China's Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New Nationalism

I've been vaguely aware for awhile that there was an ongoing effort in the PRC to try and reintegrate the World War II experience of China into a usable past. Mitter provides the reader with an examination of the roots of this process in the wake of Mao's passing, as upon rejoining the world system, Beijing's Communist politicos needed to step away from their old verities of class warfare and autarchy, and the Nationalist experience was something that could be worked with when making claims upon the system. The issue now is how far can Beijing go demanding what is rightfully theirs, when what they call their right is hegemonic power in the Greater Asian area. The other issue is that the Communist claim to legitimacy is based on having show more rebuilt national power and provided economic security; what happens when the second falters?

I liked this book but, in the apparent political demise of Donald Trump, and the rising scorn against Beijing's oppression of the Uighurs, this book is already feeling a little dated. It's part of the reason I basically gave up on current-affairs books back in the 1990s. show less