Description
Book SynopsisThe demise of communism in the former Soviet Union and the massive political and economic changes in China are the stunning transformations of our century. Two central questions are emerging: Why did different communist systems experience different patterns of transition? Why did partial reforms in the Soviet Union and China turn into revolutions?
Trade ReviewThis is an immensely exciting, sustained analytical effort ...this book is quite likely to become a classic in its field. * Pacific Review *
From Reform to Revolution makes an important contribution...and is likely to endure as a landmark study in the field. * Journal of Asian Studies *
The first comprehensive effort to compare the recent political experiences of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the People’s Republic of China by tracing their overlapping and diverging paths of regime change...Very tightly argued and erudite. -- Philippe C. Schmitter * Russian Review *
An outstanding scholarly work with a powerful argument, reams of relevant data, and a crisp, succinct presentation. It is among the very best of its genre. -- Barrett McCormick * China Journal *
Breathtaking...Pei is original in exploring and explaining the conventional wisdom that China’s Communist regime survived reform and the Soviet Union’s did not because one undertook economic reform first and the other political reform first. What is breathtaking is...the author's range and detail, comprehending not only his native China, but the vast literature on the former USSR and its more than a dozen ‘republics.’ -- James A. Robinson * American Journal of Chinese Studies *
Pei’s approach to sociopolitical change is rational-analytical. Rational social actors follow their interests, societies are seen as being governed by explicable laws within a systematic general comparative theory; any significant event has its (though ex post) explanation. Frequent references to past and present masters of social and political theory reveal the scholarly tradition and pedagogical skill of the author. Moreover, the reader cannot but admire the clarity of the narrative; concepts are always clearly defined, questions explicitly formulated, the style is balanced and accurate. The reader is invited to share a feel of rich factual complexity as well as a chess-like lawful quality in the flow of events. -- Ludek Rychetnik * Reviewing Sociology *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Regime Transition in Communist States Explaining the Tocqueville Paradox China's Capitalist Revolution The Private Sector under Perestroika The Self-Liberalization of China's Mass Media The Liberal Takeover of the Soviet Mass Media under Glasnost Conclusion Abbreviations Notes Acknowledgments Index
