It is easier to conquer a country than to rule it.
Napoleon learned it the hard way after he conquered vast stretches of Russia. The British in Afghanistan in the 19th century and the Americans in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan also had to leave posthaste.
In the book Dilemmas of Victory (2007), we have 15 essays by various specialists on how Mao and the CCP established control over various parts of China in the early years of the PRC from 1949 to 1953.
We learned how the Chinese ‘accepted’ their new rulers and how the secret societies that controlled Shanghai were eradicated.
The chapter on Tibet is interesting. In the negotiations with the representatives of the Lhasa government, Mao played his cards well.
He took advantage of the disagreement between the Dalai Lama’s camp and the Panchen Lama’s camp.
Mao got both to agree to the 17-point Agreement that recognises Tibet as part of the Motherland. (P 154).
LWH, 25 Aug 2025