The Problem of China

Shockingly good considering how little knowledge was available to Russell at the time. It’s quite depressing to read the last lines of this book and realize that most of Russell’s worst fears have come to pass since 1949. China’s military and economic strength, built on the back of imported techniques, have not been reconciled with a renewal of older Chinese civilization, but have instead mostly accompanied the thorough destruction of everything in which Russell found reason for hope. Rather than developing a model from which the West can learn, the modern Chinese government has taken all the vices of Western civilization to excess while excising much of what’s actually admirable. Here’s hoping that the Chinese people can one show more day take back their country and fulfill the dream of giving “mankind as a whole new hope in the moment of greatest need.” show less

This was a very interesting read for a number of reasons.

It is a fairly concise analysis of the then-present political and economic situation of China, as viewed by a visiting Professor Bertrand Russell; he gives his own opinion and makes predictions as he sees events playing out. Some of the analysis and predictions were quite prescient; others look, in the light of much history, as naive as they indeed turned out to be (easy for me to say!) This was written c. 1921, so almost 30 years before the victory of Mao Zedong.

Some of his biting commentary on (especially) American culture seems just as true today; on the down side, some of his commentary on the development of Chinese economic progress seems incredibly... well, "European", even show more though he repeatedly lambastes whites for their caricature of Chinese culture. For instance, he says at one point --and I paraphrase-- that the development of more advanced technology and agriculture to save lives that would die of famine isn't worth it if it comes at the cost of culture: as hyperbole this is fine, but I suspect he half-way meant it. One wonders what the starving farm-worker would think.

A great, very accessible bit of historical reading, with much that is still relevant today. show less