BycomparingpeasantrevolutionsinHunanandJiangxibetween1926and1934,RevolutionsasOrganizationalChangeoffersaneworganizationalperspectiveonpeasantrevolutions.UtilizingnewlyavailablehistoricalmaterialsinthePeople’sRepublicofChinainthereformera,itchallengestheestablishedviewthatthegreatChineserevolutionofthetwentiethcenturywasarevolution“made”bytheChineseCommunistParty(theCCP).
Thebookbeginswithapuzzlepresentedbythetwopeasantrevolutions.WhileoutsidemobilizationbytheCCPwaslargelyabsentinHunan,peasantrevolutionarybehaviorswerespontaneousandradical.InJiangxi,however,despiteintensemobilizationbytheCCP,peasantsremainedpassiveandconservative.Thisstudyseekstoresolvethepuzzlebyexaminingtherolesofcommunalcooperativeinstitutionsinthemakingofpeasantrevolutions.Historically,peasantcommunitiesinmanypartsoftheworldwereregulatedbypowerfulcooperativeinstitutionstoconfrontenvironmentalchallenges.Thisbookarguesthatdifferentcommunalorganizationalprinciplesaffectpeasants’perceptionsofthelegitimacyoftheircommunalorders.Agrarianrebellionscanbecausedbypeasants’attemptstorestructureunjustandillegitimatecommunalorganizationalorders,whilelegitimatecommunalorganizationalorderscanpowerfullyconstrainthemobilizationbyoutsiderevolutionaryagentssuchastheCCP.
PARTY ORGANIZATIONAL CHINA COMMUNITIES CHANGE HISTORICALLY MADE
