxist historical-materialist outlook. On the basis of extensive academic data, it examines the political orientation of 20th-century Modern Chinese History research from the perspective of the relationship between scholarship and politics. It outlines the history of how 20th-century modern Chinese politics drove the emergence, development, and maturation of the discipline, providing a nuanced analysis of the political orientations of representative figures of various discourses and the modern history monographs that reflect these orientations.
Through an academic-political history investigation of the formation and development of the disciplinary system, the book summarizes the experiences and lessons of the relationship between Modern Chinese History research and modern political development. This provides historical reference for correctly handling the relationship between the study of history and politics, offering important enlightenment for constructing a 21st-century disciplinary system, academic system, and discourse system [2] for Modern Chinese History guided by Marxism.
Successive generations of leaders of the Communist Party of China have attached great importance to the study and research of Modern Chinese History, regarding it as an important means of ideological and political work. The understanding of Modern Chinese History is related to the future developmental direction of Chinese society. The research in this book helps the study of Modern Chinese History to better exert its significance for theoretical guidance and its role as a historical reference for China's socialist modernization.
About the Author Gong Yun: Born in September 1971, PhD in History. He is the Executive Deputy Director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Deputy Director of the CASS Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, and Deputy Director of the World Socialism Research Center. He is a Senior Research Fellow (Professor). He also serves as a Director of the Association for the History of the People’s Republic of China, Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Atheism Society, Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Society for Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Studies, and is a Chief Expert for major projects under the National Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project [3]. He has long studied the theory and practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics, independently published six books, and published nearly one hundred academic papers in periodicals such as Guangming Daily, Chinese Social Sciences Today, Qiushi, Party Building Research, Marxist Studies, Social Sciences in Chinese Higher Education, Red Flag Manuscript, and Guide to Ideological and Theoretical Education. His co-authored work, An Intellectual History of 30 Years of Reform and Opening-up, won the third prize for Outstanding Research Achievement from CASS, and his co-authored book The Chinese Road was selected for the 2013 National "Three One-Hundred Original Book Project." He has won a second prize for major project research results from the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, and numerous CASS awards for information policy research (one Special Prize, three First Prizes, three Second Prizes, and five Third Prizes). He has frequently undertaken projects commissioned by central departments such as the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the State Council Information Office, and the Ministry of Finance. Internal reports he authored have three times received written instructions [4] from General Secretary Xi Jinping, four times from members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and once from a State Councilor.
Table of Contents Introduction / 1 Chapter One: Political Prerequisites and Academic Origins of the Emergence of the Discipline of Modern Chinese History / 20 Section 1: Political Prerequisites for the Emergence of the Discipline / 21 Section 2: Academic Origins of the Emergence of the Discipline / 30 Chapter Two: Chinese Politics and the Sprouting of Modern Chinese History Research (early 20th century to early 1930s) / 40 Section 1: Chinese Politics from the early 20th century to the early 1930s / 40 Section 2: The Sprouting of Modern Chinese History Research / 45 Chapter Three: Chinese Politics and the Rise of Modern Chinese History Research (1930s–1940s) / 50 Section 1: Chinese Politics in the 1930s and 1940s / 51 Section 2: The Rise of Modern Chinese History Research / 60 Chapter Four: Chinese Politics and the Development of Modern Chinese History Research (1950s to early 1960s) / 175 Section 1: Chinese Politics from the 1950s to the early 1960s / 175 Section 2: Development of the Discipline of Modern Chinese History in the 1950s and 1960s / 185 Chapter Five: Chinese Politics and the Prosperity of Modern Chinese History Research (late 1970s to the end of the century) / 232 Section 1: Chinese Politics from the late 1970s to the end of the century / 233 Section 2: Perfection of the Disciplinary System of Modern Chinese History / 237 Section 3: Contention in the Exploration of the New Disciplinary System of Modern Chinese History / 269 Section 4: Divergent Paths in the Exploration of the New Disciplinary System of Modern Chinese History—Taking Farewell to Revolution: Looking Back on 20th-Century China as an Example / 310 Section 5: The Intervention of the Modernization Perspective in Modern Chinese History Research—Taking Examinations in Comparison: Research on China’s Early Modernization as an Example / 324 Conclusion / 348 Bibliography / 362 Postscript / 369 Web Editor: Xin Ran