Active Defense: China's Military Strategy since 1949

by M. Taylor Fravel

Overview

What changes in China’s modern defense policy reveal about military organizations and strategy

Active Defense offers the first systematic look at China’s military strategy from the mid-twentieth century to today. Exploring the range and intensity of threats that China has faced, M. Taylor Fravel illuminates the nation’s past and present military goals, and offers a rich set of cases for deepening the study of how and why states alter their defense policies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691210339
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	12/08/2020
Series:	Princeton Studies in International History and Politics , #2
Pages:	396
Sales rank:	378,472
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

M. Taylor Fravel is the Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and Director of the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of Strong Borders, Secure Nation (Princeton). Twitter @fravel

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Acknowledgments xi

Abbreviations xv

Introduction 1

1 Explaining Major Change in Military Strategy 9

2 The CCP's Military Strategies before 1949 39

3 The 1956 Strategy: "Defending the Motherland" 72

4 The 1964 Strategy: "Luring the Enemy in Deep" 107

5 The 1980 Strategy: "Active Defense" 139

6 The 1993 Strategy: "Local Wars under High-Technology Conditions" 182

7 China's Military Strategies since 1993: "Informatization" 217

8 China's Nuclear Strategy since 1964 236

Conclusion 270

Notes 279

Bibliography 339

Index 363

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The first book to provide a comprehensive history of China’s military doctrine as it has evolved since the founding of the People’s Republic."—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs

"A classic that is likely to have great long-term influence."—Chas W. Freeman, Jr., Book Post

"An outstanding contribution to the canon on Chinese military and strategic affairs."—James Mulvenon, China Quarterly

"Rich in context and history."—Ankit Panda, War on the Rocks

"Active Defense confirms Fravel’s standing as one of the top experts on China's national security strategy."—Karl Eikenberry, Stanford University and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan

"Anyone interested in the implications of China’s rise should read this book."—Thomas J. Christensen, author of The China Challenge

"Active Defense is a brilliant tour de force on the sources of stasis and change in Chinese military strategy."—Caitlin Talmadge, Georgetown University

Editorial Reviews

2019 War on the Rocks Holiday Reading List

From the Publisher