China 1945: Mao's Revolution and America's Fateful Choice Hardcover - 2014

“The current rivalry between the United States and China for the dominant role in East Asia is rooted in a complicated history dating back to 1945. Richard Bernstein’s compelling and moving examination of U.S.-China relations during and immediately after World War II sparkles with fresh insights into the tragic events and colorful personalities of that era. A model of historical writing for non-specialist readers, its only fault is that once begun it is almost impossible to put down.”
 
—Steven I. Levine, co-author of Mao: The Real Story

“The dramatic events of 1945 continue to shape American relations with China. Mao, Zhou Enlai, Stilwell, General George Marshall—these and other giant personalities come to life in these pages, as we relive the fateful choices events forced on them in a year of nonstop crises. The book offers a thoughtful examination of the roots of authoritarianism in China, the sources of Chinese-American mistrust, and the intractability of history.”
 
—Andrew J. Nathan, co-author of The Tiananmen Papers

“Richard Bernstein’s China 1945 is the rare book that under-promises on its title. The author goes far beyond delivering up that pivotal year, providing instead a learned and compelling narrative of the characters and forces that drove China and the United States apart and created today’s world.”

—Howard French, author of China’s Second Continent

Richard Bernstein has been a reporter, culture critic, and commentator for more than thirty years. He was a foreign correspondent in Asia and Europe forTimemagazine andThe New York Times, and was the first Beijing bureau chief forTime. He is the author of many books on Chinese and Asian themes, among themThe Coming Conflict with ChinaandUltimate Journey, the latter of which was a New York TimesBest Book of the Year. He is also the author ofOut of the Blue: A Narrative of September 11, 2001, which was named byThe Boston Globeas one of the seven best books of 2002. He lives in New York.
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