The Left in China

A Political Cartography

Ralf Ruckus

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Paperback

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English

Pluto Press
20 February 2023

Asian history; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Marxism & Communism; Revolutionary groups & movements

'Does a great service by shifting our attention to the oppositional movements of Chinese workers, peasants, students, and women who have contested inequality and exploitation' - Manfred Elfstrom

Tracing the history of left-wing, subversive and oppositional forces in the People's Republic of China over the last seventy years, Ralf Ruckus pulls back the curtain on Chinese politics.

He looks at the labour strikes in the 1950s, the rebel uprising during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, the democracy movements in the 1970s and 1980s, the struggles of urban and migrant workers since the 1990s and 2000s, and women's forms of resistance until today. Each of these struggles inspired left-wing groups and movements that criticised or challenged the regime of the Chinese Communist Party, from Mao Zedong's rule to the regime under Xi Jinping.

Is the country still socialist today, the Chinese Communist Party a left-wing organisation, and the leadership indeed Marxist? The book sorts out the confusion by presenting the fascinating history of social movements and left politics in the People's Republic up to the present day.

By: Ralf Ruckus
Imprint: Pluto Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 17mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9780745342955
ISBN 10: 0745342957
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 20 February 2023
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Introduction: Understanding the Left in the People’s Republic 2. Against Broken Promises: Workers Claim Equality and Participation in the Socialist 1950s and 1960s 3. For a Better Future: Worker Movements Demand Democratic Reforms in the 1970s and 1980s 4. Defense and Nostalgia: Social Struggles Drive Leftist Resistance in the 1990s and 2000s 5. Social Unrest and Organizing: Challenges for the CCP in the Capitalist 2000s and 2010s 6. Conclusions: Social Discontent and Left Opposition in Socialism and Capitalism Epilogue

Ralf Ruckus has been studying the social, economic, and political situation in the People’s Republic of China for almost twenty years. He co-founded the collective gongchao.org that investigates and documents social unrest and movements in China with a focus on the struggles of workers, migrants, and women.

Reviews for The Left in China: A Political Cartography

'Ruckus has taken on the task of encapsulating for a western audience the history of the Left in China, where it stands today, and its prospects... comprehensive, detailed, and strikingly insightful' -- Brian Chee-Shing Hioe, Founding Editor of New Bloom 'A must-read portrayal of the development of the left in China from the 1950s to the present, with important insights on how, despite its revolutionary rhetoric, the Chinese Communist Party has been an anti-left-wing force. Essential reading for global activists and scholars who believe a more egalitarian, democratic world is possible' -- Elaine Hui, School of Labour and Employment Relations, The Pennysylvania State University 'In this riveting analysis, Ruckus rescues left politics from the monopoly of the Chinese state and recenters the motor of history around social struggles from below-a much-needed perspective in understanding China from the international left' -- Yige Dong, Department of Global Gender and Sexuality Studies, University of Buffalo, US 'With the Left at odds over how to understand the Chinese party-state and its growing international influence, Ralf Ruckus' thorough but clearly written new book does a great service by shifting our attention to the oppositional movements of Chinese workers, peasants, students, and women who have contested inequality and exploitation over the past century-plus, often in the face of severe repression' -- Manfred Elfstrom, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan, and author of Workers and Change in China: Resistance, Repression, Responsiveness