Price, Don C. Russia and the Roots of the Chinese Revolution, 1896-1911. Harvard University Press, 1974.

“Russia and the Roots of the Chinese Revolution, 1896-1911” by Don C. Price was originally published in 1974 by Harvard University Press. The book examines the influence of the Russian revolutionary movement on the Chinese Revolution, focusing on the period between 1896 and 1911. It examines the interactions between Russian revolutionaries and Chinese reformers and how Russian ideologies contributed to the transformation of China during this time. Price argues that Chinese revolutionaries were not simply mimicking the Russians, but rather were adapting Russian ideas to their own specific circumstances (Russia and the Roots of the Chinese Revolution, acknowledgment section). Is this book an effective work of history? “Russia and the Roots of the Chinese Revolution, 1896-1911” is an effective work of history. It is based on comprehensive research and draws from various sources, providing a detailed understanding of the historical context of how Russian ideologies influenced the Chinese Revolution. This paper will analyze how this book is an effective work of history through various primary sources.

Firstly, the book’s introduction provides interesting and important insights into the events and the period it discusses. The book’s central question revolves around the extent to which Russian influences played a role in the Chinese revolution and whether the revolution was primarily driven by indigenous Chinese forces or by external influences. Price takes us back to the Russian and Chinese revolutionaries before the October Revolution and discusses how different parties view or compare the Chinese Revolution to the Russian communist ideology. He writes, “Red baiters and cold warriors in the West were quick to see the Communist triumph as an extraneous thing, an outward expansion from Moscow of the world Communist movement, while closer students of Chinese affairs have been equally at pains to point out the indigenous sources of support and powerful nationalist impulses at work in the revolution” (Russia and the Roots of the Chinese Revolution, page 1). The argument that the Chinese revolutionaries were adapting Russian ideologies to their country’s specific issues rather than just copying the Russian ideas, which Price supports with comprehensive evidence from before and after the 1896-1911 period, makes this book an effective work of history.

The book’s relevance to primary sources, such as the “Press Coverage of the Wuchang Uprising,” also makes it an effective work of history. The document details events surrounding the Wuchang Uprising, a key event in the Chinese Revolution of 1911, which Price also highlights. The document’s discussion of the proclamation by the revolutionary army mentioning “reviving the rights of the Han people” and “overthrowing the Manchu government” (SMCDC, page 208) aligns with the Communist idea of overthrowing monarchy, as discussed by Price. While portraying the shift of Chinese monarchial ideology, he quotes Liang’s 1903 statement, “I bid thee adieu. And if I am asked whether I shall advocate a constitutional monarchy, I will answer, no. It is astounding how my thought has regressed . . ., I dream of Russia” (Russia and the Roots of the Chinese Revolution, page 130). Thus, while the “Press Coverage of the Wuchang Uprising” does not definitively prove that Chinese revolutionaries were directly copying Russian ideas, it does provide evidence that they were using similar ideologies and concepts during the revolution. This aligns with Price’s argument that the Chinese were adapting revolutionary ideas from Russia to their own context.

“On The People’s Democratic Dictatorship” primary source also supports the book’s central argument of how the Chinese Revolution did not just mimic Russian ideas but adapted them to fit their unique context. In the speech, while Mao Zeodong acknowledges that the Communist Party of China adopted Marxism-Leninism, he clarifies that the Chinese revolutionaries used these ideas to address their country’s specific conditions, stating that “The October Revolution helped progressives in China, as throughout the world, to adopt the proletarian world outlook as the instrument for studying a nation’s destiny and considering anew their own problems” (SMCDC, page 353). This indicates that the Chinese were not simply copying Russian communism but were adapting it to their unique circumstances. Further, Mao’s discussion of the creation of a people’s democratic dictatorship through the Chinese Party’s strategy that focused on building a “people’s democratic dictatorship” that incorporated unique elements of Chinese society highlights China’s unique application of Russian ideologies. Mao describes it as a system combining “democracy for the people and dictatorship over the reactionaries.” He explains that this approach is specific to China, saying, “China cannot have a bourgeois republic because she is a country suffering under imperialist oppression” (SMCDC, page 153). This shows that, as discussed by Price, the Chinese Communists were developing a system tailored to their specific historical and social context rather than simply following a Russian model.

Another reason this book is an effective work of history is its accuracy in portraying events. From the introduction to the conclusion, Price portrays all historical events accurately, with the aid of comprehensive evidence. For instance, the events of the 1905 Revolution discussed in the book, such as the Portsmouth Treaty on September 5, 1905, match the dating of the “The Mukden Incident and Manchukuo” primary source. In the book, Price writes, “The war came to a conclusion with the signing in September 1905 of the Treaty of Portsmouth, in which the two belligerents agreed to evacuate Manchuria…” (Russia and the Roots of the Chinese Revolution, page 166). Similarly, in the Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection, Pei-Kai Cheng and Michael Lestz state, “Following the signing of the Portsmouth Treaty on September 5, 1905, Japan’s Guandong Army (Kant6 gun) was posted to Manchuria…” (SMCDC, page 277). This date also corresponds to the “Japan on the Mukden Incident” primary document that gives insight into the Portsmouth Treaty signed in September 1905 (SMCDC, page 280). 

While, overall, the book presents a compelling argument supported with comprehensive evidence, making it an effective work of history, it has one potential limitation. Although the facts presented help us understand the past more clearly, primarily through the book’s comprehensive analysis of evidence and events and the author’s clear and concise first-person language in presenting his opinions and arguments, the analysis only spans a few years (1896-1911). Knowing that 1911 was only the start of the Chinese revolution, the work overlooks a significant era of the Chinese past.

“Russia and the Roots of the Chinese Revolution, 1896-1911” by Don C. Price is an effective work of history. This book comprehensively explores and analyzes the events in China between 1896 and 1911 and the events before this period that influenced the Chinese Revolution. Moreover, the book’s compelling insights about the period (1896-1911), events, and leaders, as well as its accuracy in portraying events, make its argument valid, strengthening its effectiveness. The work’s meticulous approach and thoughtful interpretation make it a valuable resource for anyone interested in exploring the roots of the Chinese Revolution.