“Red Dawns” and Skiing on Stolen Land, with Frank Dikötter

Quick Overview

Historian Frank Dikötter argues that the Chinese Communist Party's historical narrative regarding land reform and its rise to power is largely a myth, contrasting the romanticized story of liberating peasants with the reality of brutal mass killings and deprivation, which he details in his book "Red Dawn Over China," suggesting the CCP's power consolidation was built on violence and fear, not popular support.

Key Points: Dikötter argues that the narrative of the CCP gaining power by liberating poor peasants through land reform is false; the reality involved brutal tactics against landlords and others. The CCP's takeover of Manchuria in 1948 involved the starvation and death of hundreds of thousands of civilians in cities like Changchun, a tragedy often omitted from official histories. Mao Zedong's rule utilized a 'cult of personality' similar to Stalin's, relying on fear and ruthless purges, such as the purge of his supposed nemesis, Nikita Khrushchev, after Stalin's death. The CCP's continued political control relies on maintaining the myth of liberation, despite the documented mass killings and extreme suffering imposed on the populace. John Cochrane noted that the Chinese economy's current strength, particularly in sectors like private education and health, masks the weakness in the rest of the economy and the ongoing reliance on exports and controlled currency. Niall Ferguson highlighted that the CCP's military buildup, including aircraft carriers like the Fujian, is not just for external projection but also for internal coercion, ensuring loyalty through fear. The discussion contrasted the CCP's history with that of the Republic of China (KMT), whose leaders were often more open to democratic principles and less brutal than their Communist counterparts.

Context: This video features a discussion from the Hoover Institution's 'Good Fellows' series, featuring economists John H. Cochrane and Bill Whalen, historian H.R. McMaster, and guest historian Frank Dikötter, author of "Red Dawn Over China: How Communism Conquered a Quarter of Humanity." The conversation centers on dismantling the official historical narrative of the Chinese Communist Party's rise to power, particularly focusing on the brutality of land reform and the contrast between the CCP's actions and the KMT's approach.