The Chinese Cultural Revolution Reconsidered: Beyond Purge and Holocaust

"The Cultural revolution in China, inspired by Marxist idealism and initiated by Mao, marks the most violent and bloody period in Chinese history and is often compared with the Holocaust in Germany. Violence was arbitrary and widespread; ordinary people attacked one another in the name of socialism, in the name of a movement whose ideals had once been captured in symbols of hope. This study not only seeks to answer the complicated question of why the Cultural Revolution in China Occurred but also to explore the contemporary significance of this ugly episode in Chinese history and to draw a lesson from it." -- BOOK JACKET.