Description
Book SynopsisWhy would one country impose economic sanctions against another in pursuit of foreign policy objectives? How effective is the use of economic weapons in attaining such objectives? To answer these questions, the author examines how and why the United States and its allies instituted economic sanctions against the People's Republic of China in the 1950s, and how the embargo affected Chinese domestic policy and the Sino-Soviet alliance.
The literature on sanctions has largely concluded that they tend to be ineffective in achieving foreign policy objectives. This study, based on recently declassified documents in the United States, Great Britain, China, and Russia, is unusual in that it looks at both sides of the China embargo. It concludes that economic sanctions provide, in certain circumstances, an attractive alternative to military intervention (especially in the nuclear age) or to doing nothing. The author argues that while the immediate effects may be meager or nil, the indi
Trade Review
"Zhang Shu Guang has carried out a thorough research of U.S. and British economic diplomacy toward China in the 1950s and 1960s. Economic Cold War should be of great interest to students of Sino-American relations and those researching the utility of economic sanctions in pursuit of foreign policy goals." -- The Russian Review
"Zhang has produced an outstanding contribution to our understanding of both the static and dynamic aspects of Sino-American relations during the early years of the Cold War. His book also commends itself to readers occupied with more contemporary US foreign policy issues. . . . Highly recommended for public, academic, and professional library collections." -- Choice
"Economic Cold War is a valuable contribution both to the historical literature on the cold war and to the economic sanctions literature." -- History
"Zhang provdes an insightful narrative and analysis of sanctions policymaking in the Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy administrations, as well as of evolving ineralliance politics regarding the multilateral sanctions regime." -- History
"Zhang has illuminated the China sanctions regime from all angles, brilliantly weaving together narratives of U.S. decision making, Western alliance politics, Chinese decision making, and Sino-Soviet alliance politics. It would be a valuable resource for all students of cold war history, from undergraduates to professional scholars." -- History
"Shu Guang Zhang's meticulous research on the American-led economic embargo against the People's Republic of China fom 1949 to the 1963 Sino-Soviet split brings forward a great deal of new information and, not surprisingly, new conclusions. In clear prose, Zhang explains American goals, perceptions of the efficacy of the sanctions, and why three different presidents maintained them. On the Chinese side, he describes and explains the reactions to the blockade." -- International Journal
"Zhang has provided an excellent contribution to understanding the Sino-Soviet relationship, Western alliance relations, and the utility of economic sanctions. It is well worth the time of readers interested in economics or international relations." -- John Soares * Kentucky Historical Society *
"...this is an outstanding work of contemporary history, thoroughly researched and elegantly written." * American Historical Review *
Table of Contents
1. Introduction; 2. Fostering the China embargo, 1949-1953; 3. Standing up to build a new China, September 1949- June 1950; 4. Countering the Imperialist embargo, July 1950- September 1953; 5. Holding the sanctions line, 1953-1955; 6. Fending off prolonged Western sanctions, October 1953- December 1957; 7. The disintegration of multilateral sanctions, 1956-1959; 8. The collapse of Sino-Soviet economic cooperation 1957-1960; 9. An inevitable Beijing-Moscow split and Washington's response, 1960-1963; 10. Conclusion; Appendix: statistics on Chinese trade, 1950-1980; Notes; References; Index.
