Peter Worthing is Associate Professor of History at Texas Christian University. He has a PhD in modern Chinese History from the University of Hawaii. He is the author of Occupation and Revolution: China and the Vietnamese August Revolution of 1945 (2001) and several articles on Chinese military history in journals such as The Journal of Military History, Modern China, and The Journal of American-East Asian Relations.

Armed struggle has played an important role throughout the history of China. The majority of China's imperial dynasties rose and fell due to success or defeat upon the battlefield. The 20th century saw the conflict between Nationalist and Communist forces that resulted in today's divided China: the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan. It also witnessed China's intervention in the Korean War and border clashes with its neighbors India, the Soviet Union, and Vietnam. Worthing offers a basic introduction to the military history of China from the Shang Dynasty (c. 1750-1050 BCE) to the present, intended for both specialists and casual readers. The text's 14 chapters are organized along thematic and chronological lines, e.g., Warlords and the Northern Expedition, 1916-1927, The Chinese Civil War, 1945-1949, and The Chinese Military since 1980. Worthing focuses on recurring issues, such as the military as the arbiter of internal and external security, significant military campaigns, and the ongoing effort to acquire weapon systems that would allow the PRC to compete militarily with the major Western powers, notably the US. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate collections.

Peter Worthing is Associate Professor of History at Texas Christian University. He has a PhD in modern Chinese History from the University of Hawaii. He is the author of Occupation and Revolution: China and the Vietnamese August Revolution of 1945 (2001) and several articles on Chinese military history in journals such as The Journal of Military History, Modern China, and The Journal of American-East Asian Relations.

Armed struggle has played an important role throughout the history of China. The majority of China's imperial dynasties rose and fell due to success or defeat upon the battlefield. The 20th century saw the conflict between Nationalist and Communist forces that resulted in today's divided China: the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan. It also witnessed China's intervention in the Korean War and border clashes with its neighbors India, the Soviet Union, and Vietnam. Worthing offers a basic introduction to the military history of China from the Shang Dynasty (c. 1750-1050 BCE) to the present, intended for both specialists and casual readers. The text's 14 chapters are organized along thematic and chronological lines, e.g., Warlords and the Northern Expedition, 1916-1927, The Chinese Civil War, 1945-1949, and The Chinese Military since 1980. Worthing focuses on recurring issues, such as the military as the arbiter of internal and external security, significant military campaigns, and the ongoing effort to acquire weapon systems that would allow the PRC to compete militarily with the major Western powers, notably the US. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate collections.

Peter Worthing is Associate Professor of History at Texas Christian University. He has a PhD in modern Chinese History from the University of Hawaii. He is the author of Occupation and Revolution: China and the Vietnamese August Revolution of 1945 (2001) and several articles on Chinese military history in journals such as The Journal of Military History, Modern China, and The Journal of American-East Asian Relations.

Armed struggle has played an important role throughout the history of China. The majority of China's imperial dynasties rose and fell due to success or defeat upon the battlefield. The 20th century saw the conflict between Nationalist and Communist forces that resulted in today's divided China: the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan. It also witnessed China's intervention in the Korean War and border clashes with its neighbors India, the Soviet Union, and Vietnam. Worthing offers a basic introduction to the military history of China from the Shang Dynasty (c. 1750-1050 BCE) to the present, intended for both specialists and casual readers. The text's 14 chapters are organized along thematic and chronological lines, e.g., Warlords and the Northern Expedition, 1916-1927, The Chinese Civil War, 1945-1949, and The Chinese Military since 1980. Worthing focuses on recurring issues, such as the military as the arbiter of internal and external security, significant military campaigns, and the ongoing effort to acquire weapon systems that would allow the PRC to compete militarily with the major Western powers, notably the US. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate collections.