This is a recent book by Frank Dikötter, a Dutch historian who became famous for his exhaustive and exhausting The People’s Trilogy.
A reviewer has touted this book as “the most important reappraisal of modern China to appear in years” on the topic of how communism conquered China.
Having read the book, I have to say I can’t find the new points that are groundbreaking.
Dikötter posits that Mao won because of massive backing from Moscow. In his book, he has given us more details on how Stalin helped Mao, but all these are operational details that do not support the main thesis that Mao won because of Stalin.
Dikötter is careful not to use the word ‘solely’ because of Moscow, but the absence of analysis of other major factors that contributed to Mao’s victory will mislead the average reader who is not steeped in Mao’s history.
A major factor not analysed at all is the Japanese invasion, which decimated Chiang Kai-shek’s army. Without the Japanese invasion, Mao would not have won.
Dikötter began by giving the data that the CCP had very few members and that the victory over CKS was due to Moscow. Left unexplained is then, where did Mao get his millions of soldiers to fight, as Stalin never used his Red Army to fight Chiang?
This book is useful for readers new to history. It is popular history at its best. For readers who have read more, the best books are still Mao by Philip Short and Jonathan Fenby’s Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the China He Lost.
LWH, Chinese New Year, Everyone’s birthday, 23 Feb 2026