This rich volume is less an “Introduction” to Mao, than a Critical Appraisal or Revisiting of Mao. Some essays offer far more than an introduction and probe new areas that connect Mao to Chinese traditions, the nature of the Chinese state, and world history since his death. Unfortunately, Timothy Cheek's preface does not offer real themes or a framework, but announces a sequence (“Mao's world” and “Mao's legacy”) that hardly fits what follows. Still, anyone interested in Mao will be rewarded if they persevere to the essays ahead.

Space permits mention only of nine fresh, notable, or provocative essays, all suitable for graduate students. Hans J. Van de Ven masterfully reassesses Mao's position within the swirling political currents of the 1930s and 1940s. He is penetrating on how Mao's Rectification Movement and other measures “suppressed the globalizing and internationalizing strain in communism” (p. 100).

Frederick C. Teiwes' essay is thoughtful...

You do not currently have access to this content.