From Rebel to Ruler

The definitive, candid, and absorbing history of a political organizationA vital account, based on magnificent research, that shows the party as a colossal, relentless, and enduring machine.Jane Perlez, former Beijing Bureau Chief, New York Times If you were to travel back in time to 1921 and predict that the Communist Party of China would rule over the worlds second-largest economy 100 years later, no one would believe you. In this definitive primer, Tony Saich explains how the impossible came true.Yuen Yuen Ang, Project Syndicate An extremely lucid, insightful history of the Chinese Communist Party. Saichs readable narrative takes the CCP from its origins as a tiny group of revolutionariesto the powerful, repressive rulers of a world power today.James Mann, author of The China Fantasy Mao Zedong and the twelve young men who founded the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 could hardly have imagined that less than thirty years later, they would rule China. Over a century later the party remains in command, leading a nation primed for global dominance. From Rebel to Ruler is a landmark history of the Chinese Communist Partyits rise against incredible odds, its struggle to consolidate power and overcome self-inflicted disasters, and its ability to thrive long after the collapse of the Soviet Union and dissolution of other communist parties. Leninist systems are thought to be rigid, yet the Chinese Communist Party has proved adaptable. Tony Saich shows that the party owes its endurance to its flexibility. But is it nimble enough to realize Xi Jinpings China Dream? Challenges are multiplying, as a restless middle class makes new demands and the party strays ever further from its revolutionary roots.