Baohui Zhang is professor of political science at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. He received his PhD from the University of Texas in Austin. His research interests include political change, Sino-US relations, and international relations of the Asia Pacific.

• List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Contrasting Patterns of Two Agrarian Revolutions 2. Contending Theories of Agrarian Revolution 3. Community as an Organization 4. Patrilineally Organized Jiangxi Peasant Communities 5. Paramilitarily Organized Hunan Peasant Communities 6. Communal Organizations and Agrarian Revolutions 7. An Organizational Th eory of Agrarian Revolutions Bibliography Index

In this thorough comparative account of the peasant risings in Hunan and Jiangxi and the role of the Communist Party, Professor Zhang casts new light on both the risings themselves, and what they can tell us about peasant risings in general. This work is strong in both theory and detailed historical research. -- Richard Rigby, China Institute, Australian National University Professor Zhang has beautifully crafted a comparative study of divergent peasant revolutions in two Chinese regions during Mao's long revolutionary war. He brings to this task a broad and deep knowledge about revolutionary theory, and also a razor-like analytical sensibility, which enables him to examine the pros and cons of existing perspectives. -- Timothy P. Wickham-Crowley, associate professor of sociology, Georgetown University